SAFETY, funding pressures, and the challenge of maintaining Scotland’s ageing homes and buildings were the key talking points at the recent Scottish Procurement Alliance (SPA) AGM.
The event brought together senior figures from across housing, government, regulation, construction, legal and procurement.
Titled Managing Safety in Scotland’s Existing Buildings, the AGM explored the changing responsibilities facing social landlords, councils and other public bodies as they respond to new regulation, emerging safety risks and increasing pressure on budgets.
Lesley Peaty, regional director at SPA, said, “Keeping existing buildings safe has never been more important and organisations are having to navigate changing legislation, ageing properties and increasingly complex responsibilities. This year’s AGM brought together experts who provided practical insight into the issues affecting the sector today while also helping organisations prepare for the challenges that lie ahead.”
Speakers included Cassandra Dove (policy lead of the Scottish Federation of Housing Associations), Scottish housing regulator chief executive Michael Cameron, and Danny Henderson (head of technical unit within the Scottish Government’s building standards division).
Legal, technical and procurement perspectives were also provided by Erica Dickson of Morton Fraser MacRoberts, Scott Bradshaw of NBM Cost Consultants, Tom Diamond of RCI Technical Services and Daniella Bryans of SPA, while Alan Karas of LHC Procurement Group addressed social value.
One of the clearest themes to emerge was the scale and complexity of the current building safety challenge, with speakers stressing that organisations need better information about their assets, clearer accountability and realistic programmes for inspection, maintenance and remediation.
Concern around funding was another recurring theme, particularly the difficulty of planning complex works where public funding must be allocated and spent within short financial-year timescales. Panel members also discussed the case for longer-term funding settlements of three to five years, reflecting the time required to survey properties, design solutions, procure contractors and complete major programmes safely.
The need to understand existing buildings properly before work begins was also emphasised.
The AGM looked beyond immediate safety pressures to the wider social value that can be created through public procurement. During the previous year in SPA’s Community Benefit Fund in Scotland, £190,000 supported 18 community projects across the country.
Lesley added, “What came through strongly from the AGM is that building safety cannot be treated as a single project or a short-term response. It requires good information, strong procurement, technical expertise and long-term investment, but above all it requires organisations to keep the people living in and using these buildings at the heart of every decision. As we mark ten years, that collaborative approach will remain central to how we work with partners across Scotland.”
