Industry body Constructing Excellence and King’s College London have launched an independent voluntary verification scheme for the quality of construction procurement.
The Gold Standard Construction verification scheme will verify claims made by frame suppliers and customers purchasing their own frames and alliances, with an emphasis on better value and net zero.
Professor David Mosey of The Center of Construction Law & Dispute Resolution at King’s College London said: “In order for public sector construction to make the best use of limited funds, to deliver safe and high-quality outcomes and to tackle the climate crisis, all customers and members of the supply chain should adopt the Gold Standard recommendations.”
The plan will track how procurement bodies are following the 24 recommendations made in 2021 Construction of the gold standard report These include recommendations for prioritizing safety and net zero carbon, improving value and delivering sustainable work pipelines within the frameworks.
The report was the result of an independent review, commissioned by the Cabinet Office in 2021 and led by Mosey. The Gold Standard was approved in the September 2022 update of the government’s construction manual.
Mosey examined £180 billion worth of public sector building frameworks and consulted 120 organisations. The analysis found evidence that customers prioritized lowest price over best value, as well as evidence of waste, confusion and duplication in procurement processes.
Building Excellence has also established a Task Force, which will review all submissions to the Verification Scheme. The team includes representatives from clients, government entities, law firms and academia. There will also be independent verifiers who recommend verification to the working group.
Seven clients have signed up to the pilot programme: Ministry of Justice, Environment Agency, Public Sector Procurement Agency Scape, Community and Housing Investment ConsortiumLHC, Places for People and Crown Commercial Service.
The move comes after the procurement bill was passed on October 27 following royal assent. The new rules prioritize value for money and risk avoidance in a regime that will come into effect in October 2024. The law also aims to support small and medium-sized businesses to win more public contracts.
Alison Nicholl, Head of Building Excellence, said her organization has been a long-time advocate of “better recruitment as an enabler of better outcomes”.
He added: “We are delighted to be working with Professor Mosey to support the implementation of the Gold Standard and help drive continuous improvements in building frameworks.”
