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Part of the LHC Procurement Group (LHCPG), the South West Procurement Alliance (SWPA) was launched in October 2019. The relationship between the LHC Procurement Group and the local South West team gives SWPA the unique position of having local knowledge and relationships, while also benefiting from additional resources and expertise from a national framework provider.

SWPA currently offers 16 frameworks and 2 DPS’, working with approximately 56 Clients on over 220 projects. SWPA brings together Clients with Appointed Companies to build, refurbish and maintain social housing and public property more efficiently and cost effectively, and to benefit the local community.

Amongst these frameworks, is the Consultancy Services (CS1) Framework. This is the first framework of its kind to have been provided by LHC Procurement Group to the South West region and is a direct result of LHCPG’s continued focus on bringing meaningful innovation to procurement framework design. This is to meet the challenges faced by local authorities, registered social landlords, councils, boards, trusts, and other public sector bodies.

By combining our procurement and design expertise, and our track record in creating award winning frameworks aimed at ensuring greater diversity and inclusion, social value, and equal opportunities have culminated in the creation of our latest consultancy framework. The transparency and ethos of the framework encourages micro-SMEs to collaborate or partner with larger companies to bid, which in turn encourages growth through the four year lifetime of the framework, making it more sustainable in the long term.

The Urbanists feature on the Consultancy Services (CS1) Framework on two lots across the entirety of the South West, namely Planning Services and Master Planning. These two lots are part of SWPA’s Professional Consultancy Workstream, which comprises of services to advise and assist with property development, planning, valuations, and design. The professional disciplines include, architecture, surveying, project management, cost consultants, master planning, and valuations.

The Urbanists are based in Bristol, Cardiff and Manchester, and were formed in 2005, renowned for bringing together planning, landscape architecture and architecture through urban design. There aim is to create spaces and places which people feel good about. They are a team who passionately believe that what they do matters and are motivated by making a positive and real difference, seeing their ideas, their advice, and their efforts come to life.

Akin to SWPA’s Social Value Strategy, the Urbanists are passionate about making a positive impact on people and the environment, by:

• Building Quality Homes and Residential Places
• Improving Urban Environments
• Mitigating and Addressing Climate Change
• Managing the Changes Caused by Digitalisation
• Improving Learning and Health Environments
• Revitalising Communities and Places
• Improving how we Travel
• Optimising the Benefits of Development

Both SWPA and the Urbanists work with public sector clients to help deliver developments that offer long term value and improve local communities. The Urbanists champion a unique approach to client projects, with underlying principles that inform their overall approach:

• Developing a clear picture of the clients’ ambition from the outset, to ensure they are starting from the right place.
• Asking challenging questions - of the client and other key stakeholders.
• Using their balanced public and private sector experience to blend principles with commercial realities.
• A rigorous approach to analysis, ensuring they understand what makes places tick physically, socially and economically.
• Recognising that successful places start from streets and spaces, and working back from there.
• Working with, not against the planning process.

An employee owned company with many successive accreditations, the Urbanists demonstrate their impressive expertise through multiple successful projects on a national scale, from Cardiff to Doncaster. Key projects have included:

• An energy-led masterplan for the now disused Aberthaw Power Station in the Vale of Glamorgan,
• Advising Bristol City Council on several development projects across the Temple Quarter Regeneration Area.
• Providing urban design support to South Gloucestershire Council on the largest urban extensions coming forward around the eastern and northern Bristol fringe.
• Working on a masterplan refresh for Doncaster City Centre.
• Preparing a public realm strategy for Saltash town centre.
• Working on over 25 Placemaking (regeneration) Strategies for town centres across Wales.

The Urbanists also work extensively with Housing Associations on residential-led developments across South Wales, including Pobl, Trivallis, Coastal Housing, Newport City Homes and more.    

Their approach means they are involved in projects throughout the entirety of its life span, and combine their  skills to provide the necessary expertise to succeed. For more information about the Urbanists or to contact one of their team, follow this link.