7 Questions you should ask before selecting a Framework

Does the framework comply with the guidelines published in the Construction Playbook and why should it matter to me?

The Construction Playbook was developed to capture commercial best practice in public sector procurement, and the Southern Construction Framework reflects that best practice through its collaborative ethos to provide best value, eliminate risk and promote local business.

Reflecting this good practice through your chosen framework should yield the best possible results for your project.

This is based upon clear communication and collaboration, early engagement and participation, and outcome-based factual project assessment for cost, quality, and programme certainty.

A structured two-stage process, using a framework that reflects the government expectations of how contracting authorities should operate, provides clear risk management and assurity.

The SCF offers carefully selected framework partners, selected on a quality of delivery basis whilst providing cost and programme certainty through the second stage process.

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What added value can a framework provide to me?

A framework isn’t just a procurement vehicle, there should be tangible benefits beyond those contractual and non-core requirements specified in the tender documentation.

At SCF, we ensure we accurately record client-verified data in relation to added value. Our added value is not to be confused with value engineering. Our calculation is based on the calculated value of the early contractor involvement, through buildability advice to efficiency in design while ensuring the same or enhanced outcomes.

The SCF offers carefully selected framework partners, selected on a quality of delivery basis whilst providing cost and programme certainty through the second stage process.

Added Value

Over £69m over 34 projects verified added value through Generation 3 and current Generation 4.

How can a framework be flexible to my specific requirements?

A good framework needs to blend rigidity of its governance with flexibility to select forms of contract, entry points for contractor procurement through RIBA stages and its mini competition process.

SCF is steadfastly a two-stage process. This is a proven mechanism mandating a second stage gateway prior to on-site construction, a point in which most design risks can be mitigated and a project can progress with an assured level of cost and programme certainty. Over 15 years of data collated through the SCF has proven this achieves results as it should.

SCF contractors and consultants can respond to any of the delivery models and can support clients of any maturity, supported by the range of contractors and supply chain with different skills.

SCF has proved in a Cabinet Office Procurement Trial case study that there is flexibility in the two-stage approach to review how the supply chain is engaged, when to engage, how to put individual projects into programmes of work, and how to bring benefits of aggregation to clients while giving pipeline certainty to the supply chain.

This flexible approach and use of pre-construction to analyse and appropriately apportion risk, means that any form of contract can be used for construction.

Our market intelligence allows us to discuss particular market issues with clients for individual projects or larger programmes of work.

Our framework offers are:

What can a framework offer me with regard to social value, climate emergency and delivering on the localism agenda?

Focussing on the project’s legacies, ensuring the social value approaches provide long-lasting sustainable outcomes, SCF uses both a quantified Employment and Skills Plan and a client-weighted Themes and Measures table for the basis of tenderers’ proposals and subsequent data reporting.

These outcomes are set at preconstruction and compared to the tender commitments, and as we strive to improve performance across all stakeholders, we have recently introduced a client scoring system where contractors score our clients in their support of the delivery of social value outcomes.

672 weeks (equivalent to 13 years) worth of employment for new entrant trainees, in addition to 53 years’ worth of employment for apprentices and trainees under generation 3.
£92m spend to date on our current framework with micro and SME’s within 30 miles of projects.
Local Supply Chain – over 2,000 unique supply chain members registered on our Local Supply Chain portal, providing access to all current generation projects for bidding opportunities.
New partnership with the Supply Chain Sustainability School, providing free access to resources to help SMEs upskill and tender for public sector projects, as well as SCF specific training.

7 Questions you should ask before selecting a Framework