Consultancy - Value for money

Fully tendered rates for the roles held in the framework

Our framework provides a clear scope of services, schedule of fees and rates for the respective consultancy roles. The framework has been designed to provide distinct service provisions, which can be used separately or jointly by clients.

The fee rates for the roles in the framework are the result of a highly competitive OJEU tender process. The tenders for this framework were high profile within the industry and attracted a significant number of applicants.

Guaranteed level of experience, delivered locally

Given the complicated and often highly sensitive nature of our client’s projects, we have ensured that our delivery partners maintain a highly capable and technically proficient team. Importantly, we require that their teams have a vast level of experience in the public sector built environment. Our delivery partners must also operate a robust and scalable local delivery network to ensure that technical proficiency is matched with local knowledge and experience.

A bulk buying methodology

SCAPE’s strategy to achieve Most Economically Advantageous Tenders (MEAT) is to collate significant volumes of works and procure them on both cost and quality, with the tender volume leveraging a competitive price and high-quality offer.

Prices were determined using a standard methodology against a forecast model of usage, with typical project values to which the consultants applied their percentage fees to each discipline. This exercise was used to derive the quantum value of the framework, which sits at £350m for Consultancy; a value that provided extensive ‘buying power’ to encourage highly competitive pricing from bidders. Prospective delivery partners also provided hourly rates for the respective roles in the two based on notional hours.

This is the result:

Taking a calculated assumption that at the time of procuring the framework, the average rate for professional services stood at x (blue line), the SCAPE framework achieved an average rate at around 10% below this, achieving a ‘bulk buying’ price.

Over time, the graph highlights that this gap is growing, as the average market price for professional services grows daily (around 3% per annum), compared to the fixed incremental increases of the framework rates based on the CPI (roughly 2%). Therefore, whilst our services were already economically advantageous when compared to buying in the open market, these have incrementally improved over time.

Wide supply chain choice, same rates

The Consultancy framework offers a range of supply chain partners that ensures a complete and consistent national coverage is provided. Through the appointment and a focused 1st tier national supply chain, our partners at Perfect Circle offer multi-disciplinary coverage right across the property and construction market. This resource is complimented by an extensive 2nd tier local supply chain resource.

Both tiers work under the strict guidance of Perfect Circle's policies and procedures to ensure seamless delivery. They are also subject to the same menu of rates that are contained within the Consultancy framework agreement.

This allows SCAPE to offer exceptional professional discipline, all delivered within competitively tendered rates.

In many cases, the choice available within the supply chain allows Perfect Circle to offer a variety to the client. Given that rates are predetermined, the decision can be based purely on quality.

Commitment to exceeding Key Performance Indicators

Our dedicated performance management team collect Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for every consultancy project commissioned.

Both SCAPE and our delivery partners employ dedicated teams that work together to monitor and manage delivery, through the collation of KPIs at critical stages of a project.

This information is consistently reviewed to ensure that all partners maintain the commitments made at tender stage. Additionally, they are measured and recorded illustrating certainty of cost, time and efficiency, ensuring local spend targets are achieved and commitments to employment and skills are adhered to.

Tendered on quality as well as price

Although exercising competitive tension through economies of scale to achieve best value rates is a key outcome of procuring through SCAPE’s frameworks, this only represents half of our assessment process.

We believe that best value, and best practice, is ensured through commitments towards creating a sustainable legacy. As such, 60% of our assessment process concentrates on the legacy of the delivered project. Our partners are therefore constantly striving to efficiently achieve social and environmental sustainability, continuous improvement, and collaborative working.