Up to £750 million of new public sector civil engineering projects for local communities across Scotland are set to be accelerated as part of a new framework being launched by SCAPE Scotland.

The new framework will enable local authorities and public sector organisations across Scotland to accelerate the delivery of major infrastructure projects – including roads, rail, flood and coastal, broadband and electric vehicle infrastructure – with no defined upper limit for project value.

Publishing details for its civil engineering framework, with major contractors from across Scotland invited to take part in the re-procurement in 2022, the public sector procurement authority said the new format puts net zero carbon construction and work for local SMEs at the heart of delivery.

“As one of the leading public sector procurement authorities, we are pleased to announce that we will begin the search for major contractors to support our next generation of the SCAPE Scotland Civil Engineering framework, with the new format placing net-zero carbon construction and work for local SMEs at the heart of delivery,” said SCAPE.

Running for a period of four years from 2023, with an option to be extended for a further two years until 2029, the fully-managed framework builds on the success of SCAPE Scotland’s existing civil engineering framework which has commissioned more than 40 projects to date for public sector clients across Scotland.

In the face of the climate emergency, the framework will also allow organisations access to net-zero ready specialist contractors to help them achieve their aims around climate change.

Local businesses will sit at the heart of the new framework, with the successful principal contractor expected to engage with an extensive supply chain of SMEs. This allows better access for smaller businesses to major public sector contracts they might otherwise not have been able to bid for, while also allowing clients to procure locally-sourced specialist services.