Milestone met on SCAPE Civil Engineering frameworks

We recently marked the halfway point on our SCAPE Civil Engineering frameworks, dedicated for the public sector.

Government recognises that the Infrastructure sector is critical to keep the UK connected, protected and operating with a well-maintained network and has created a National Infrastructure Strategy to support recovery and rebuild the economy through infrastructure projects.

Our Civil Engineering frameworks embrace this strategy, helping to build back fairer, faster and greener. With the welfare of local communities at their heart, supporting local jobs and stimulating local businesses and economies.

Set up in 2019, the current Civil Engineering frameworks build on the success of the first, which operated between 2015 and 2019. This halfway point in the current frameworks is a good time to reflect on all that has been achieved over the last six years.

To date, 65 Local Authorities and 20 other public sector bodies have worked with Balfour Beatty, our civil engineering delivery partner, on 250 projects with a combined value of £2.5 billion. More than half of these clients are repeat users, with several running significant programmes of work to capitalise on the many benefits of a pre-procured and proven solution.

Customer satisfaction is measured on every project across five criteria at the end of pre-construction and on completion of the works. The average of all client feedback is an impressive and positive 9 out of 10.

In December, the Civil Engineering frameworks achieved the magnificent milestone of two million hours worked on the sites without a lost time incident. To celebrate, many project teams posted social distanced photographs and videos marking the achievement onsite. There is similar pride in the record of no environmental incidents in the time the frameworks have operated.

Our frameworks are performance managed to drive high standards and demonstrate the positive outcomes that are delivered for clients in addition to high-quality infrastructure. Audited records show that 54% of the money paid to the supply chain has been within 20 miles radius of the site location, meaning that the money spent on the project is being invested in the local economy. The figure rises to 72% within 40 miles. It’s an excellent achievement, especially as the average includes many projects in rural or coastal locations, as well as those in urban settings.

These local economic metrics feed into the wider measure of social value generated by each site. Every project has a bespoke Social Value Action Plan, developed early in the project in collaboration with clients, to meet their objectives.

Activities are many and varied, but all bring benefit to the local community. Our performance management team use the independently verified National TOMs method of measurement, which confirms that the Civil Engineering frameworks have delivered a monetary equivalent of £300million in added social and economic value from the £900 million-worth of projects on site or completed.

All sites are registered to the Considerate Constructors Scheme with an average score of 41 and rising. The standard is set high, so nothing short of the Scheme’s Certificate of Excellence will satisfy a team working on a SCAPE civil engineering project.

No review of performance of the framework would be complete without mentioning that in six years of high-volume delivery, the predictability of time and cost measures have been maintained at 100% for both the pre-construction and construction stages.

This exceptional performance is testament to the value of the early contractor involvement model, which the framework operates and is highly appreciated by clients because of the level of certainty and stability it provides.

As we mark this milestone, we’d like to thank our clients for their trust in the framework, Balfour Beatty on their superior performance, and supply chains for their tremendous support. Projects such as those showcased here, along with other infrastructure that has been and will be delivered through our SCAPE: Civil Engineering frameworks will play their part in helping Britain to Build Back Better.