Constructionline latest

Public sector war on waste sees surge in Constructionline sign ups

Date Published:

July 2009

Growing numbers of public sector organisations are adopting Constructionline as their preferred supplier register as procurement becomes a key battleground in the war against waste.

Constructionline, which is owned by the Department of Business Innovation and Skills, formerly BERR, has registered 80 new buyers this year taking the total past 2,000, the highest number in its 11-year history.

Councils such as Brighton and Hove, South Oxfordshire and organisations like NHS Health Scotland, Mersey Travel and Swan Housing Group are among the new clients that have adopted the scheme since the start of the year.

In March, Chancellor Alistair Darling set a £9 billion annual savings target for the public sector in his budget and driving change through procurement has become a key priority.

Meanwhile the Government has continued to increase its spend on construction including an announcement last month to commit £1.5 billion toward building more affordable homes.

The service, which has also seen the number of contractors signed up to its register surpass 17,000, is now used by 70 per cent of local authorities and half of large housing associations.

Buyer usage figures – which record the number of supplier lists created by clients – has also increased this year, growing by 20 per cent year on year in the first quarter.

The rise in database activity in 2009 has mirrored growing output from publically funded construction projects, which according to figures from the Office of National Statistics released last month, grew by seven per cent during the first three months of this year.

Philip Prince, sales and marketing director for Constructionline, said: “With an average of three per cent of total construction project costs being spent on tendering, delivering efficiency through procurement has become a major priority for buyers.

“Tightening belts but without compromising quality is a major challenge for the public sector, so increasingly they are finding new methods to help them deliver best value.”

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