The Council, as set out in its Procurement Strategy, has embedded commitment to sustainability within procurements, including through:
To ensure that the Regeneration Programme effectively supported the Council’s climate objectives and the above commitments, specialist support was obtained through the Scottish Government Sustainable Procurement Training Framework, which included advice, development/refinement of resources and processes, and workshops.
This case study describes the sustainability focus within the Programme and lessons learned through this pilot project. The intended audience comprises of those with responsibility for housing-led regeneration and renewal, corporate procurement teams, corporate climate change teams and other stakeholders such as suppliers to the Scottish public sector
The procurement chosen as a pilot project for the consultancy support was the demolition and site clearance of Council properties in the Tannahill area, Paisley. The requirement of the project was to demolish empty Council-owned domestic dwellings and clear the site, reducing anti-social behaviour whilst allowing for consideration of opportunities for redevelopment.
The procurement of the demolition was a call-off from Lot 2 (greater than £50,000 value) of the £60 million Scotland Excel Demolition and Deconstruction framework, awarded in 2024. The contract is for a 52-week period and had a value of approximately £630,000.
This case study reflects a range of work undertaken to incorporate climate considerations into the procurement process in support of the Regeneration programme from Autumn 2023 to January 2025.
The Scotland Excel framework had initial sustainability requirements for suppliers, including the scored question:
Tenderers were required to provide a submission demonstrating how they would apply sound environmental management in the provision of Works under the Framework Contract, to minimise their impact on the environment.
Detail how your organisation will provide a positive environmental impact within its operation in support of the Scottish Governments declared climate emergency with aims to maximize the circular economy to make Scotland a zero-waste society.
Tenderers were required to include in their response consideration of:
Contractors are also required to:
Having considered the specific scope of the Tannahill demolition requirement through Life Cycle Impact Mapping and the Sustainability Test, and in light of the Council’s net zero objectives, the mini-competition tender also included a scored question on Net Zero and Circular Economy. This question had a 5% weighting which asked for a detailed method statement describing how delivery of the works will support the Council’s Renfrewshire's Plan for Net Zero. Tenderers were required to:
‘Submit a detailed method statement describing how delivery of the works will support the Council’s Plan for Net Zero. This includes the following measures, which should include any opportunities for innovative solutions:
There was also a requirement for community benefits (specifically at least 1 job for a minimum of 26 weeks for a young person from a recognised priority group, such as from the Council’s most deprived data zones), together with evidence of Fair Work First practices.
Requirements were monitored in accordance with the Council’s contract monitoring processes, as well as the piloted “Sustainability Scorecard” developed as part of the consultancy support. This included the specific sustainability KPIs set out for contract management and was reviewed at quarterly CSM meetings.
