Safety and savings: The key benefits of frameworks for healthcare schemes

Simply put, appointing a consultant through a framework – especially through a direct appointment process - significantly reduces the time required to source services. Of course, this also comes wrapped up with complete compliance, giving the client confidence in both the quality of services and the process through which they are procured.

Frameworks also promote higher levels of quality engagement, along with longer-term relationships with clients and across supply chains. We embed our practices in this collaboration, holding appointments to more than 75 national, regional, and single client frameworks, allowing us to ensure that our collective actions deliver better together, to produce the best outcome possible for clients and end-users.

When it comes to healthcare, our most significant framework for this sector is the NHS Shared Business Services framework, for which we have been a proud supplier since 2014. This framework provides an efficient and flexible route to procure our services, which can be called on for both planned and ad hoc requirements.

A further benefit of this particular framework is that it does not mandate a certain type of contract usage. For added flexibility, users are able to select one of a number of model contracts and tailor them to meet their specific requirements. We have delivered a number of high-profile schemes through the NHS SBS framework in recent years, including the relocation of congenital heart services for the Leicester Children’s Hospital.

Elsewhere, a large-scale programme of ongoing backlog maintenance work to primary care facilities across the Midlands also continues, having been procured through NHS SBS in 2020, with work continuing into 2024 and seeing us work on between 40 and 50 projects per year. A dynamic approach has seen us delivering these projects in occupied, essential buildings while keeping people safe, ultimately creating a positive difference in local communities and supporting the NHS during one of the most trying times in its history.

This programme of work has focused on providing project management, quantity surveying, and health and safety professional services for a range of projects, including internal refurbishments and replacements to key building structures like roofing and windows. With our multi-disciplinary expertise, the client has through the framework been able to benefit from our other service areas too, including structural and civil engineering, again saving time, money and effort in having to find a separate supplier.

Good frameworks make for good processes for all involved. Flexibility, efficiency, compliance, and a secure route to market should always be at the heart of any procurement process. For any public sector client – healthcare or otherwise – these frameworks will continue to play a huge role in the construction industry by allowing more streamlined use of public sector funds. Rediverting these savings from unnecessarily complicated and costly processes aligns with creating a positive impact for local communities to truly deliver better.

You can see more about the services we provide through the NHS Shared Business Services and other frameworks under our collaboration guidance.