A message from Chris Ridge, TICA’s Technical Policy Manager
Dear Members,
I recently attended two NHS events where the focus has been on supplier engagement in line with the huge amount of hospital redevelopment work that will take place over the next ten years:
- New Hospital Programme (Focusing on 40 Hospitals in England)
- NHS Building for Wales
The New Hospital Programme:
A complete list of the 40 Hospitals included in the programme can be found here.
What makes the New Hospital Programme (NHP) different from previous framework schemes such as Procure 21?
Time will tell, but the ethos appears to be about learning and standardising as much as possible. Whilst each NHS Trust will be accountable for the project delivery, they will all be subject to an NHP Agreement which will provide a legal framework for the NHP to work with the Trust. NHP involvement will provide consistency and allow the NHP team the opportunity to learn from previous schemes and standardise specifications to optimise performances. Basically, as they continue to learn, each Hospital should be more energy efficient and sustainable than the last.
What will TICA be doing to support members?
I have spoken to a few members of the NHP team and I have proposed that TICA assist them in developing a thermal insulation specification that can maximise energy performance for the NHS Trust. I have also proposed our support in terms of maintaining the Thermal Insulation specification as a golden thread throughout the project. Essentially, the client wants a robust specification that will not be altered during the contractual route and many TICA members I speak to want to bid for a large project safe in the knowledge that another contractor isn’t going to win the project with a non-compliant tech sub – by helping the client to police the contractual route we can help to ensure that good practice is rewarded.
What can TICA members do now?
According to the NHP Team, all contractors who wish to work on these Hospital Projects will need to register with CompeteFor. It would be worthwhile taking a look at the website below and potentially registering:
Members should also look at how and when they might commence with their Net Zero commitments.
Initially, it may be worth taking a look at the New Hospital Program Supplier Guide – please email me if you would like a copy.
NHS Building for Wales
The NHS Building for Wales framework agreements will commence in 2024 and last until 2028 with a possible extension as far as 2030. There are a load of sustainability requirements for Tier 1 Contractors and Consultants (Net Zero promises etc.) The NHS Building for Wales team confirmed that the Welsh Government will be looking at the sustainability and corporate governance evidence of Tier 2 and Tier 3 contractors also – I just don’t think they know how they are going to do it yet. I have a further meeting with NHS Building for Wales in a few weeks and believe we can offer a similar partnership to the one suggested above for NHP. A copy of the presentation is available – please email me if you would like a copy of the presentation sent across to you.
As always, please feel free to get in touch with me if you’d like to discuss further.
