UWTSD Capital Development Professional Consultancy Framework 2026-2034

Competition Brief

The University of Wales Trinity Saint David (UWTSD) Group, together with Coleg Sir Gar and Pembrokeshire College, is establishing an Open Framework Agreement for the Provision of Capital Development Professional Consultancy, covering seven professional disciplines across architecture, engineering, surveying, and project management. The framework is estimated at £15,000,000, excluding VAT, and will run for an initial four years, with the option to extend to a maximum of eight years, from 29 May 2026 to 30 April 2034.

The procurement was published on the Find a Tender service on 11 March 2026 under the Procurement Act 2023 and is conducted via the Sell2Wales portal. It is open to consultancy firms of any size, including SMEs, and tenderers may submit responses for one or multiple lots. Devolved Welsh procurement regulations apply.

Intent

The framework is designed to give the UWTSD Group and its partner colleges access to a pre-qualified roster of professional consultancies across seven disciplines to support the delivery of capital development projects across their estate. Call-offs under the framework will be made by three methods: direct award by rotation for straightforward or low-risk commissions, mini-competition for complex or higher-value work, and desktop exercise for urgent or time-critical needs. New suppliers will have the opportunity to join the framework during year three and again in year six, reflecting the open framework structure under the Procurement Act 2023.

Purpose

The framework supports the ongoing capital development and estate management programme of the UWTSD Group across its campuses in South West Wales. The seven lots cover the full professional consultancy spectrum required to deliver building projects from inception to completion: project and programme management, including the lead consultant role; quantity surveying and cost consultancy; building surveying for condition and lifecycle assessment; architecture and design; mechanical and electrical building services consultancy; principal designer and health and safety consultancy; and structural engineering. A maximum of six consultants will be appointed per lot, giving a total maximum of 42 suppliers across the framework.

Requirements

Tenderers must submit responses through the Sell2Wales portal at sell2wales.gov.wales. Responses may cover one or multiple lots, provided the firm has the capacity and capability to meet the requirements of each lot applied for. All rates must be submitted in pounds sterling excluding VAT, with a working day defined as eight hours. Rates remain firm for the first 12 months and may be adjusted annually in line with the CPI. Where a lead consultant role is required at the call-off stage, a separate percentage uplift must be declared to reflect additional coordination and management responsibilities. Full tender documents, including the Invitation to Tender, Tender Specification, Pricing Schedule, and appendices covering general project management, estates consultancy, and campus locations, are available through the Sell2Wales portal.

Jury

Evaluation is conducted by the University of Wales Trinity Saint David procurement team led by Heidi Davies. There is no independent jury. The award criteria weighting is 70% quality and 30% price across all lots. The estimated award decision date is 29 May 2026. The process follows an open procedure under the Procurement Act 2023 and is covered by the Government Procurement Agreement (GPA).

Registration Fees

No fees apply at any stage. The framework charges suppliers a 0% management fee, meaning the full value of call-off contracts is retained by the appointed consultancy.

Prizes and Rewards

The £15,000,000 estimated value represents total anticipated spend across all seven lots over the full framework period. Individual call-off contract values will vary. Framework placement does not guarantee any minimum volume of work.

Key Dates

✦ ArchUp Competition Review

The UWTSD Capital Development Professional Consultancy Framework is a well-structured higher education estate procurement covering the full professional consultancy spectrum from architecture and design through structural engineering, building surveying, and project management. The 0% supplier fee is a notably favourable term: unlike many public frameworks that deduct a management percentage from call-off revenues, this framework passes the full contract value to appointed consultancies. The open framework mechanism, with re-entry windows in years three and six, reflects the progressive approach to competition embedded in the Procurement Act 2023 and gives firms that miss the initial window a defined pathway to join later. The 70% quality, 30% price weighting signals a genuine emphasis on technical capability over cost-cutting. Lot 4, Architecture and Design, is the most directly relevant to architectural practices, though Lot 1 (lead consultant and project management) and Lot 7 (structural engineering) represent complementary opportunities for multidisciplinary firms. The geographic focus on South West Wales campuses makes regional firms with knowledge of the Welsh regulatory and construction landscape naturally better positioned, though there are no explicit geographic restrictions. Submissions are required in Welsh or English.

Final Thoughts

The UWTSD framework offers up to eight years of recurring commission potential for appointed consultancies across seven professional disciplines, with a 0% framework fee and re-entry windows for late applicants. The tender submission deadline is 24 April 2026 at 12:00pm via the Sell2Wales portal at sell2wales.gov.wales, reference UWTSD2526/235. All enquiries to procurement@uwtsd.ac.uk.

Registration Deadline

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