Record £175.4 million boost for Scotland’s public sector

Newly published stats from the not-for-profit show it also worked with more public sector bodies in 2023/24, attracting six new partners including ScotRail, Highlands and Islands Airport and the world’s only dedicated Gaelic college, in Skye.

SPA supports councils, housing associations, blue light services, the NHS, higher and further education providers and many other public bodies to build, maintain and refurbish vital social housing and public buildings.

Lesley Anderson, regional director for SPA, said: “In the face of the worst housing crisis Scotland has ever seen and unrelenting cuts in the public sector, we have continued to deliver incredible value to our partners.

“In the last year we have grown steadily, brought on new partners and helped connect them to the right suppliers to deliver huge benefits to local economies and deliver value for money housing and improvement works across a multitude of projects in Scotland.”

SPA’s latest annual report shows the number of new projects registered with it in 2023/24 increased by 7.1% to 270, while the overall value of those projects was up 4% on the previous year, at £175.4m.

The year also saw 87 of SPA’s public sector partners register at least one project. Among them, 37 partners registered their first projects, including Abertay, Stirling, and Edinburgh universities, specialist housing providers like Bield, and Midlothian Council.

During the same period SPA launch four new frameworks, including a £100m framework dedicated to the modernisation and improvement of Scotland’s public sector and social housing buildings. Another was geared towards improving the safety of social housing and public buildings in areas including asbestos removal, gas works, fire safety and water hygiene.

Ms Anderson added: “It’s been an outstanding year for us at SPA. We’ve seen significant growth in the number of projects, a substantial increase in partners using our solutions and we’ve welcomed three new team members.

“All four of the new frameworks we launched have been successfully integrated into our portfolio and we also organised a variety of events to help suppliers all across the country to find out how they could benefit by getting involved in these frameworks.

“Throughout the year, we held workshops to gather feedback on framework proposals from both suppliers and the public sector. These sessions are crucial for understanding market needs and capabilities.

“We’re thrilled with these results, but we have no intention of stopping here. This year, we’re launching six new frameworks that will drive innovation, create more opportunities for SMEs to work with the public sector, and promote social value and community benefits.”

SPA has a pipeline of more than 600 live projects worth £1.1 billion and delivers a benefits scheme valued at millions for local Scottish communities.