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BUSINESS connect MAGAZINE
February/March 2022
construction
Buyers’ rights of new homes £4.2bn major projects framework partners chosen strengthen with industry code
Procurement Hub, part of Places for People, has appointed Robertson Construction Group, Willmott Dixon Construction Ltd, and Farrans Construction to its new Major Projects Framework following a strict procurement process. The £4.2bn Major Projects Framework will be the second iteration, building upon the success and strengths of the current framework, providing a variety of construction work for a wide range of public sectors including local government, housing, health, transport, education and more. Features of the framework include • Transparent and low framework fees, which reduce for larger project values • 100% of fees generated will be donated to charities, support social value projects, or be reinvested directly into the public sector • Low Carbon alternatives presented • 100% renewable energy used on every site • A minimum of 85% of project values will be available to local supply chains and SMEs • Mandated Modern Slavery Awareness training for contractors on each project • Fast payment of sub-contractors (within 19 days) • Up to eight jobs created per £5m of project value
• Immediate starts to projects - no further competitions required • Support from Procurement Hub’s dedicated framework management team. Alan Heron, Director of Procurement for Procurement Hub and Places for People, said: “This framework aims to be one of the most socially conscious, greenest, financially robust, and flexible frameworks available anywhere in the UK, enabling clients to benefit in all areas of procurement. “We are aiming to achieve this by reflecting the principles of the UK Government’s Green Paper ‘Transforming Public Procurement’, The National Procurement Policy Statement, The Construction Handbook, The Construction Playbook, and the recently published ‘Constructing the Gold Standard’ report. “We’re incredibly proud that the core ethos of this innovative new framework and the appointed contractors embody the principles of key current and future legislation and best practice.” The agreement will run for an initial four-year period, with the option for it to be extended for a further two years. The framework has been established with three regional lots covering Scotland, England and Wales, and Northern Ireland.
Large swathe of councils still failing to meet housing needs Nearly a third of England’s local authorities failed to meet their housing delivery targets last year, according to government figures. Out of 321 local councils 93 failed to hit their targets, 29% - a modest improvement on 2020 figures where 34% failed. Head of housing and planning policy at the National Federation of Builders Rico Wojtulewicz said: “The problem is there are no real consequences for not meeting the targets. If you are constrained by the green belt, then the government will let you off.” Local authorities in the north and the
midlands tended to perform better than those in the southeast. The housing delivery targets were introduced in 2018 as a way of putting pressure on local councils to build more new homes and help the government meet its goal of 300,000 new homes a year by the mid-2020s. The Construction Products Association forecasts growth of 3% this year and next in private housing building compared with 17% in 2021. Repair and maintenance output is predicted to remain flat due to rising costs in contrast to last year which saw a 17% growth.
Developers who fail to resolve snags on new homes could see themselves struck off the New Homes Quality Board, NHQB, register.
“Over the coming months, we will work closely with industry to support and help them make the transition to the new arrangements.”
The board has released a new housebuilders code banning high-pressure selling, requiring an after-sale ‘cooling off’ period and protecting the buyer for up to two years after purchase.
Deposits paid to the builder to reserve a new home must be protected, the developer has to provide details about tenure and future management service charges during the sales process. Snagging issues must also be dealt with promptly.
MP and NHQB chair Natalie Elphicke said the code, which has been five years in the making, would be central to driving up new homes’ standards. “It fills the gaps in existing protections and puts considerably more requirements on builders in terms of how they deal with their customers and any issues that they have with their new home.
The code also requires a home is complete before the buyer can move in and allows customers to ask a professional to carry out a pre-completion inspection. Builders must have an aftercare service for any snagging problems and a complaints process that responds to the new homeowners promptly keeping them informed throughout.
McLaren Group launches new national residential development business
International property group McLaren has launched a new business, focusing on mixed-use, residential development and placemaking in the UK. Matthew Biddle has been appointed as Managing Director of the McLaren Living business, which brings together McLaren Group’s property and construction expertise. The company will work to create agile, solutions-focused partnerships and joint ventures with private and public-sector organisations, bringing speed and flexibility to the process of building much-needed homes and mixed-use developments, across the UK. Matthew Biddle joins the business to lead a team who understand how to unlock developments and create places that make a positive difference to local communities. He brings with him 18 years of experience, leading residential development businesses at Berkeley Group. This includes building strong relationships with local authorities and registered providers. Matthew will work alongside former Chief Executive of Newham Council, Kim Bromley-Derry CBE, to strengthen McLaren’s partnership offering and develop long-term joint ventures. Kevin Taylor, Chairman, McLaren Group, commented: “We welcome Matthew to McLaren at this exciting point in the evolution and growth of our company. His skills and experience will help us to deliver homes that the country so badly needs and new places where people want to live, work and stay. We look forward to sharing our can-do culture with local authorities, registered providers and other organisations, working in partnership to help them to meet and exceed their housing priorities.”
