The Homes and Communities Agency has today announced the successful companies appointed to a new framework panel designed to enable local authorities and other public sector organisations to access technical engineering services more quickly and at a greatly reduced cost. A total of 15 companies have been appointed to the Agency’s new Engineering Panel, and will offer their technical services more cost effectively than on an open market basis; and more quickly, reducing the time it takes to procure under a fully compliant OJEU process by over four months.
The services offered will cover a variety of disciplines including transport and highways, geotechnical and remediation, environmental, and mechanical and electrical engineering.
Steve Carr, head of new business and economics at the HCA, said: “Our new Engineering framework panel shows the type of support we can offer to the sector, making it quicker and cheaper for local authorities and other publicly funded bodies to buy the technical advice and services they need.
“This enabling expertise adds value to our investment, and as well as our framework panels the HCA can offer further help and advice on procuring technical services. It’s all part of working with local authorities at their request to help them achieve ambitions for their areas.”
The HCA’s Engineering panel is the third of four new framework panels in total which will replace the Agency’s current portfolio of 21 more specialist panels. Companies were appointed to a Multi-disciplinary Panel and a Property Panel last year, while members of a new Design Panel will be appointed in the coming months.
Over 180 local authorities and other partners have procured well over £100m of business in just under three years through the HCA’s existing panels, which the Agency estimates have already resulted in a saving to the public sector of around £25m. In establishing its new panels the HCA has further increased the potential for savings by negotiating better tender rates from the successful companies.
For more media information please contact Robert Davies in the HCA press office on 020 7881 1624 / [email protected].
