SCAPE is a public sector organisation dedicated to creating efficiency and social value via the built environment
In November 2023, SCAPE opened procurement for two new utilities consultancy frameworks. These frameworks provide the opportunity to deliver solutions and services across a range of sectors including energy, nuclear and water. Two of our bid directors supported our client by acting as reviewers, supporting the development of each response through targeted feedback.
The opportunity
The two new utilities consultancy frameworks run for a period of four years, with an optional two-year extension. Therefore, for longevity, our client needed to align with SCAPE’s core values of sustainability and social impact while providing technical excellence in its services.
The frameworks follow the announcement of SCAPE’s utilities works and services frameworks which launched in January 2024, aiming to help utility sector clients futureproof their infrastructure delivery, while responding to their wider sustainability goals.
EiB approach and involvement
Our bid directors were bought in explicitly in the dark to provide objective review and challenge, having been provided with the client’s work to date in the way of strategy. They led the review and challenge on each response at two review stage gates and facilitated feedback on client calls with the authoring team. They acted as the reviewers, considering the evaluation criteria for each response with the writers and contributors and tailoring their approach to ensure feedback was communicated in a targeted and specific way. By driving the improvement process and keeping writers on track, they influenced the major changes to responses while maintaining a collaborative approach.
Success and outcomes
We helped the client identify the priority focus to progress responses and score top marks. As a result, SCAPE selected our client to operate the new utilities consultancy frameworks for a period of four years with the option to extend for a further two. This will give the client access to a suite of professional services including strategic advice, engineering services, design services, project management and quantity surveying. Our bi directors’ contributions were vital in steering the strategic direction of the responses and achieving this outcome. Through a lessons learned and debrief session, we identified areas in which we could support the client to be better placed by the same review stage gates on future bids.
This result will help to unlock our client’s range of multidisciplinary services for organisations in the regulated utilities market, applying its market-leading expertise in the water, transport, energy and nuclear sectors and developing its relationship with SCAPE. The framework will provide an opportunity for the wider market to deliver projects so it can adapt and grow, bringing significant benefits to the UK by enhancing its resilience.