Working with us
Responsible procurement
A framework is essentially the ‘bulk buying’ of services which are combined into one large contract. By operating in this way, we create a solution that is both attractive to the market and, importantly, secures significant economies for our clients.
This approach enables a higher standard and more economically advantageous service than can be secured on a single project alone.
As a framework is comprised of a high volume of projects, tenders submitted by our partners reflect a highly refined cost of delivery, which removes overheads that would otherwise apply.
The long-term commitment of a framework agreement incentivises competitive, responsible pricing.
Open book tendering of work elements on each individual project ensures that the total price for each commission is a true reflection of the market cost.
It is important that the delivery partner can make a fair return on each scheme, enabling them to invest in their businesses and continue to deliver an excellent service.
We are firm advocates of the Government’s fair payment goals and our framework agreements direct delivery partners to pay their local supply chain promptly. This ensures that your projects contribute positively to the growth and sustainability of local businesses.
Through our procurement approach, we remove the requirement for mini competitions whilst at the same time deliver the most economically advantageous offering, which saves time and money for both clients and delivery partners.
By making the frameworks financially stable, they facilitate an efficient delivery process. For delivery partners, it enables them to focus their efforts on building strong, long term relationships. By securing repeat projects, this allows them to invest in their business processes and their workforce. In short, the value and sustainability of the partnership becomes self-fulfilling, by uniting the public and private sector under one common goal.
Delivering a clear sustainability mandate
Our frameworks are designed with a clear sustainability mandate. Incorporating financial, environmental and social sustainability. This page explains how SCAPE encourages and ensures responsible procurement.
Environmental sustainability
Buildings and construction currently contribute 40% of all carbon dioxide emissions and the UK Government has committed to a net-zero greenhouse gases target for 2050. As such, our frameworks are designed to positively impact the environment, and SCAPE is fully committed to working together with clients, delivery partners and the supply chain to create and enhance environmental sustainability.
This is a collaborative process and we encourage all stakeholders to play their part in addressing the climate crisis. Each of our frameworks require our delivery partners to consider sustainability as part of their services, for the whole lifecycle of buildings and infrastructure, from inception to completion and beyond into operational use and end of life.
As we progress with our mutual efforts to meet zero carbon and waste objectives, and other associated targets, we and our delivery partners are focussed on encouraging innovation to become market leaders and influencers. This includes reviewing and benchmarking ourselves in terms of our own carbon footprint, striving to eliminate carbon emissions and waste generation both as individual organisations and in the services we offer.
There is a significant benefit in considering operational costs, as well as the up-front capital cost, when making choices from inception onwards. Sustainable buildings offer considerable benefits in lower running and maintenance costs as well as environmental benefits for end users in terms of comfort and efficiencies. Owners and occupiers of sustainable buildings benefit from improved staff retention and satisfaction, leading to an enhanced organisational profile. Most significantly, there are comprehensive benefits to be derived from everyone of us being focused on creating a better environment, for ourselves, for our country and for our planet.
As we all strive for a more sustainable future, we are working towards ensuring that sustainability is at the forefront of the decision-making process on each project. Accordingly, we are moving towards setting sustainability standards for all projects as a starting point. Whilst we acknowledge that clients need to assess viability and applicability in terms of their own objectives and value for money assessment, these optional standards will provide greater guidance and clarity to ensure that consideration has been given to achieving environmental sustainability and enhancement wherever possible.
Social sustainability
Whilst SCAPE is committed to delivering social value, our delivery partners will be guided by you, to focus their efforts on your key drivers for every project, ensuring that your local economic needs are met.
All of our frameworks are designed to benefit the local community. By ensuring projects are delivered by a local supply chain, many benefits can be achieved, including money earned by the local supply chain is spent in the local economy. It is widely accepted that according to the ‘multiplier effect’, for every pound spent locally, a further £2.84 is spent within the local economy.
The multiplier effect refers to where initial spending on construction projects indirectly generates wider economic benefits (and jobs) through the impact on the supply chain e.g. manufacturing, real estate, transport, planning and survey services. Via these channels, construction projects send ripples of economic activity through the wider economy.
In the last six years, projects delivered through SCAPE Scotland have facilitated more than £416m of community benefits, with 63% of local spend delivered within 40 miles of our projects.
As well as local investment, using local labour teams means a reduction in commuting distances travelled, lowering the project’s overall carbon footprint.
By ensuring SMEs and Social Enterprises are engaged on SCAPE projects, we support small businesses to develop and grow to benefit the local community.
Our fair payment policy allows companies and individuals to focus on running their businesses and not on potential issues related to working capital.
Our procurement processes assess a potential delivery partners’ ability to support the local supply chain and to offer training opportunities and apprenticeships. By developing the workforce and encouraging new entrants we aim to contribute to the provision of a fresh and sustainable pool of talent for the future benefit of the local economy. By enabling school children, college students and university undergraduates to engage with your projects, this process helps to generate interest in the construction industry as a future vocation. Through these activities, SCAPE projects have introduced over 336,000 young people to the construction sector since 2013.
