Midlands-based contractor G F Tomlinson has been appointed as an approved partner on the new £750m regional framework by SCAPE, one of the UK’s leading public sector procurement authorities. The four-year framework will invest in the public sector across the Midlands and East of England, helping local authorities and organisations deliver ambitious, community-focused construction projects. Following a competitive selection process, the Midlands-based construction company is just one of eight contractors chosen to deliver up to £750m of new investment for the public sector, via SCAPE’s Regional Construction framework, with G F Tomlinson being appointed to undertake projects up to £7.5m across Nottinghamshire, Lincolnshire and Rutland. G F Tomlinson’s 15-year relationship with SCAPE has seen the company deliver over 500 projects valued at £240m on previous iterations of the framework. Through this ongoing collaboration the company has also provided communities with positive social, economic and environmental impacts including 82% of local spend and 89% of local labour achieved within 40 miles of each project and 98% construction waste recycled and diverted from landfill. With a broader value range of up to £7.5m, more public sector projects can benefit from the range of services provided by G F Tomlinson, including early input on design development, risk management, cost certainty, construction delivery and post completion support. G F Tomlinson has a strong focus on sustainability and social value and the SCAPE framework allows for the delivery of four key areas of investment, including: employment and training, sustainability and environmental protection and support. In particular, inspiring individuals into the construction industry from local schools, apprenticeship opportunities, commitment to local spend and the use of local labour and supply chains and helping public sector clients achieve their decarbonization targets. Chris Flint, Managing Director at G F Tomlinson, said: “We are thrilled to have been appointed to the framework, continuing our long association and success with Scape. The framework allows us to continually focus on delivering high quality, value for money projects across the Midlands, ensuring social and sustainable values are considered to support the local communities. “In addition to providing communities with the prospect of job opportunities and apprenticeships, the framework has agreed to a ‘net-zero ready’ lifecycle, assisting communities in achieving their net-zero ambitions as an effective response to the current climate emergency. “We are extremely proud of the work already undertaken within this framework and cannot wait to continue to raise the bar and deliver tangible benefits to our clients and the wider community.” John Simons, group procurement director at SCAPE, said: “The next four years represent a pivotal time for public sector construction across the Midlands and East of England to deliver infrastructure that empowers local communities and generates regional economic growth. “After receiving positive feedback from clients, we’ve enhanced the framework to provide our public sector colleagues with the tools to not only deliver value-driven infrastructure in their areas but support their journey toward a net zero built environment. “Aligned with SCAPE’s 15-year heritage of empowering local authorities to achieve their infrastructure objectives, the direct award framework is designed to achieve value for money, drive sustainability and deliver a local economic impact on every project.” Mark Robinson, group Chief Executive at SCAPE, said: “As we continue to play our part in delivering infrastructure projects across the region that are more sustainable and strengthen local communities, our new framework will help our clients meet their goals and allow local contractors to build long-term relationships to grow their business. “The addition of a new lifecycle contract form as part of the framework’s ‘net zero ready’ offering is testament to SCAPE’s commitment to supporting clients with energy conservation and the operational efficiency and performance of their assets. “The new framework will act as a vehicle for contractors to champion greener infrastructure and upskill their teams to be able to deliver on the sustainability ambitions across the Midlands and East of England.”

Simply UK has acquired six purpose built care homes across Yorkshire and Nottinghamshire and leased them to Portland Care Group. Acting on behalf of the vendors, Anita Allen of Bespoke Care managed the ‘off market’ sales process and confirmed the sale concluded for an undisclosed sum. Portland Care Group said that these transactions will add six care homes comprising 498 beds to its portfolio. Managing Director of Portland Care Group, Rob McDonald, said: “We are delighted to have completed this acquisition. The addition of these 6 x purpose built care homes is a further step in our plan for growth.” Agent for the sellers were: Anita Allen of Bespoke Care, Sheffield. Solicitors for the sellers were: Trevor Bird, Amy Hallam, directors, and Morgan Summerfield, paralegal corporate, of BRM Solicitors, Sheffield and Sarah Rowland, director, and Matthew Lilly, solicitor of BRM Solicitors, Chesterfield and Elizabeth Harris and Ian Osborn of Best Solicitors, Sheffield. Solicitors for Portland Care Group were: Steve Edgecombe, partner, Edwin Truesdale, legal director, DLA Piper Scotland LLP, Dean Peachy, senior associate, Harvey Clark and Kate Roden, associates, DLA Piper UK LLP.

As businesses across the country adapt their workspace to better suite changes in their business following COVID, specialist interior design and fit out company APSS looks at which office layout is best for different types of businesses. It’s important staff feel motivated at work, after all, it’s where you spend the majority of the week and needs to be a place you can feel focused and comfortable. The challenges of trying to get people into the office are rife. As some staff claim they will never return, especially with the current cost of a commute, many businesses are considering a redesign. When it comes to style, there’s a whole host of considerations to make, but a fundamental one is office layout. Which layout is best for your office? One geared towards functionality, comfort, or productivity? It can be a minefield as everyone has their own preferences. Here’s a few thoughts about what might suit your business: Open plan office: best for discussion, collaboration and freedom For teams that work closely together, need easy collaboration to bounce ideas off each other, ask for help and combine efforts which helps a project all come together perfectly, an open-plan office could be your best bet. Open and airy, they give you the option of having free discourse among staff, and a more welcoming environment than everyone squirrelled away in boxes. Cost-effective and easily adaptable, open-plan offices offer a great deal of flexibility. Have a new stream of employees joining? It’s easy to adapt and move desks, seating arrangements and teams. It’s also great for efficiency, the open conversations you can have across the room lead to details being confirmed faster, staff feel more updated and there’s a sense of camaraderie that’s missing from other layouts. The only drawback is privacy. A sensitive conversation or meeting free of distractions needs to be held elsewhere and so partitioned meeting rooms or separate areas also need to be considered. Noise can also be an issue in open-plan offices, if teams that clash in terms of their approach are placed in close proximity, it can be detrimental to concentration and therefore productivity. Introducing noise-cancelling baffles or partitions can be a life-saver here and is something to consider when matching the style of work your business does to your office layout. A call centre, marketing company or creative office could benefit, whereas if dealing with sensitive information or highly technical work it might not be the most conducive environment. Co-working space: best for being adaptable, modern and convenient Having risen in popularity over the past few years, the co-working model is often a great option for new businesses or established businesses expanding into new markets or territories, it offers the formal feel of an office, but with a casual, convenient air. Most co-working spaces by their very nature offer a mix of open plan and breakout rooms which are shared among a mix of freelancers, small business owners and more sizable operations. Often hotdesking and collaborative spaces are common, but with shared facilities such as printers, coffee machines, and breakout areas available. This is often a great way to meet with other business owners and offers many ways to connect and work together. It also fosters a great feeling of community, meaning partnerships can be struck up and developed upon. Co-working spaces offer more opportunities for creative design choices. With more adaptable spaces and designated areas for meetings or quick collaborations. It can make it feel more dynamic and welcoming than a standard setup. Even those who own their own business can adopt the style of layout. More breakout spaces, casual and collaborative aspects folded into a standard open-plan layout can improve morale and make an office feel like more of a creative space rather than a collection of desks and meeting rooms. Meetings that are held in breakout areas tend to be less formal and can therefore take up much less time in the day. Cluster office layout: best for focus, efficiency and belonging Not as popular due to the space it takes up, the team cluster office layout does offer some distinct advantages. By seating teams working on the same projects together, it offers a more focused, smooth and inclusive environment for staff. Working collaboratively is one thing many who are in favour of returning to the office cite they miss, so this offers a hugely beneficial way of making that happen. However, it can lead to cliques forming, with little to no contact with other teams other than via email or virtually, it can mean a hermetic seal of contact. It can also be a noisy, busy way to work, with little to no privacy amongst those seated in this way. Hybrid office layout: best for flexibility and compromise Much has been made of hybrid working in terms of the time spent at home and in the office, but in a bid to appeal to all employees, some businesses have transformed their spaces into hybrid, multi-faceted places of work. A combination of open plan, flexible, private and collaborative options, there’s a plethora of choices here for all personality types and takes in every taste. This not only gives existing staff a choice in the way they work, but also gives you the edge when it comes to attracting new candidates. In a world where candidates hold the power and can pick and choose where and how they want to work, this is key to understanding the market. Having a varied and exciting place to work and collaborate is really important these days. The only drawbacks here are the disjointed nature of work and where it is done. Conversely, this can be solved by simply taking in new ways of working, meeting and focus time separated and specific spaces designated for each task. There’s a challenge for a lot of businesses out there, it can go one of two ways. Embrace the challenge and dare to innovate, or watch your best staff and candidates simply up and run. An office is a reflection of your business, if it does not appeal, you might be in trouble. For more information on how to make your office space work best for your business, please visit the APSS website.

Oadby & Wigston Borough Council (OWBC) will swap its primary offices to Brocks Hill Country Park in an innovative, green and cost-saving move. The move will see the council better its financial position by more than £2million over the next 10 years while also enhancing its green credentials and offering its staff a more agile and healthy workplace. The council announced that it was making the move in 2021 after the COVID-19 pandemic led to a re-assessment of the council’s current office accommodation. Its new agile working policies mean far less space is needed for its day-to-day operations and made the spiralling costs of maintaining, heating and improving its current home – Wigston’s Bushloe House – untenable. Planning permission was granted in June and OWBC’s Full Council has now given the final go-ahead after revising its budget to take the project through to completion. Bushloe House will be sold with the proceeds invested into the renovation of Brocks Hill. Once work is complete, Brocks Hill will be fit for purpose for up to 30 years and its use as its main offices will also significantly reduce the council’s carbon footprint. The agile working space will have room for up to a maximum of around 30 staff at any one time as well as a fully functioning Council Chamber that is flexible in its design so the room can be used for other council-business, community meetings and events. The Brocks Hill site is already owned by the borough council and the country park would continue to be available to the public as usual during and after the renovation. A public café space and toilets will remain on site, although they will not be available while renovation work takes place. Councillor John Boyce, leader of OWBC, said: “Councils must be innovative, forward-thinking and brave in the current financial climate to ensure value for money is being achieved for residents – and this move to Brocks Hill is an example of exactly that. “As a result of this innovation, projections show clearly that the council will be millions of pounds better off over the next 10 years alone – money that will be reinvested into the public services we offer every single day. “On top of the cost saving element, Brocks Hill is a far greener building, vastly reducing the council’s carbon footprint, while also offering our staff far better health and wellbeing opportunities at a location surrounded by green space and next door to a leisure centre. “We’re developing a new Customer Experience Strategy which complements our plans and ensures that the way the council operates into the future meets the demands and needs of all of our customers and residents.” Work could start at Brocks Hill as early as next month (August) and is anticipated to be complete in Spring 2023.