A new decarbonisation framework for Scotland has been introduced

Pretium Frameworks and the Greener Futures Partnership have introduced a new decarbonisation framework specifically designed for Scotland 

The decarbonisation framework aims to help Registered Social Landlords by offering retrofit and professional consultancy services. 

In 2021, the Greener Futures Partnership (GFP) was formed by five housing associations: Abri, Anchor, Home Group, Hyde Group, and Sanctuary. Together, they represent 9% of the social housing market with over 300,000 homes. 

GFP secured £5.2m in grant funding for 461 properties through three bids in the first wave of the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund. In the second wave, they won an additional £40.4m through a joint consortium bid. 

Scotland’s path to net-zero

The Scottish Government outlined its intention to reduce carbon emissions across the 23,000 public sector buildings in the country. The government wants all public sector buildings to be decarbonised and meet zero-emission heating requirements by 2038. 

Scotland has also set targets for achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2045. Several interim targets have been set, such as a 56% reduction by 2020, a 75% reduction by 2030, and a 90% reduction by 2040. 

“The aim of the framework was to create a sector-leading route to market with a truly collaborative approach, where all parties contributed and continually developed best practices,” said Rose Bean, director of assets and sustainability at Abri and Chair of the GFP Executive Committee. 

“Through sharing resources and collaborative procurement, not only was GFP able to save money, remove duplication and speed up delivery, but it was also able to consider a wide range of ideas from five diverse organisations, which wouldn’t have happened if its members had worked in isolation,” she continued. 

The decarbonisation framework is open to all

The decarbonisation framework only applies to Scotland and has a separate parallel framework for England and Wales. The framework prioritises flexibility, allowing organisations of all sizes to provide a range of retrofit works through a unified solution. 

The framework is divided into three workstreams. Two workstreams focus on delivering construction works across different value bands, while the third focuses on providing professional services. These professional services cover all roles specified under PAS 2035 and are as follows: 

“We’re delighted to be launching this much-needed new framework for the delivery of decarbonisation works and services, which provides the perfect vehicle for supporting the housing sector in Scotland to tackle the sustainability challenge and meet the energy efficiency standard for social housing,” concluded Jessica John, director of framework partnerships at Pretium Frameworks.