Scottish construction pipeline forecast jumps by £600m

A key construction tool to forecast the value of major projects in Scotland has shown a healthy increase in the number of works expected to take place.

The Construction Pipeline Forecast tool has had its latest six month data refresh and shows the value of future planned Scottish public sector construction projects has increased £600m to £12.2bn.

The tool now contains details of more than 1,700 individual projects, while the number of businesses registered for updates has reached 900.

Just under 50 public bodies are registered on the platform, which is managed by infrastructure body the Scottish Futures Trust.

These 50 bodies are currently supplying details of projects across 18 industry sectors.

Peter Reekie, chief executive of the Scottish Futures Trust, said: “With over 900 businesses registered on the Construction Pipeline Forecast Tool, many are reaping the benefits of having up-to-date information at their fingertips, allowing them to tender for public sector projects.

“Critically, the Pipeline also encourages greater collaboration between public sector bodies allowing them all to see details of their respective investment pipelines and where strong partnerships can be built to deliver improved efficiencies.”

Welcoming news of the Pipeline update, Scotland’s business minister Ivan McKee said: “Scotland’s construction industry is a significant contributor to the economy and the Scottish government is working with the sector, through the Construction Leadership Forum, to ensure it continues to transform and grow in a sustainable way.

“The Construction Pipeline Forecast Tool is providing a transparent forecast on anticipated work across the public sector.

“This is giving businesses the confidence to plan ahead with investment, upskilling, and if needed, increasing their workforce for any tender process.”

He added that, in line with the recently launched Construction Accord, the Pipeline Tool is further supporting greater collaboration within the supply chain and improving outcomes for the businesses and workforce which make up the construction and associated industries.

The Construction Pipeline Forecast tool was launched in July 2021, to provide the construction industry with greater knowledge of future public sector construction projects across Scotland.

Setting up the tool was one of the actions coming from the Scottish Construction Leadership Forum’s Recovery Plan, published in October 2020 to support Scotland’s construction industry recovery and to rebuild better.

The Pipeline provides a longer-term view on planned investment up to 2028, with the majority of the forecast spending occurring before 2025.

It allows the user to simply and easily look at the data using various criteria that include the chosen procurement route, the procuring authority, contract value and sector.

The types of construction projects include new build, refurbishments, and maintenance across a wide range of sectors including roads, health, education, housing and cultural and heritage.

Of the 1,718 projects, 55% are below £2m in value, emphasising the opportunities that exist for small and medium-sized enterprises working in the construction sector.

In addition, the updated Pipeline contains details of over 90 individual construction-related frameworks across Scotland that businesses can apply to join when they come to be regularly refreshed.

To provide support to users of the Pipeline tool and share learning, the Scottish Futures Trust will be hosting an information sharing webinar on March 2.

This will provide new and existing users with an introduction to the tool and the insights that have been gained.

Details will be posted on the Scottish Futures Trust social media platforms when confirmed.