Organisations celebrate as £1.5 billion Innovation Chain North framework announced

Great Places Housing Group has announced successful bidders for our latest four-year Innovation Chain North (ICN) framework of contractors and consultants.

The framework has been designed to support delivery of new homes across the north of England, not only to support our affordable development programme but also other Housing Associations and Local Authorities operating across the north of England.

The framework renewal saw a 23 per cent increase in bidders seeking to deliver works and services; 206 companies applied to supply the framework. The majority of bidders applied for multiple lots, and in total 802 bids were evaluated across the 37 lots. New lots for the renewed framework include Apartment Construction, Mechanical and Electrical (M&E) Engineering and Retrofit Consultants.

In total 103 suppliers – 34 Contractors and 69 Consultants – were successful.

The successful organisations were selected based on their technical competence, price, and their commitment to social value.

The new £1.5 billion framework will run until June 2028.

Social value continues to be a key priority for the latest framework with pledges from successful firms including apprenticeships, work experience opportunities and volunteering hours. The suppliers on the previous 4-year framework are set to deliver more than £20m in added social value.

Commenting on the announcement Joanne Whitehead, our Development Performance Manager, responsible for managing the framework, said: “We’d like to congratulate the 103 suppliers who have been awarded a place on the new ICN framework.

“Ahead of our latest tender, we consulted with colleagues across the sector, existing contractors, and consultants, as well as drawing learning from managing the last framework to design a new framework which is fit for purpose as we move forward with our collective ambitions. We were delighted with the response from the market and received a large number of high-quality submissions and substantial social value pledges for our communities.

“The new framework will continue to ensure Great Places and our peer organisations have tried and tested partners to help us to deliver our extensive development programmes and to help our collective ambitions to tackle the housing crisis.”

Commenting on their appointment to the framework existing contractor Alan Taylor, Operations Director from the Casey Group Ltd, said:

“Casey are delighted to be part of the ICN Framework once again. We are looking forward to continuing to work in partnership with Great Places and the ICN members to deliver high-quality homes for their residents. At Casey our purpose is ‘Improving Lives’ we will continue to support the members by providing residents and the local community with social value initiatives and leave a lasting legacy with all the work we do.”

Commenting on their framework award James Eager, Director at Eric Wright Construction added: “We’re really proud to have been successful on the ICN framework tender. We have worked with Great Places previously on the Ancoats Dispensary project and are currently on site at their Laystall Street scheme, so we have a successful track record of working in partnership together and are looking forward to building on that relationship for future projects.”

Robert Paterson, Director Turner & Townsend newcomers to the framework, added:

“We are delighted to have been successful on this significant framework and to continue our relationship with Great Places Housing. Housing and residential remains a strong sector for us here in the North West and we look forward to developing many exciting schemes together in the future.”

A full list of companies can be found at https://innovationchainnorth.co.uk/news/