Well-designed frameworks can support local authorities with tackling the public estates backlog, writes Graham Collie, director of product innovation for LHC Procurement Group
Like London buses, when one new set of guidance around public sector procurement arrives, there’s sure to be another one not far behind.
February saw technical guidance documents for the Procurement Act 2023 – helping authorities interpret statutory duties – while April brought a renewed government emphasis on value for money, transparency and fair competition in public procurement.
In June, we had new requirements on compliance reporting and updated government guidance on supplier exclusion and debarment, including national security considerations.
Which is all my way of saying yes, getting it right on building or refurbishing major public
buildings such as schools, hospitals, office buildings, etc. is a very complicated business.
The backlog behind the pressure
The scale of the challenge is already visible across the public estate. In January 2025, the National Audit Office (NAO) estimated that the government’s building maintenance backlog was at least £49bn. It said Ministry of Defence properties, schools and NHS buildings each had backlogs of more than £10bn, together accounting for 88% of the total.
Although this dates back more than 18 months now, it still feels pertinent to mention: it’s unlikely that such a backlog will have been completed in that timeframe.
Procurement teams are therefore under pressure not only to comply with a changing rulebook, but to help clients make better long-term decisions about repair, refurbishment, replacement and maintenance.
Understaffed and overworked
So, what should hard-pressed, overworked and understaffed procurement teams do about it? Frameworks.
With such a blizzard of changing rules, a properly set up public sector framework can be worth its weight in gold to a procurement team under pressure to deliver major projects.
Take LHC Procurement Group (LHCPG)’s upcoming £1.5bn Public Buildings Construction & Infrastructure (PB4) framework, covering public building construction, refurbishment and associated civil infrastructure works across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Not only does it provide access to contracts from local authorities, NHS trusts, housing associations, educational institutions, emergency services and central government department, but also is supported by a team of experts, who are key to making sure the procurement process runs smoothly.
Need to adapt and improve
In pre-tender engagement, those experts monitor legislation, Building Regulations, standards and innovations that create a need to adapt or improve the way that works,
goods or services are procured.
When it comes to calling off projects, they assist clients, guiding them through the process, providing technical and procurement advice, managing the Expressions of Interest and verifying price.
They then continue to monitor the project, liaising with both client and appointed companies, to help identify and resolve potential issues, and ensure timely and cost-effective delivery.
It is also the breadth of a framework that helps procurement teams, bringing together
under one roof a variety of different requirements.
The PB4 framework, for instance, is divided into 10 lots according to project type and value:
- Lots 1–2 cover new build public buildings worth up to £2.5m.
- Lots 3–4 cover refurbishment projects within the same value range.
- Lots 5–7 combine new build, refurbishment and associated services for schemes valued between £2.5m and over £25m.
- Lots 8–9 cover civil infrastructure projects, including roads and drainage, both below and above £2.5m.
- Lot 10 focuses on hard FM services, including mechanical and electrical systems, fire safety, lifts and fabric maintenance.
Finally, let’s return to the changes since the implementation of the Procurement Act 2023,
the biggest change to affect public procurement in a generation.
Updated government supplementary guidance published in June reinforces that the act introduced “a new duty on contracting authorities to have regard to SME participation and consider removing or reducing barriers to entry”.
Ticking all the boxes
The Procurement Act 2023 reforms also include “ensuring greater visibility of upcoming public sector opportunities and preliminary market engagement to involve suppliers at an early stage and provide more time to prepare to bid”.
With LHCPG’s PB4 framework, applications were open to all contractors and SMEs were
specifically encouraged to bid for lowervalue lots.
Substantial changes were made to the documentation to lower barriers to entry as part of a commitment to championing SMEs. It is only by making such changes that framework providers can adapt to the changing requirements of public sector procurement.
Sustainable, resilient, effective
And not every framework provider reaches the heights: LHCPG creates frameworks that meet and exceed Constructing Excellence’s Constructing the Gold Standard criteria. It is
one of only a handful of UK framework providers to have frameworks verified and the only one to implement the standard nationwide.
Finally, let’s take a line from the Construction Playbook: “We want to create a contracting
environment that delivers a sustainable, resilient and effective relationship between contracting authorities and the supply chain, focused on outcomes, and that creates long-term value for all.”
In many ways, that sums it up.
Making a success of building or refurbishing a public building is not just in the interest of
the procurement team, the framework provider and the authorities. It benefits whole communities.
Getting procurement right creates long-term value for all. That’s why we do what we do.
**Please note that this is a commercial profile
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