Procurement: Community Benefit Clauses

Community Benefit Clauses

RSUA met with the Strategic Investment Board (SIB) this week to discuss government’s plans to include community benefit clauses in public sector professional services contracts.

RSUA highlighted the need for such requirements to be proportionate to the scale of each project and achievable in practice.

SIB has already included some clauses in tenders for projects being let under the Social Investment Fund. It has been acknowledged that these clauses were introduced prematurely without engagement with the profession and placed excessive requirements on the architect.

RSUA and SIB have agreed to host an information session for architects on the upcoming work opportunities through the Social Investment Fund and to seek architects’ feedback on the proposed community benefit clauses that will be piloted in these projects.

Members will be notified of the arrangements for this briefing session when the details are finalised.