Procurement News, Opinions and Latest Market Leads

While you might think we’re going to start divulging details of companies who’ve been outed by television shows like Cowboy Builders, Don’t Get Done Get Dom, or Rogue Traders, you’d be wrong… We’re talking about a far more popular organisation – a company who are searched for more than 365,000 times a month on Google […]

What does remote working ‒ or ‘working from home’ (WFH) as it’s affectionately known ‒ mean for the future of life in Britain? The COVID-19 pandemic is, undoubtedly, the biggest working from home experiment in history – at least half of the British workforce worked from home part, if not all, of the week in […]

  Small businesses are being encouraged to bid for some £500M worth of contracts as work ramps up at HS2’s new Euston station. Hundreds of packages are available to bid on as the programme of procurement gears up to support the delivery of HS2. Many of the smaller contracts are suitable for Small and Medium […]

In July 2021, Scottish Futures Trust launched the Scottish Construction Pipeline Database, in response to the construction sector’s need for clear visibility of anticipated work across the public sector. The Construction Pipeline Forecast Tool provides greater transparency on future construction workload, helping businesses plan better and maintain their investment in skills and future training needs. […]

While thousands of delegates from 190 nations across the globe descended on the Scottish city of Glasgow in early November to agree environmental action plans that would see considerable reduction in greenhouse gas emissions over the next number of years, activists around the world questioned the sincerity of the pledges. Many of us will have […]

  You may think that December would see an unwelcome lull in the number of contracts awarded within the public sector thanks to a shutdown over the festive period however, this couldn’t be further from the truth. During the course of the calendar month, there were 4,050 awarded contracts announced, of varying value and significance. […]

In December 2021, the Cabinet Office published an independent review looking at putting in place a new ‘Gold Standard’ for public sector construction frameworks. The review, which is a result of a consultation on ‘The Construction Playbook’, will ensure the best possible outcomes for public sector construction projects and developments, including roads, rail projects, schools, […]

Changes to building regulations will help the UK deliver its net zero ambitions. The regulations, to be brought in during June 2022, will see new rules for homes and buildings in England, ensuring they emit less carbon. The new regulations will place limits on carbon emissions for new buildings, with CO2 emissions from new-build homes […]

  Opportunities open up for green tech The biggest ever renewable energy support scheme has launched in the UK, with some £285M a year in funding being made available for low-carbon technology. The fourth round of the Contracts for Difference (CfD) scheme opened in mid-December and aims to secure 12GW of electricity capacity – more […]

Connecting opportunities Late 2021 saw the UK Government publish its recommendations for improving transport connectivity across the Union. The report, conducted by Sir Peter Hendry, undertook a detailed review into how the quality and availability of good transport infrastructure can support economic growth and improve quality of life. Drawing on the evidence supplied by numerous […]

  With Glasgow hosting the COP26 summit, the eyes of the world have been focused on the UK Government and the environmental promises it has made to help achieve Net Zero. Prime Minister Boris Johnson has set out a number of commitments for the UK, and has pointed to the public sector as being at […]

As Glasgow prepares to host the UN COP26 summit, the UK has set out its strategy to deliver on its commitment to reach net zero emissions by 2050. The UK Net Zero Strategy outlines measures aimed at building a green and sustainable future, helping businesses and consumers to move to clean power, supporting hundreds of […]

The UK Government has announced £650Bn of investment through its National Infrastructure and Construction Pipeline.  In the most ambitious pipeline to date, the Government has set out how billions of pounds worth of private and public investment in infrastructure and construction projects will be directed across the country over the next decade.  The planned investment will create new opportunities for thousands of apprentices, technicians, graduates and skilled workers.  Some £89Bn […]

Figures from the ONS and IHS Markit/CIPS show that while the construction sector has continued to grow throughout the summer, the resurgence is being held back by severe supply chain disruption and an increase in prices. Monthly statistics over the summer period have already suggested that materials supply was creating a bottle-neck in the construction […]

The Chancellor has set the date for his next budget, when Government spending plans for the next three years will be revealed. The results of the Spending Review and plans for public spending will be announced on 27October. The Chancellor will announce the UK Government’s spending priorities for the remainder of this Parliament, with the […]

The second webinar in our series on procurement, discussed how the new reforms to public procurement will make it easier for suppliers to tender for contracts. Procurement experts Eddie Regan and Phil Kinnell of PASS – the Procurement Advice and Support Service talked with Dawn McTaggart about how the legislation is proposing to help suppliers […]

Procurement policy changes have been making headline news since the transition period for leaving the European Union came to a close in December last year. With the UK having left the EU, the door is open for the Government to implement its own policies and targets through its contract sourcing. What you need to know […]

As April showers continued into May, the latest statistics from the ONS show that construction output in the UK fell by 0.8%, although output still remains above that of pre-pandemic February 2020 levels. However, even with the most recent monthly drop taken into account, construction output grew by 6.3% within the three months to May […]

On 31 December 2020, the Brexit transition period ended and the UK formally withdrew from the EU Single Market and Customs Union. In the days leading up to this historic milestone, the UK Government published its Transforming Public Procurement Green Paper detailing the many changes it proposed to make to the current procurement framework once […]

“The UK spends some £290 billion on public procurement every year. This huge amount of government spending must be leveraged to play its part in the UK’s economic recovery, opening up public contracts to more small businesses and social enterprises to innovate in public service delivery, and meeting our net-zero carbon target by 2050.” Lord […]