Procurement Committee report

24/02/2021

The RSUA Procurement Committee met on 23 February 2021 to discuss a wide range of issues relating to public procurement and the opportunities to deliver better projects for citizens in Northern Ireland.

Members of the committee learned that RSUA is exploring the potential of a design competition to encourage innovation in housing. RSUA continues to engage with CPD on a number of issues, including PI insurance, the appropriate disclosure of BIM information in the tender process and a recent request for registration with the Construction Industry Scheme. A meeting with the Education Authority is also scheduled

RSUA is engaging with Belfast City Council on their proposed Framework for Professional Services and is seeking an update on the outturn spend from the Belfast Destination Hub.

Members of the committee will discuss a position paper “Steps to take to avoid project delay arising from an increase in cost between initial economic appraisal and pre-tender estimates” at the next meeting and will meet to discuss a draft paper on assessing quality in public procurement.

The committee will also review the public procurement policy note recently published by the Cabinet Office and discuss at the next meeting on 22 June 2021.