Framework agreements have been adopted by many public sector clients, but they remain unconvinced by this new way of working. A new report says more evidence for the benefits of frameworks is needed.

A new report into public sector construction clients shows that they have implemented radical new framework agreements, but have yet to see convincing evidence that it is value for money.

The report, Equal Partners 2 is from Be, Business Vantage and the Construction Clients’ Group. It was sponsored by Capita, Costain, Faber Maunsell, HBG Construction, HOK, Hornagold & Hills. It examines how suppliers work with the health, defence, education and local authority sectors. In all these areas of government, organisations have adopted framework agreements, and reduced their list of suppliers with the aim of increasing efficiency.

Equal Partners 2 (which follows on from an earlier report on the private sector) says that ‘the time has come for suppliers to take the lead in closing the gap between expectation and delivery on both sides’.

It’s not just the clients who aren’t feeling the benefits of new working methods. According to Be chief executive Don Ward: “Likewise, suppliers have yet to prove the business case through increased repeat custom or more predictable profitability. Both sides are mutually dependent on proving that the new ways are better.”

The headline conclusions of Equal Partners 2 include: a lack of buy-in at the lower ranks for central government, even though the senior ranks have a strong commitment to change; and lack of communication from customers that they have changed working methods so suppliers aren’t aware that they need to change their delivery radically.

Overall, the report concludes that three generic skills are lacking: communication of all kinds; stakeholder management; and demonstration of working knowledge of each other’s key drivers, processes and guidance.

Source

Building Sustainable Design