Four contractors win £7bn Scape national construction framework

Public sector procurement group Scape has appointed Willmott Dixon, Robertson, Wates and Lendlease as lead contractors for its new £7bn National Construction framework.

The four successful contractors will be supported by a supply chain network of over 70,000 SMEs. The new lot structure for the framework, designed to deliver services by geography and value band, will offer greater levels of capacity and a comprehensive mix of skills and expertise to support the ongoing construction requirements of the public sector across the UK. 

Scape say that against a backdrop of devolution, continued uncertainty and the evolving requirements of the public sector, the framework has been configured “to enable rapid engagement, efficient delivery and the capture of in-depth social value insights”. 

The framework will help to deliver a wide range of projects including regeneration schemes, new primary and secondary schools, universities and colleges, hospitals, central government buildings and housing to cater for the changing needs of the UK population.

As with all Scape frameworks, National Construction will be fully performance managed using key performance indicators that facilitate cost and time efficiencies, high standards of client satisfaction, as well as ensuring optimum levels of training and apprenticeships, local supply chain usage and supply chain fair payment terms. 

Mark Robinson, Scape Group chief executive, commented: “The competition for this framework was fierce, and the calibre of bids extremely high. Willmott Dixon, Robertson, Wates and Lendlease evidenced the right blend of quality and value offers, along with the expertise and capacity to deliver the diverse needs of the public sector both now and in the future. 

“The possible Brexit cost to the construction sector due to a loss of EU talent, the increased costs of building material imports and higher tariffs could be significant. Therefore a robust and stable delivery model, led by strong contractors and supported by local enterprise, will be an important delivery option for the public sector as we progress through the next four years.

“The quality of our built environment underpins the economic growth and attractiveness of the UK from an inward investment perspective, so facilitating their delivery is vital to the health of the wider economy. The National Construction framework, structured with multiple lead contractors, ensures public sector bodies have capacity and expertise at their fingertips. Governed by our rigorous performance management processes, we will ensure that this framework, will continue our heritage of speed and quality of delivery, with social value sitting at the heart of project success.”

The National Construction framework will sit alongside the National Minor Works framework, led by Kier and the empa framework, which is due to be replaced by the Regional Construction framework in early 2018.