The North West Construction Hub (NWCH) was established in 2009 in response to the Government's drive for efficiencies and is now a highly successful and competitive regional framework for the construction sector. Its focus is using longer-term collaborative partnerships with contractors rather than simply the lowest price, to achieve value for money.
Led by Manchester City Council it is now used by many Local Authorities, Blue Light services, Universities, Colleges, Schools and NHS Trusts across the North West of England.
The tenders for NWCH are managed through the Chest Portal. If you are not already registered, do this now as they also advertise many other public sector construction tenders, which you may want to bid for.
Bid Writing Expertise for NWCH Frameworks
We have helped our clients win places on both of these frameworks, including those who have tried and failed in the past. If you are looking for bid writing advice and capacity, or simply looking for a bid review of your first draft, then please contact us.
If you are looking for more construction frameworks and tender opportunities, along with top tips for responding to these tenders, take a look at our construction bid writing page.
At Thornton & Lowe we have a 30+ team of bid writing experts who work on public sector constructions frameworks, mini-competitions and tenders. If you are looking to engage our services before the tender is advertised we can support you to prepare for the opportunity and develop your win themes, base content and evidence. If you contact us once the framework is live, we can provide a quote to manage the bid response, which involves our team setting out an agreed plan. Producing a gap analysis of what we need from you. Booking interviews with your team/ your subject matter experts to collect the information we require. For a framework of this nature, we then agree to ‘rolling drafts’ to ensure you have a constant feed of the draft quality method statements throughout the process with a continual feedback loop, which we can then apply to the other questions yet to be drafted.
Speak with a bid writing expert today
Talk to usNWCH - 2 key frameworks:
NWCH - Construction Framework
The construction framework is broken into high, medium and low-value lots in order to improve access for SMEs. They typically look for a maximum of 8 contractors for the framework, which means if you get a place it can be highly lucrative. The maximum number of lots awarded to bidders is 2, which further opens up the opportunity.
With a value, of up to £25m over 3 years with the option to extend for a further 12 months.
70% of the weighting is on quality, social value, carbon neutrality and the environment with 30% on price. You have to achieve top marks to compete on these frameworks so ensuring your quality method statements are right is essential.
The framework covers new build, including demolition and development, as well as refurbishments. Works include:
- Residential
- Daycare centres
- Nursing homes
- Children’s homes
- Education construction works
- Airport building works
- Civic centres
- Market construction works
- Crematoriums
- Laboratory buildings, research and testing facilities
- Warehouse and workshop buildings
- Public realm and works to open space
- Theatres, libraries, leisure facilities
- and the list goes on…
NWCH - Professional Services Framework
This professional services framework has been established to ensure all consultancy services which are required for major projects are available. As with the construction framework, its aim is collaboration and engaging the full project team early in the process to drive quality and efficiency.
Also in common with the construction framework is the weightings for quality and price, which are also 70%, and 30%.
The key services covering:
- Design services
- Property consultancy services
- Property asset management
- Multi-disciplinary consultancy services.
Bid Writing and Preparation for NWCH
For these highly competitive construction frameworks, effective bid preparation really is the key.
- Start collating your project team’s CVs/bios – tailoring and highlighting similar experiences with similar frameworks and key achievements in their role
- Ensuring your references and case studies are relevant and up to date
- Ensure you are monitoring and recording your Social Value and community impact on other frameworks or projects
- Consider and describe your management structure for the framework and why they are best placed for the role
- Refine and describe your approach to partnering and how this will contribute to the success of the framework, as well as specific projects
- How will you manage your performance and that of your supply chain
- Your approach to health and safety, security, programme management, quality, efficiency and sustainability
- Technology and BIM
The evidence really is the key. By monitoring and recording your performance on other frameworks and projects you have the evidence/ proof to show what you have achieved. By having to consider how you collect the evidence you in turn have to develop procedures to ensure it happens consistently. These procedures then also become vital for your bids.
