RSUA holds first Procurement Committee meeting of 2026

Today marked the first meeting of RSUA’s Procurement Committee in 2026. The Committee’s primary purpose is to promote public procurement processes that enable architects to deliver optimum value for money for the taxpayer.

This includes engaging with Government construction clients, identifying opportunities for new entrants and developing RSUA position papers on procurement-related issues.

RSUA was pleased to welcome architects Caroline Best, Paul Millar and David Rooney to the Committee, strengthening it as a forum that brings together expertise from both the public and private sectors.

More information on the Procurement Committee is available here.

Assessing quality at tender stage

Committee members agreed the following should be included in a new RSUA framework document on the assessment of quality at tender stage, reflecting both the increasing uptake of AI as well as the opportunities provided by the Competitive Flexible Procedure under the Procurement Act 2023:

• Assessment of quality should be more than just text
• Project- and site-specific questions should be included
• The marking range should be extended
• Scored interviews and presentations should be conducted

Meeting with Head of Construction Procurement at Education Authority

RSUA met with Damian McCarroll, Head of Construction Procurement at the Education Authority (EA), in November 2025.

It was reiterated at the Committee meeting that the focus of RSUA’s ongoing engagement with the EA centres mainly on two concerns regarding their procurement processes.

• Longlists of consultants outside the core team are being requested to be priced at tender stage. RSUA is aware of a current tender that requires pricing for 24 consultants.
• Architects are being asked to price a feasibility study covering a wide range of options. For RIBA Stages 2–7, they are asked to provide a fee proposal for one of these options. The logic behind whether a given option is the most appropriate for pricing is generally unclear, as is how compensation events would be addressed should a different option ultimately proceed.

Scottish Government Graduating Pricing Mechanism

Committee members were asked to review the Scottish Government’s Graduating Pricing Mechanism in advance of the meeting. It was agreed that no action will be taken at the moment.

Whole life carbon in public buildings

RSUA will attend a meeting with the Northern Ireland Construction Group on 20 January 2026. The purpose of the meeting to try and get common approach to whole life carbon from government departments.

Engagement with Government Construction Clients

Construction and Procurement Delivery

Following engagement in May 2025 with Stewart Heaney, Director of the Construction Division of the Construction and Procurement Delivery (CPD) unit of the Department of Finance, it was agreed that a further engagement session with CPD should be arranged.

RSUA intends to progress a series of engagement meetings in 2026.

Health Estates

RSUA last met Phillip McClay, Director of Health Estates within the Department of Health, in June 2025. A follow-up meeting will take place on 4 February 2026.

RSUA has also been exploring how it can act as a connector for the two health estates of Northern Ireland and the Republic. Committee member Donal MacRandal reported that he has joined the Procurement Committee of the Royal Institute of the Architects of Ireland (RIAI). It was agreed that an RIAI Procurement Committee update will be included as a standing item on future agendas for RSUA’s Committee.

Further engagement

If you have any questions or comments about this meeting, please contact Curtis Large, RSUA Policy and Public Affairs Officer, at curtis@rsua.org.uk