Scape Group has revealed that it has selected Balfour Beatty for each of its next generation civil engineering frameworks valued at a combined total of up to £2.1bn
The two new civil engineering frameworks, open to all public sector bodies in the UK, will run for a period of four years from October 2018, with schemes due to be awarded from early 2019.
The Scape National Civil Engineering framework, which is valued at £1.6bn, covers England, Wales and Northern Ireland, while the Scape Civil Engineering – Scotland framework, valued at £500m, covers Scotland.
The frameworks allow local authorities, local enterprise partnerships and other public sector bodies to commission works through a procurement process that provides the fastest route to market and utilises early contractor engagement to deliver best value design solutions.
Since Balfour Beatty’s appointment to the original National Civil Engineering and Infrastructure framework in 2015, the company has secured over 130 projects worth a combined value of £1.5bn revenue in sectors including major highways and local roads, flood and coastal defence and public space.
Leo Quinn, Balfour Beatty Group Chief Executive, said: “These frameworks enable us to build on our strong partnership with Scape. Our engineering and project management expertise coupled with our detailed regional knowledge supports Scape’s delivery of a wide range of rapidly mobilised infrastructure projects.
“Through our partnership we will continue to deliver added social value for the communities in which we operate by creating apprenticeship and trainee programmes, developing local supply chain spend and employment opportunities, and helping local authorities unlock vital regional growth.”
Victoria Brambini, Managing Director at Scape Procure, said: “This was a highly competitive procurement and the quality of bids for both frameworks were extremely high. Balfour Beatty demonstrated the right combination of civil engineering expertise and capacity in both regions, and were able to provide outstanding commitment to add value through innovation and investments that will enhance the levels of private sector spend on community benefits and social value, including significant opportunities for local small businesses to engage in public sector construction.
“We worked closely with local authorities, Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) and the Civil Engineering Contractors Association (CECA) to develop each framework. Our public sector clients require partners who can engage early, get to site quickly and are committed to delivering consistent levels of quality, cost certainty, local engagement and social value. We are confident our next generation Civil Engineering frameworks will continue to meet the highest expectations of our clients on even the most complex of projects.
“We have increased the total value of our civil engineering frameworks to £2.1bn to reflect the strong national pipeline of major infrastructure projects and created a dedicated Scottish framework, to reinforce our commitment to local delivery in Scotland, not least to ensure complete legislative compliance with regional variances. We are passionate about delivering social value in all areas of the UK, and we believe in local solutions that will unlock the true value of infrastructure investment for local communities.
“We are very proud to have established a dedicated Contracting Authority in Scotland, Scape Procure Scotland, to meet the specific needs of Scotland’s public sector through our frameworks. We are now partnering with over 70 public sector organisations in Scotland and can assure them of our ongoing commitment to growing levels of support and unique services. The establishment of this Authority goes beyond achieving compliance; we are committed to maintaining our investment in Scotland, as we seek to continue to develop strong, collaborative relationships with the public sector so that we can, together, enable wide reaching efficiencies across their assets, infrastructure and estate.”
