Alan Wooldridge, Kier Construction Central’s framework manager for the WMCF, looks back at four successful years of operation.
Launched in 2010, the aim of the West Midlands Contractor Framework (WMCF) was to introduce a better, simpler way to procure construction work on behalf of a number of public sector partners – Worcestershire County Council, Herefordshire Council, Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council, West Mercia Police, Warwickshire Police and Hereford & Worcester Fire and Rescue Service.
The approach removed competitive tendering in favour of a scored rotational work allocation system based on a series of KPIs. That strips out internal competition – and the walls that spring up around it – in order to protect what the clients want, such as quality, consistency and best value.
Along with our other contractor partners – Thomas Vale Construction and Speller Metcalfe – the WMCF has been a roaring success. It’s simpler and easier to understand progress and allows for greater collaboration between both the contractors and the client partners. That’s good for us: it cuts out the cost and resource intensity of tendering for each and every project and it’s good for the client partners because they can encourage greater cross-project work between the contractors.
“The approach also recognises the importance of local supply chains, another area of focus for the public sector. If a contractor can plan ahead we can develop better links with local businesses, skills and resources, and the WMCF has seen huge successes here.”
This more collaborative approach also unlocks a range of very real benefits. For example, we can better predict likely workload and engage with client teams earlier in the process, which opens up other opportunities, from reducing lead-in times and identifying overspend through to implementing new technologies and influencing design decisions or material. And what works on our projects – such as Leominster Primary School or Cookley Sebright – can then be used to help shape the next because we’re constantly reviewing and sharing information between the partners. Ultimately, if it works, we’ll use it.
The result has been consistently excellent projects. Not only has the WMCF managed to eliminate project overruns and ensure no budget overspends, we’ve achieved excellent CCS scores and it’s given us the time and confidence to explore new ways of working.
We’ve collectively invested in using BIM, for example, at a number of projects and have achieved set BREEAM targets across the board. At one Kier project in particular – the fantastic new HARC (Hereford Archives and Records Centre) in Hereford – we’ve developed a building structure using Passivhaus design and technology. And in each case, what has worked has been shared to solve common problems and introduce new ideas so everyone benefits.
The approach also recognises the importance of local supply chains, another area of focus for the public sector. If a contractor can plan ahead we can develop better links with local businesses, skills and resources, and the WMCF has seen huge successes here. Each contractor has worked hard to advertise subcontract opportunities locally – through local supplier websites but also at workshops and supporting events – and forged enormously useful links with local businesses. More than 75% of all subcontract orders have been placed within 30 miles of each project, and that’s significant given how rural some areas of Herefordshire and Worcestershire can be.
These same benefits also apply to the client partners, and while collaboration has become essential for reducing costs and planning construction more strategically, it’s also been valuable in shaping the way public facilities will run in the future. For example, a new Bromsgrove Blue Lights Campus recently completed by Thomas Vale is the first project of its kind anywhere in the UK and combines fire and rescue and police services into one custom-built facility. That’s rare now, but will become more common as public sector partners look to share services to reduce overheads more efficiently.
The last four years of the WMCF have been progressive and successful. At each stage, we – the contractors and clients – as equal partners, have looked at ways to improve, use new technologies and reduce costs to deliver the best possible outcome for local communities.
Next year may mark another general election, but it’s unlikely any new government will reverse spending in the public sector. Instead, collaboration and identifying ways to work together to build, maintain and protect public sector services are likely to be the rallying cry – and we hope the WMCF’s mark on the sector will be a driving force for that.
For more information on the West Midlands Contractor Framework, please visit our website at www.worcestershire.gov.uk/wmcf
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