Procurement Committee news

24/09/2020

The Procurement Committee met on 23 September to discuss issues which relate to procurement to help ensure that architects are appointed in a fair and transparent way that enables the winning team deliver to the fullness of their talent, deliver value-for-money and enhance our built environment. 

The Committee considered a wide range of matters including the relative benefits of appointing individual core disciplines as against economic operators, how to avoid project delays which arise where costs increase between the economic appraisal stage and receipt of pre-tender estimates and a position paper on the risks associated with tendering where lowest-price is the determining factor.

Updates were provided on the developing plans for a Belfast City Council Framework for Professional Services, a public sector design competition and concerns about the latest batch of Schools Enhancement Project by the Education Authority and the Urban Villages framework.

A subgroup was formed to look at producing a guide to assessing quality in public procurement. 

All RSUA members are asked to continue sending examples of sub-optimal procurement practices to RSUA Director Ciarán Fox (ciaran@rsua.org.uk).

The next meeting is scheduled for 9 December.