Quality concerns delay £120m building safety framework
Summary
Portsmouth City Council has delayed awarding places on its £120m higher-risk building safety framework after concluding that the tender submissions needed further development. The delay has pushed the expected award date to January 2027 and has also affected the start dates of remediation projects linked to the programme.
Why it matters
The article highlights procurement and delivery challenges in higher-risk building remediation, including contractor capacity, bid quality and regulatory timing. For surveyors, it underscores how building safety programmes can be delayed by both procurement issues and Building Safety Regulator processes.
Key points
- Portsmouth City Council has postponed the framework award from October 2026 to January 2027.
- The council said the bids received required further development to ensure contractor competence and capacity.
- The framework is intended to support remediation of higher-risk buildings through multiple contractor pipelines.
- Longer-than-expected Building Safety Regulator validation and determination periods have delayed project start dates.
- Portsmouth Homes was previously rated C3 by the Regulator of Social Housing over serious failings, including overdue fire risk assessment actions.
Organisations:
Portsmouth City Council, Portsmouth Homes, Regulator of Social Housing, Building Safety Regulator
Locations:
Portsmouth
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