Talks to be held over troubled £750m framework

The government will begin to engage with consultants on the reprocurement of its long-awaited £750m consultancy framework in January 2015.

In an email update sent to consultants on Monday, the government’s buying arm the Crown Commercial Service (CCS) invited firms to attend a “supplier engagement day”, to be organised next month, that will “inform the development of
the reprocurement”.

Building revealed last month CCS is planning to procure the four-year framework in time for it to be awarded by the end of next year, after its procurement partner UK SBS cancelled the previous 15-month procurement process after coming under fire from firms that missed out on places in the summer.

The Project Management and Full Design Team Services (PMFDTS) framework, originally planned to go live in June 2013, was dogged by delays and eventually awarded in June this year to more than a dozen firms, only to be immediately challenged in a High Court action by one of the losing bidders, Turner & Townsend (T&T).

T&T’s legal case was “stayed” in October, but the government still decided to ditch the framework, citing bidder feedback and the fact the CCS is moving into direct procurement of services as reasons for the decision.

CCS will take the lead role in the reprocurement of the framework, although UK SBS will retain a role in the process.

In this week’s email update CCS said: “Engagement with supplier stakeholders is integral to ensuring the design of the new agreement reflects the diversity of specialist consultancy needs of public sector construction projects and capital programmes.”

The PMFDTS framework will cover a raft of disciplines - including project management, cost consultancy, architecture and engineering - for use by all public sector bodies.

Firms interested in participating in next month’s event have been invited to register their interest via email at: ProjectManagement@ccs.gsi.gov.uk.