CONSTRUCTION & BIM IN THE PUBLIC INTEREST
As construction firms look to develop their post-lockdown pipelines, Mark Robinson, Group Chief Executive at public sector procurement specialist Scape Group, considers the role that public sector projects will play in driving the UK’s economic recovery.
‘Build, build, build’ was the cry from the Prime Minister’s podium back in June, as he set out the government’s plan to get the UK economy back on its feet post-lockdown. A few short months on and the construction industry has responded, quite literally, in spades.
Recent market indices show that activity is recovering. Led by a resurgence in housebuilding, market growth has accelerated since sites reopened in June with the majority of contractors now well-versed in driving projects forward with social distancing measures firmly embedded.
However, we should be cautious of the potential for that growth curve to plateau and, importantly, how far the UK construction pipeline could fall below pre-COVID activity levels.
We now find ourselves in a significant recession and the end of the government’s business support schemes next month, presents the prospect of a gloomy autumn and winter; for parts of the economy at the very least.
Public torchbearers With the flow of private development capital likely to be inhibited in the coming year, the onus is on the public sector to pick up the torch of industry and bring the construction sector along with it. This was very much the sentiment of Boris Johnson’s ‘New Deal’ earlier in the summer which promised £1bn of investment into public sector infrastructure, be it schools, hospitals or roads.
“The built environment is naturally at the vanguard of carbon reduction strategies.”
Whilst £1bn is by no means a pot large enough to upgrade the UK’s entire public estate, it represents a willingness to invest in public facilities at a scale not seen since the days before austerity became government policy. It also represents a kick-starter for the next phase of contractors’ pipelines. Much of the growth we’ve seen in the market in recent months can be attributed to projects that were started in advance of lockdown. As many of those projects come to fruition over the next six to 12 months, more opportunities must be generated.
For the public sector, it is a real moment of opportunity. A chance to invest in new state-of-the-art facilities and to upgrade existing ones. The benefits of this will be more than a shot in the arm for the economy today, which
60 | TOMORROW’S FM
twitter.com/TomorrowsFM
private development will also help, but creating assets that help stimulate local economy activity, whilst enhancing communities and the lives of those within them.
Procuring the recovery If this is to be the case then the public sector must lead the charge in tacklng inefficency in delivery. Procurement will play a pivotal role in that sense and it has been encouraging to see the level of interest in our construction-focused procurement frameworks in recent weeks.
“Much of the growth we’ve seen
in the market in recent months can be attributed to projects that were started in advance of lockdown.”
Although part of the natural reprocurement cycle, the launch of our two latest construction frameworks this summer – covering £13bn of public sector work up to 2025 – has been timely as contractors look to build long- term relationships and a steady flow of work with public sector organisations that will support their own recovery. Similarly, our new Built Environment Consultancy Services framework will launch in 2021 with a specific emphasis on the importance of place shaping. Local authorities in particular are rightly making the regeneration of urban locations a central pillar of their recovery plans.
For all involved, framework-led procurement has traditionally delivered against the KPIs of time, cost and
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70
