Reflecting on 2022

By Mark Robinson, Group Chief Executive at SCAPE Scotland

No one could have anticipated a year quite like 2022 - one which was defined by an international conflict, global inflation, and a cost-of-living crisis, each of which brought challenges for the construction industry and public sector.

At SCAPE Scotland, I am proud to see, that despite the state of the climate, our teams faced these challenges head on, collaborating closely with our customers to achieve success and support critical regeneration projects. As a result, 73 projects have now been delivered across our SCAPE Scotland frameworks this year, contributing to an 89% client satisfaction score overall.

It was particularly a pleasure to see our biggest ever Civil Engineering framework launched this year. Balfour Beatty was appointed to the framework and will now deliver up to £750m of major civil engineering works across the country.

Our team also contributed to several significant, award-winning projects across Scotland, including the Stockingfield Bridge in Glasgow which recently won the Institute of Civil Engineering’s People’s Choice Award 2022 for connecting three local communities for the first time in 130 years.

We’ve also seen our investment in our clients and partners reap rewards as we help them address some of the challenges they face – including delivering progress on the road to net zero. In June, SCAPE Scotland launched an industry-first organisational guide, alongside partners Morgan Sindall, Kier and McLaughlin & Harvey, offering the UK’s first public procurement route to net zero building.

This time last year, we also announced the acquisition of the Construction Waste Portal, which is helping contractors to reduce, reuse and recycle project waste more efficiently through a network of partners. 20 contractors and 34 resource management companies have now signed up to the portal which already has exciting plans for 2023.

As we look ahead to next year, it’s clear there will be further challenges in terms of cost pressures, linked to both inflation and reduced public sector spending. Our mission is to help our clients overcome those challenges – drawing on the vast knowledge and experience we have within SCAPE Scotland. I firmly believe we will be able to look back this time next year and celebrate another positive 12 months of activity, where we have contributed to a world that everyone deserves.