SPA (Scottish Procurement Alliance)

The second phase of Scotland’s Public Sector Heat Decarbonisation Fund has been announced with applications opening at 2pm on April 29th. Accessible for local authorities, universities and arms length external organisations to apply for. The fund will enable the upgrade to clean heating systems and support progress for whole-building retrofit projects that decarbonise heating systems and improve the overall energy performance of public buildings. Additionally, the fund will support a broader heat decarbonisation strategy, including commissioning connections for heat networks to utilise low-carbon communal heating and cooling for local areas. This scheme will provide organisations with financial backing and resources to accelerate and install clean heating systems and introduce a host of energy efficiency measures in support of decarbonising heat in buildings. But how can we help? SPA can assist you with your net zero plans following our recently announced Retrofit and Decarbonisation N9 framework. N9 offers a catalogue of options for the public sector to meet targets, reduce emissions and improve the overall efficiency of homes and buildings. It provides a comprehensive end-to-end solution that caters for all net zero related projects from feasibility and grant funding to building fabric, electrical and clean heating. Combined with our unique programme of support delivered through our Added Value Services giving you unlimited access to technical expertise, procurement advice, social value guidance and personal assistance to award contracts at no extra cost. This level of support can provide you with the knowledge, understanding and confidence to support the delivery of positive project outcomes that achieve value for money, simplify the process and attract improved benefits for the wider community. Read more about this fund https://bit.ly/3DOpKwr

A great team effort from all of the companies and volunteers involved during the week of action. It’s brilliant to see the difference a relatively short period of time can have on improving spaces. We were thrilled to spend a bit of time helping with this project. Well done Amanda Gauld and to all of the volunteers that participated. Thank you Anne-Marie Hallett for sharing the pictures.

Less than two weeks remain to submit your application for Scottish Enterprise's Clean Heat Accelerator programme. If you are a Scottish start up or SME working in the clean heat or energy efficiency sector this one is for you. The Scottish Enterprise Clean Heat Accelerator is an immersive 5-month programme for ambitious small businesses and start-ups operating in Scotland with products and services that support clean heat in buildings. The accelerator is designed to help you to grow and scale your business and build your networks. For more information and to apply visit https://lnkd.in/gGpFzbhZ

Amanda spent the day volunteering at one of Wheatley’s retirement homes in Edinburgh in the company of residents and staff of the complex. With the help of volunteers, the day involved carrying out a variety of different activities to improve the communal areas by planting a range of flowers, pressure washing surfaces, removing litter and weeds and tidying up the garden in preparation for the better weather coming in. The Quarries is a retirement home in Gilmerton, Edinburgh for adults aged 55 and older with the variety of amenities available it encourages residents to live independently for as long as possible. The complex features 58 one-bedroom flats each with its own living room, kitchen and bathroom. Including a range of communal facilities such as a lounge, laundry and courtyard. Each SPA team member is allocated 1.5 days to use for personal volunteering. An additional day is allocated for team volunteering. This allocation is refreshed annually and helps our team get out into local areas and get stuck into community-orientated activities supporting housing associations, local authorities, charities and community groups. The allocated volunteering days form part of our 3-year Social Value Strategy that was published in late 2024. It demonstrates our commitment to social value encompassing three fundamental areas that build on the progress of community development and transformation. The three impact areas cover our commitment to embedding and measuring social value across our frameworks, our community benefit fund and the local impact from allocating time for our team to help out in the community to contribute time to help meaningful activities. Download our Social Value Strategy here https://bit.ly/4a4A7X4

The final part of filming for the SPA Community Benefit Fund took place earlier this morning. The film will provide a view of the diverse impact the fund has had across Scotland delving into aspects such as the support, opportunities and community transformation. This morning Dougie Paterson from Berwickshire Housing Association kindly dedicated time to share information about the BeWell project, a mental health and wellbeing support service developed in partnership with Penumbra. This programme was initially an 18-month pilot and is now close to entering its 6th year of support by the fund. As this marks the final day of filming we wanted to express our thanks to Berwickshire Housing Association, YMCA Tayside and East Ayrshire Council. Not forgetting our expert videographer, Ike Walker, we are thrilled to work with you again on this project and we can’t wait to share what will be another great video showcasing the achievements of the fund and the distinct imprint it is having on Scottish communities. Collectively helping people reconnect, increase future prospects, address critical needs and improve communities. Shortly the SPA Community Benefit Fund will replace the existing rebate programme. Eligible public sector partners will receive a community benefit allocation which is generated from framework usage and applied for in the same way as the fund. More communities and residents across Scotland will benefit from this change resulting in enhanced outcomes and meaningful community impact. As well as demonstrating our continued commitment to Scottish communities, ensuring social value remains at our core.

The Community Wealth Building Bill has been introduced by The Scottish Government to create jobs and drive economic growth by boosting investment in communities. The Bill will see the Scottish Government consult with key individuals and organisations to prepare and publish a statement about community wealth building that will then require local authorities to produce and implement a community wealth building action plan. The Scottish Government will consult with stakeholders to produce a community wealth building statement that details suitable measures for reducing economic and wealth inequality between individuals and communities while supporting economic growth across Scotland. These measures would likely include: ·       using public procurement to drive local wealth and economic growth ·       supporting community ownership of land or buildings ·       developing initiatives for local business start ups or entrepreneurship ·       promoting/supporting the development of employee-owned businesses Following the introduction of the statement published by the Scottish Government. Local authorities will be required to prepare an action plan within an agreed timeframe that sets out the local measures proposed to support the generation, circulation and retention of wealth in the local economy. We recognise our responsibility in developing public sector frameworks that are accessible for local businesses to apply for providing them with a fair chance to work with the public sector and create wealth locally supporting new businesses, creating jobs, transforming communities and growing the Scottish economy. For a selection of our frameworks there are allocated spaces for micro businesses to apply for providing a much fairer competition. It means that there is a greater chance for smaller businesses to be awarded a place provided they meet the framework criteria and they won’t have to compete against larger businesses. We actively engage with Supplier Development Programme Scotland to promote our framework opportunities to their full database of SME businesses across Scotland. SDP help us reach a much larger pool of prospective bidders through webinars and events which equally give us a forum to share information about the application process and details about our opportunities. These events give businesses a chance to speak with our team and ask questions to give them clarity and awareness of the expectations and requirements to allow them to make informed decisions about progressing their interest. 

🏗️ LIVE NOW with SPA (Scottish Procurement Alliance): Retrofitting Scotland’s Existing Homes 🏡♻️ Scotland’s New Build Heat Standard future-proofs new homes for Net Zero—but what about existing buildings? Retrofitting is key to cutting emissions, yet challenges remain: 💰 Scaling retrofit projects amid financial barriers 🔧 Practical & technical retrofit solutions 📜 Policy & funding support to make it happen 🎤 Expert panel: 🔹 Heather O’Donnell, Scottish Procurement Alliance 🔹 Lila Angelaka, Historic Environment Scotland 🔹 Rob Morrison, BE-ST 🔹 Ian Cochran, Changeworks #HolyroodHousing #ScotClimateSeries

The SPA Community Benefit Fund has been supporting community-led projects and initiatives since 2017. Channelling much-needed investment to grow and accelerate community ambitions that are improving residents lives and enabling access to vital services, such as wellbeing support programmes, employability schemes, dignified food and clothing access and digital participation initiatives. Yesterday we visited East Ayrshire Council’s state of the art central food production unit at Rowallan. This visit forms part of a film that we are producing to provide more awareness about the SPA Community Benefit Fund and the distinct imprint on communities with a glimpse into a handful of the projects supported by the fund. The unit produces 1,300 meals per day for early years centres but is also home to the mobile food larder. The Council were first awarded funding in 2020, during this time it has contributed to a range of projects including providing a local day centre with the means to purchase gym equipment, renovate the existing building, and attend to essential landscaping requirements. It also provided residents with IT equipment and training to give recipients basic knowledge on sending emails, creating a CV and using the internet to apply for jobs and purchase items as well as access council services. Most recently, the fund awarded £10k to East Ayrshire Council’s mobile food larder programme. The grant enabled the council to purchase trading licences for the 6 areas it operates in, as well as helping with start up costs and stocking the food larder with essential food items. The mobile food larder provides dignified food access, customers can purchase branded label food at heavily reduced prices and offers a relaxed and inviting experience for users to not only obtain essential food but it’s a way for them to meet new people and build connections with other residents. The van operates on a rota basis over 2 weeks and visits 6 local areas in need of assistance where there are fewer shops and transportation is limited. Learn more about the SPA Community Benefit Fund https://bit.ly/3LYNw7c

We are thrilled to see the 92 low-carbon home development at Water Row in Govan earning further recognition as it’s recently been announced that Govan Housing Group, CCG (Scotland) Ltd and Collective Architecture have been shortlisted in the Homes for Scotland Awards. The award ceremony hosted by Homes for Scotland will take place on May 30th. All of us at SPA wish the team the best of luck! Procured at the time through our NH2 framework. This framework has since been replaced by NH3 and H2. The NH3 framework supports an array of housing requirements including modern methods of construction practices. The framework is formed of four workstreams supporting 3D modular systems, 2D panelised systems, main contractors and groundworks and associated works. Whereas, the H2 framework supports the delivery of traditional new build accommodation which include the development of care homes, extra care living to mixed use sites, site demolition and clearance. Earlier last year, we produced a case study on this stunning development, read more about Water Row https://bit.ly/4gNmShQ

This morning, we were joined by 11 organisations as we held our final committee meeting of the 2024/25 fiscal year. It was a cause for celebration as we announced that close to £700k has been distributed to our associate and committee partners jointly through the SPA Community Benefit Fund and rebate programme over the year. The funds will be used to develop and transform local communities through investment in community-led projects that are helping residents reconnect, increase future prospects, address critical needs and improve the perception of their local communities. During the meeting, we presented our performance to date, highlighted some notable projects, analysed trends in terms of framework usage, as well as gained valuable insights and contributions from committee partners with evidenced suggestions to enhance our current offering. We were also delighted to welcome Robin Fallas from Scottish law firm Morton Fraser MacRoberts LLP. Robin delivered an insightful and detailed presentation on the Procurement Act 2023, comparing the differences between Scottish legislation and what the new Act means to Scottish contracting authorities. Once again, we would like to thank our committee partners for dedicating their time and for their valuable contributions to the meetings. We appreciate your support and attendance. The committee provides an inclusive forum where experiences, challenges, and opportunities can be shared and discussed to inform solutions and assist in navigating obstacles. From these meetings, eligible committee partners can apply for £10k from the SPA Community Benefit Fund to invest within our communities and create far-reaching impact on areas such as access to wellbeing services, food sourcing, addressing social isolation, and upgrading facilities.