A major procurement provider has appointed 126 firms to a £660m retrofit and decarbonisation framework for public sector work.
The LHC Procurement Group (LHCPG) Retrofit and Decarbonisation (N9) framework will run until the end of February 2029, providing public sector clients and registered social landlords with access to vetted local suppliers.
Available through LHCPG’s five regional business units, the framework covers a range of retrofit services, including consultancy, multidisciplinary works, building insulation and performance, low-carbon heating systems, control and management systems, and electrical services including EV charging and solar PV.
Clive Feeney, LHCPG group chief executive, said: “The N9 framework will play a vital role in helping local authorities and housing associations work towards the UK’s newest and boldest targets on decarbonisation announced at COP29.
“As a country, we are now aiming for an 81 per cent cut in emissions by 2035. This will demand a huge push on the low-carbon retrofit of social homes, and a dramatic reduction in carbon emissions across 1.9 million non-domestic public buildings too.”
N9 is the first new framework to be launched by LHCPG since its Gold Standard verification covering all its work across all its regions, and the first to implement LHCPG’s new social value strategy.
LHCPG will monitor and report on the overall social value impact of all projects on the framework.
The N9 framework will provide support to firms to ensure they can meet retrofit standards required by public sector bodies, including PAS 2030, 2035 and 2038, within two years of joining.
“In this way, the N9 framework can support future funding waves,” Feeney said, “making it a key enabler for energy-efficient upgrades of those social homes with low EPC ratings of D-G.”
The N9 framework has six workstreams:
- Consultancy: Combines energy policy and strategy development with grant funding support, providing comprehensive assistance to organisations in planning and implementing energy-efficient strategies.
- Multidisciplinary works: Focuses on multi-technology installations with clarified value bands, accommodating diverse contract sizes and technologies, and includes provisions for micro and small contractors.
- Building insulation and performance (Passive): Covers various insulation types, including internal, loft, cavity wall, and external insulation, with specific lots tailored to different building sizes and types.
- Heating systems: Encompasses a range of heating solutions, from domestic to commercial systems, and integrates smart controls and energy systems where applicable.
- Control and management systems: Addresses building management systems and individual metering,
- Electrical: Includes lots for solar PV and battery storage, and electric vehicle charging
In addition to the fixed-term framework over the next four years, LHCPG has also just launched a dynamic purchasing system (DPS) option for low-carbon retrofit servicing and maintenance works.
The DPS allows companies to apply to join throughout its lifetime.
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Colin Marrs