southern construction framework news · “ don ward constructing excellence chief executive...

Southern Construction Framework News

ISSUE 5 Autumn

• Spotlight

• Latest news

• Supporting skills, localism & sustainability

• Events, Awards, Workshops

3www.southernconstructionframework.org.uk

Contents

- Spotlight 3-5

- Latest news 6-13

- Supporting Skills, 14 -15 lo calism & sustainability

- Events, Awards, 16-19 Workshops

- Useful contacts 19

SpotlightWelcome...to the fifth edition of HI VIZ.

This publication brings you the

latest news from the Southern

Construction Framework (SCF),

including features from the South

East, South West and London

Construction frameworks. It also

provides current industry news

and updates on events, awards

and workshops. Our aim at SCF

is to bring you the very latest and

most relevant information.

Hinkley Point – Go or no Go!

Recent media coverage of the proposed Hinkley Point nuclear plan has mentioned that investors have now agreed to go ahead with the project, although the contract is currently being reviewed by the UK government.

The implications of ‘Go’ or ‘no Go’ on this £18 billion project are very significant because whilst most of the budget will be spent on specialist nuclear engineering and civil engineering, there will still be a significant spend on building construction.

A high proportion of this will be via the local and regional supply chain so those considering building projects in the South West may need to think carefully about the methods of construction they wish to adopt, to minimise use of what will be a very stretched supply chain.

SCF will continue to monitor the supply chain demand data in the south of England (as the framework currently does) to give clients intelligence when planning projects and help avoid supply chain availability conflicts. Please see SCF website under - Documents - National MI summary.

During the construction period there will inevitably be challenges to overcome. However, the South West region could benefit in the longer term from increased supply capacity being created by the Hinkley Point construction.

4 5www.southernconstructionframework.org.ukValued Efficient Collaborative

Spotlight

‘To BIM or not to BIM – that is the question?’

We all understand BIM, don’t we? All of those articles, all of those seminars, a BIM expert at every turn!

In our quest for the truth we asked Mike Borkowski from the Lot 1 Framework Management Team to share with us just some of the feedback he gets on his travels. Below are some of the questions Mike recently posed to several designers and consultants he met.

We asked one designer just how important has BIM become to your role?‘BIM is becoming more and more commonplace with clients, consultants and contractors all starting to see the benefits. We’ve moved from BIM being very rare to always having something going on in the office using BIM’.

I’ve asked lots of consultants what lessons they have learnt from using BIM? Here are a few of their responses:• I think anybody adopting a more collaborative way

of working using BIM will find they learn so much and maybe even dispel a few myths

• It can be a very steep learning curve, but don’t let that stop you

• Don’t hold back – that’s the key to a successful project

• There is no ‘ideal project’ although many people say they are ‘waiting for one to try BIM out on’

We all know the benefits BIM is supposed to achieve – but what’s the reality? Mike’s favourite response was: ‘Genuinely we have seen so many of the fabled benefits people talk of – earlier decision making saving time, clash detection saving re-design and contractor costs, better outcomes because of design collaboration, fewer contractor queries in construction – the list goes on and on’.

We asked - Who do you think are the big winners so far? This response was quite a commonly held view :‘Well I think one of the most tangible ‘quick wins’ has been the ability for architects, clients, end users and FM providers to visualise and fly through buildings, influencing early design and vastly reducing the number of changes later in the process’. We’ve taken that a bit further now with the use of virtual reality headsets allowing the user to navigate the model from their perspective – a very real benefit we can offer by adopting the use of the latest technology’.

From all of the conversations we’ve put together our ‘5 top tips’ for anybody setting out on the BIM journey.

Get all stakeholders to ‘buy in’ early. (Don’t forget building users and FM)

Focus on your strategy before you get tied up in detail

Ensure the team is open-minded and enthusiastic

Use all of the technology/tools available – make it real and make it clear how BIM is a huge benefit

Remember there is no ideal project so don’t wait – it can work for any project

We asked - Ten years ago we didn’t really understand BIM, where do you think it could be another ten years from now ? We really liked this realistic prediction :‘I think that with the current rate of technology adoption in the industry it’s so difficult to predict but I would think that some of the things we are using now will be commonplace. For example we may see a design team meeting with everyone wearing virtual reality headsets, paper drawings on site a thing of the past and Ipad charging stations for the entire workforce alongside toolbanks in the site office!’

Mike’s commentsI think probably the one thing that has convinced me more than ever, that BIM is here to stay, and actually works, is the fact that we’re starting to see contractors using it – not because they have to, but because they see the value in it. It appears that the business case has been made for BIM making commercial sense and, as we all know, if something helps the bottom line – it’s here to stay. This former BIM sceptic is becoming more and more convinced every day. BIM is here to stay.

Thanks to all the consultants, designers and architects who shared their BIM experience with us and it’s great to know that BIM isn’t just something we’re all talking about – increasingly it seems it will be something we’ll all have to get our heads around.

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Latest news

Constructing Excellence to merge with BRE

Following extensive discussions with its members and stakeholders, the board of Constructing Excellence (CE) has confirmed the conclusion of the merger with Building Research Establishment (BRE). The move is designed to strengthen and grow the CE membership and its positive impact on the industry at a time of significant global challenge.

Under the merger BRE will maintain the distinctive CE brands, develop the network and add critical capacity in developing digital tools, delivering training and events and growing the international reach. It will also enable CE to achieve its long-term ambition of establishing a Constructing Excellence Foundation under the BRE Trust, which would see trading profit channelled into research and education for the benefit of members.

Joining with BRE gives us access to new resources and markets that we require to develop our membership, benchmarking and training services for the UK and international networks. It means that we can plan for the future with a new level of vision and confidence, and devote our energies to member content, though leadership and sector influence.

Constructing Excellence was the result of the convergence of several related industry initiatives set up to drive improvements in construction in the wake of the seminal 1997 Egan report Rethinking Construction. It’s 80 members are drawn from across the industry supply chain, ranging from clients, contractors and consultants, through to suppliers and manufacturers of building materials and products.

Name Scope Authorities entitled to use framework

Framework One

For general highway improvement works, minor structural improvement works,

public authority civil engineering works and associated small value construction work up to an individual project value of

£450,000.

Basingstoke & Deane Borough Council - East Hampshire District Council - Eastleigh Borough Council - Fareham Borough

Council - Gosport Borough Council – Hampshire County Council - Hart District Council - Havant Borough Council - New

Forest District Council - Rushmoor Borough Council - Test Valley Borough Council - Winchester City Council

Framework Two

For specialist civil engineering structural works, complex highway infrastructure works, public authority civil engineering

works and associated medium value construction work between the individual project values of approximately £50,000

to £10,000,000

Bath & North East Somerset Council - Bournemouth Borough Council - Bracknell Forest Borough Council - Brighton & Hove City Council - Bristol City Council - Buckinghamshire County

Council - Devon County Council - Dorset County Council - East Sussex County Council - - Gloucestershire County Council - Isle

of Wight Council - Kent County Council - Medway Council - Milton Keynes Council - North Somerset Council - Oxfordshire

County Council - Poole Borough Council - Portsmouth City Council - Reading Borough Council -Royal Borough of

Windsor & Maidenhead Council - Slough Borough Council - Somerset County Council - Southampton City Council - South

Gloucestershire Council - Surrey County Council - Swindon Borough Council - Torbay Council - West Berkshire Council - West Sussex County Council - Wiltshire Council - Wokingham

District Council - Plus all listed Framework One.

Framework Three

For significant highway infrastructure development, civil engineering works

and associated major value construction work between the individual project

values of approximately £8,000,000 to £25,000,000.

April 2016 saw the launch of the Generation 3 Frameworks as a delivery tool for councils across the south of England. Many councils are already using the frameworks and awarding schemes to the closely managed framework suppliers; each reeling in the benefits and savings generated by cutting out the pre-qualification stage and going straight to mini competition. Having a broad scope, the frameworks enable councils to deliver a wide range of works, including highways, coastal and structural schemes among others.

To find out more contact Neil O’Connell Strategic Frameworks Manager at Hampshire County Council:

T: 01962 846602

E:Neil.O’[email protected]

or visit http://gen3framework.econtrack.com/Default.aspx.

HCC Civil Framework – Clients reaping the benefits

““

Don WardConstructing Excellence

Chief Executive

Constructing Excellence has always represented a movement for positive change, harnessing the energy and commitment of many hundreds of organisations at a regional and national level. Both BRE and CE are trusted and independent brands who have worked very closely together for many years - the synergies are strong. But most importantly we share the core objective of creating a better built environment for all. Peter Bonfield

CEO of BRE

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“

Members have emphatically welcomed the move which was confirmed on August 18.

As a national asset and one of the biggest investors in British infrastructure, Heathrow has always promoted the benefits of sharing knowledge and best practise to drive improvements in the construction industry and we will continue supporting Constructing Excellence to achieve this.

“

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David FerroussatInfrastructure Procurement Director

Heathrow Airport Ltd

We are very pleased with this merger, it brings together two key industry bodies with shared aims and ambitions. The opportunity to take CE's core message of the benefits of true collaboration to a wider audience will hopefully encourage others to get involved and committed. This will be of huge benefit to the built environment, the construction industry and our clients.

Ronald H EdmondsonManaging Director

Waterloo Air Products plc

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CE has a strong vision for our industry and the merger with BRE provides us with the opportunity to strengthen our influence and realise our ambition of being the leading organisation driving improvement in construction and the build environment. It is a good move for our membership who gain additional benefits from BRE’s cutting edge research and global reach. We are all delighted by this development and look forward to sharing knowledge and best practice to benefit the industry.

Murray RowdenGlobal Head of Infrastructure

Turner & TownsendChairman of Constructing Excellence

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Latest news

SCF – One year in the making

SCF completed their first year of the four year framework at the end of April 2016, with many outstanding achievements, which are illustrated in the SCF annual report.

The business case for the framework is based on a throughput of up to £975m / annum, and has procured a total of £857m in this first year for 27 public authorities across 48 projects, ensuring the success of the arrangement.

Framework users include Central and local government, Further and Higher Education establishments; Third Sector; and Emergency Services who have engaged with the framework for a hugely diverse range of projects showing the flexibility of the arrangement, and the ability of the contractors to engage with any type of public sector building project.

In the first year of the framework, all of the work awarded is in various stages of pre-construction with 70% of contractors, although Willmott Dixon will be the first contractor to take a project to site, quickly followed by a further seven projects during our recent summer, which will release initial framework performance data.

Just a few highlights from the first year include:

CTB Dashboards – Actively monitoring projects

The pilot for producing an executive summary for the status of each project is progressing well. Each month the contractors produce an executive summary (see example below - right), based on the information included on the cost time benefit form. This is shared with clients and the named SCF Managers.

The summary report highlights the key areas of a project, including:

Lot Value Projects1 - London £360m 202 - South East £103m 103 - South West £374m 18

Projects by lot Projects by value band

There is a good distribution of value on projects that are being procured via the framework starting at approximately £3m in the South West and in excess of £100m. The average project value is £10.5m.

For more detailed information about these impressive achievements please visit the SCF website:http://www.southernconstructionframework.org.uk/docs/SCF%20Annual%20Report-2016%20web.pdf

Meet the Buyer

The Framework continues to encourage a fair deal for small to medium employees (SMEs) that will benefit the locality. The focus this year has been to encourage wider engagement with local supply chains. This initiative originated by ISG with the first of four Meet The Buyer events to date across the SCF region resulting in engagement of over 400 sub-contractors. Future events are being planned.

Projects by sector - by number of projects - Lot 1 2 & 3

Under each heading there is a comments box where the contractors are able to summarise the status against the mutually agreed project benchmarks at appointment. It highlights what project management toolkits have been utilised and informs the project governance.

It is therefore possible to see at a glance the overall project status as each heading is given a Red, Amber, Green rating.

This is proving to be a good way for the SCF managers to proactively monitor the status of each project on a monthly basis in advance of the operational meetings. The SCF manager will discuss any anomalies with the Contractor’s Account Manager and ensure that any issues are understood and that proactive action plans are in place.

Trends and lessons learned are also discussed at the operational meetings and this information is used to inform the priorities of continuous improvement activities.

New addition to the SCF Team!

Our latest addition to the SCF team is:

Name: Christina Konstantakopoulou

Job Role: Assistant Framework Manager - South East

Christina joins the SCF Team as an Assistant Framework Manager for the South East. Christina graduated as a Civil Engineer from the National Technical University of Athens, and holds a Master Degree in Project Management from the University of Reading. Her main focus and interested is to be involved in the effective implementation of the Southern Construction Framework in various projects.

She also aims to deliver and promote high quality services through integrity and efficient work in order to ensure client satisfaction and collaboration.


Latest news

Customers and staff are enjoying the new Wycombe Leisure Centre, which opened earlier this year replacing the old premises. The finished building is exceeding initial expectations and has created a real buzz in the area.

The centre is part of a large project named Handy Cross, this development included design and construction of the new sports and leisure centre, multi-storey car park, food store and coach park. Construction of the Wycombe Leisure Centre was completed by the Framework contractor Willmott Dixon and has doubled its membership since it opened.

This is a great gym to work out in; it has so much natural light because of the high ceilings and open spaces. The old gym couldn’t fit as many people in and it felt really cramped; we used to have 2000 members and now we have more than 4000.

New Wycombe Leisure Centre is going swimmingly

One of the many successes of the project was how well all of the design and construction teams rallied together to build and design the Olympic size swimming pool. This collaboration was important to ensure the accuracy of the dimensions in the pool tank.

Anton Bradley, assistant fitness manager Wycombe Leisure Centre.

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Cllr Katrina WoodWycombe District Council

A number of workshops were held between the contractors Willmott Dixon, the architects, engineers, tilers and renderers to guarantee the tank was formed and completed within the acceptable tolerances to achieve a national competition pool.

Because of this, the first swimming gala at the new pool was the largest in recent history and saw swimmers trying to qualify for the British Swimming Championships. These championships also doubled up as the Team GB trials for the Rio Olympic games.

Congratulations to the Wycombe District Swimming Club for organising such a successful event, which not only showcases the state-of-the-art facilities at our new Leisure Centre to a wider audience but also puts the town on the sporting map.

It was fantastic to hold our first competition in the new pool at the Wycombe Leisure Centre. The competition was the most oversubscribed UK club competitions in recent history and a huge success, which is down to the great partnership between WDSC and Places for People Leisure, along with the tremendous hard work from our club volunteers.

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Kevin Brooks WDSC (Wycombe District

Swimming Club) Head Coach

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What’s new in the procurement industry?

New contract awards rebound strongly

BCLive data shows new contract awards in August 2016 were 12.5% above the previous month and 29% up on the same month last year.

http://www.theconstructionindex.co.uk/news/view/new-contract-awards-rebound-strongly

SCF Health and Safety Forum – making your construction sites safer, better places to work

Construction industry shows signs of recovery, PMI survey says

The UK construction industry showed signs of recovery in August, contracting less than in July, a survey has suggested.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-37255937

Health and safety in the construction industry

Find out more on how you can help reduce deaths and serious injury and get benefits for your business.

http://www.hse.gov.uk/business/business-benefits.htm

SCF’s Health and Safety Forum regularly introduces campaigns and initiatives across all framework construction sites. Instigated in the South West in 2009, the forum has developed into a proactive and executive group able to tailor its activities to whatever issues arise in the industry and to add value to existing practices.

The forum will stage its second biennial Health and Safety Expo on November 2nd in Exeter. The 2016 Expo will focus on Occupational Health and hopes to attract hundreds of key personnel from the supply chain industries.Helena Allum, HSE Principal Inspector of Construction for the South West, will be the opening speaker and the Expo will complement the current HSE initiatives on improving occupational health.

View HI VIZ issues online:

HI VIZ - Summer 2016

HI VIZ - February 2016

HI VIZ - Autumn 2015

Latest news

A shocking statistic – that may surprise many is that out of all deaths related to the construction industry, 1% are due to accidents and a massive 99% from work related illnesses. A range of experts will be on hand to offer advice on reducing the risks associated with noise, the inhalation of dust, hand arm vibration, skin diseases, occupational cancers and muscular skeletal disorders. There will be demonstrations and displays with a chance to see the most up to date equipment and solutions for ensuring a healthy workforce on site.

Students from Further Education colleges engaged in construction related study are also invited to the Expo. After the 2014 event, Guy Barker from the Kent based firm AMS, was delighted to see so many young people wanting to learn more about asbestos and silica awareness.

The Expo also welcomes interested parties from client organisations. If you would like to find out more please email [email protected].

The forum is practical – it runs common, quarterly poster and ‘Toolkit Talks’ campaigns across all framework construction sites and shares best practice. Each of the framework Health and Safety Managers is passionate about making a positive difference and in future issues of HI VIZ we will introduce some of them, and their roles on your construction sites.

Catching people young - this expo has probably saved lives.

Guy Barker AMS

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Supporting skills, localism & sustainability

SCF agrees to support “Adopt a school” campaign Wates promotes careers in construction to 250 students in Bournemouth

Students at St Peters School in Bournemouth have been given an introduction to the careers available within the Construction Industry by the Framework contractor Wates Construction SHC staff, which recently held a Construction Career Carousel day at the school.

250 Year 9 students rotated around the eight different activities which included Project Management, Commercial, Design, Pre-Construction, Health and Safety, Build a Structure and rooms designed to introduce them to Wates Early Careers and Apprenticeships.

This event followed previous engagement with the school where students were able to visit the construction site and be shown and talked through the various stages of the build.

At the career carousel students were able to try their hand at building a structure out of rolls of paper, build bridges out of spaghetti and marshmallows. They experienced the role of a Quantity Surveyor and looked at the various risks and hazards found on a construction site within the Health and Safety room.

Wates were joined on the day by and thank the staff from SWSA (Shared Apprenticeship Scheme) and Cube Design Architects.

Andrew CarpenterSouth West Director of CE

Emma Norton“Adopt a school campaign”

Coordinator

SCF has just agreed to provide financial support

for the ‘Adopt a School’ campaign, which is operated by

Constructing Excellence (CE) in the South West region.

The Scheme was set up by Andrew Carpenter (South West Director of CE) a year ago and to date seven schools have been adopted by ‘Construction Ambassadors’ from local CE clubs in the region with the objective of giving school students information/support about career opportunities in construction.

The support that has been agreed with SCF will allow CE in the South West to employ a part-time coordinator (Emma Norton) for the campaign to increase the number of schools adopted. A target of having 27 adopted schools in the region has been agreed. But Andrew hopes he and Emma will be able to better this target. The campaign will also need members of the local CE clubs in the region to sign up as ‘Construction Ambassadors’. Ambassador training will be provided free by the Construction Industry Training Board.

The key reasons why SCF has supported this campaign is that the scheme has a good reputation and is aiming to reverse the poor perception of construction career opportunities by school students and encourage them to consider the diverse breadth of opportunities construction offers to school leavers, either directly through apprenticeships or as a career, following on from study in further or higher education.

SCF is happy to support this campaign as the need to greater increase the number of new entrants to the construction industry was a key theme raised at our three annual conferences and is a pivotal aim of the “Adopt a school” campaign.

Andrew Carpenter has been in discussion with his opposite numbers in the South East and London and we hope the success of the South West campaign will encourage them to instigate this campaign in their regions.

SCF will provide further updates on “Adopt A school” campaign in the coming months.

16 17www.southernconstructionframework.org.uk

Events 2015Events - Awards - Workshops

Lot 3 Apprentice Event - Greenwich UTC22July

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Valued Efficient Collaborative

A lot of time and effort went into organising the event and to see all the SCF contractors and all the potential candidates in the same room made it all worthwhile. Seeing all the candidates transfixed by the contractors discussing the benefits of a career in construction is not only a great thing for the SCF framework but for the construction industry as a whole.

Last year we were unable to find young women to apply for the opportunities, but so far with 2016’s technical apprentices we have two young women who have already been offered opportunities with Wates Construction and a further four young women interviewing with the other SCF contractors over the next 2 weeks. This is excellent progress and is something we wish to increase on in next year’s intake.

Following the first London-specific Employment and Skill Strategy (ESS) meeting it was agreed that to help with recruitment of Year 2 Apprentices it would be beneficial to hold an Open Day. The Framework contractor Wates was the lead on ESS for Lot 3 and worked closely with Evolve (the Shared Apprenticeship Scheme provider for London) to arrange the event which was held on the 22nd July at Greenwich UTC.

The agenda for the event saw apprentices being able to have one-on-one time with each framework contractor; rotational table activities where each contractor represented a different career in construction, a teambuilding activity and a talk from one of the Year 1 SCF apprentices, Akram Khan of Wates Construction on his experience in completing his first year.

We were very honoured to hold the SCF Apprenticeship Event on behalf of CITB and Evolve at the UTC.

The event was full of outstanding candidates, all hoping to secure the chance to gain an apprenticeship with one of the top construction companies in the country. They were all incredibly pleased to have the opportunity to speak with the people who came down to the event. It is a brilliant chance for candidates to realise their own potential and to meet with the right people that they are all keen and eager to work with.

At the UTC we pride ourselves on encouraging everyone who is interested in Construction to aim high, Wates, who sponsor us at the UTC are a prime example of this. Two of our students have secured apprenticeships with Wates and we are extremely proud of them. Danielle Woodhouse and Isabel Armah are both fantastic students and we wish them all the best for the amazing journey they have started.

“Daniel Stone,

CITB Shared Apprenticeship Scheme Co-ordinator,

London

18 19www.southernconstructionframework.org.uk

Events 2015 Useful Contacts

The Regional Framework Management Teams for each lot are as follows:

Lot 1Construction Framework South West (CFSW) based at Devon County Council in Exeter:Tel: 01392 382444Email: [email protected]

Lot 2 South East 7 (SE7) represented by Hampshire County Council in Winchester:Tel: 01962 845942Email: [email protected]

Lot 3London (LCP) based at offices of Haringey Council:Tel: 0208 489 1073Email: [email protected]

The Central Framework Management Team based at Winchester offices of Hampshire County Council:

SCF Team:

Tel: 01962 845942

Email: [email protected]

Events - Awards - Workshops

Book your place to find out how you can benefit from the Two stage open book workshop!

SCF is continuing to deliver workshops to discuss the benefits of two stage open book procurement. The workshops enable both clients and consultants in the southern region to understand the full potential of the Framework.This has provided an excellent opportunity to debate the government’s construction strategy new models of procurement with fellow professionals, adding to your (and your team’s)v knowledge, skills and success.

The Framework has been developing the two stage open book approach for over nine years, and has made the link between high performance and speed with the safe and value-added delivery of public body procurement. The workshop can be counted as CPD training and is open to:

E: [email protected] T: 01962 845942

• Consultants with responsibility for managing building and programme projects.

• Public body leaders from legal, procurement and estate departments.

• Managers who would like to use the workshop content to take back to their organisations to develop or add to their in-house construction procurement strategy.

• Team integration.

• The early engagement of supply chains.

• Integrated design and procurement.

• Managed joint cost and risk.

If you wish to find out more about the next workshop near you or would like to arrange a workshop at your office, please contact us:

Valued Efficient Collaborative

SMBF Launch Event – Winchester

27Sept

Health and Safety Expo - Exeter

Are you and your staff at risk? This forum is bringing together leading suppliers and experts on occupational health and safe working to help you protect your staff and your business.

Open to contractors, subcontractors and public body client organisations. To find out more and register your attendance please E: [email protected]

2Nov

Southern Modular Building Framework (SMBF) is due to launch on 27 September at Winchester Discovery Centre.

Key objectives of this event will include:• To introduce prospective public sector

users to our new four year Framework• How to procure work through the

Framework• The benefits of our Standard building layout

products options• The deployment and delivery project

management service available in the central southern area

• The client support available from the central Framework Management Team

It is also an opportunity for delegates to network and to discuss questions which may arise during the event.

Contact us:For more information about how the Framework could help

you with your construction plans, please contact the team.

E: [email protected]

T: 01962 845942

W: southernconstructionframework.org.uk