2022 in review

As we move ever closer towards the season’s festivities and the start of a new year, I always like to take this time to reflect on the past 12 months.

It would be remiss of me of course not to reflect on the current climate – very few of us would have anticipated this year being defined by international conflict, global inflation nor a cost of living crisis.

However, it’s within this context that we look back on what has been achieved within the public sector this year and how it will shape lives in 2023. I am a big believer in the role construction has to play in local communities and we will be working closer with our clients and partners next year to ensure the SCAPE Group continues to support critical regeneration and create social value.

Within SCAPE, it was a pleasure to see new frameworks launched this year. Balfour Beatty was awarded our biggest ever Civil Engineering framework for ENWI and Scotland while we also saw our fourth-generation Regional Construction Framework awarded in June to eight SCAPE partners, including new partner, Stepnell. We are now beginning to see the first of these projects start on site and I look forward to sharing the progress of many of them in the months to come.

While the construction industry as a whole has faced significant challenges, our frameworks team has contributed to several significant, award-winning projects across the UK, including the Stockingfield Bridge in Glasgow which recently won the Institute of Civil Engineering’s People’s Choice Award 2022 for connecting three local communities for the first time in 130 years.

The SCAPE Group is so much more than a framework provider though – as evidenced by the success of our partners within the group. Lungfish Architects, for example, has had a huge impact in Derbyshire; delivering more than ￡30m-worth of educational infrastructure in Derby, creating an additional 1,400 new school places for local families, as well as accelerating the delivery of Ravensdale Junior School, which was the victim of arson.

Meanwhile, our colleagues within Arc Partnership continue to support Nottinghamshire County Council’s property, regeneration and highways and civil services portfolio – celebrating their 2000th project since the start of the joint venture in 2016.

We’ve also seen our investment in our clients and partners reap rewards as we help them address some of the challenges they face – including delivering progress on the road to net zero. This time last year, we were announcing the acquisition of the Construction Waste Portal, which is helping contractors to reduce, reuse and recycle project waste more efficiently through a network of partners. 20 contractors and 34 resource management companies have now signed up to the portal which already has an exciting pipeline for 2023.

As we look ahead to next year, it’s clear there will be further challenges in terms of cost pressures, linked to both inflation and reduced public sector spending. Our mission is to help our clients overcome those challenges – drawing on the vast knowledge and experience we have within the SCAPE Group. So, as we prepare for the festive season, I firmly believe we will be able to look back this time next year and celebrate another positive 12 months of activity, where we have contributed to a world that everyone deserves.

I hope you enjoy the festive season and I look forward to sharing my thoughts again in the New Year.