Supporting Lovell to secure and establish a partnership for the £1bn regeneration of Druids Heath
Background
Lovell, a leading national housing developer and construction specialist, set out to become Birmingham City Council’s Strategic Partner to deliver a major project to regenerate the Druids Heath estate in the city. This was a key priority for Lovell’s Midlands region, with the opportunity to deliver thousands of new homes and transform Druids Heath into an affordable, sustainable and thriving community in partnership with the Council.
Lovell commissioned 31ten to provide specialist expertise to support their internal team in developing the best possible proposal to meet and exceed the Council’s requirements. The team was seeking to draw from our deep experience and expertise, in procuring and setting up public-private partnerships for delivery of major housing programmes, to help craft the offer.
“We sought out 31ten because they understand what it really takes to make public-private partnerships work, especially from a local authority perspective.”
Simon Wingate, Project Director, Lovell
Our project brief and approach
Lovell commissioned 31ten to support them in securing the contract to become the Council’s Strategic Partner for the scheme.
We were a key part of the team and critical friend throughout the tender process, and our work included:
- Supporting the development of the ‘win strategy’ and key win themes for the tender
- Providing a local authority perspective to inform and tailor proposals, drawing from our experience of public-private partnerships
- Preparing for, and participating in, competitive dialogue meetings with the council, advising on Lovell’s position on key matters
- Drafting key responses to the tender questions;
- Providing constructive check-and-challenge to shape the proposals and ensure they provided genuine added value
Working as an extension of the Lovell team, we supported every stage of the procurement process. We provided ongoing check-and-challenge and support to develop proposals, with a constant focus on what would deliver the greatest value and respond directly to the Council’s requirements. We worked as a collaborative and invested partner, sharing in the commitment to secure Lovell as the Council’s Strategic Partner.
“Lovell benefited not just from our insight on local authority governance but from our experience in setting up partnerships and, most importantly, making them work.”
Alex Deeming, Principal Consultant, 31ten
The challenges
The Druids Heath scheme is a major transformational and rejuvenating project and, as with many estate regeneration projects, faces significant delivery and viability challenges. Our support focused on positioning Lovell as the best-placed partner to work alongside the Council and share in the risks and uncertainties of delivering the long-term regeneration programme.
We brought our experience of advising local authorities as part of similar partnership arrangements to help bolster Lovell’s offer and set themselves apart from the competition.
“Everyone had the same outlook. We wanted to really push and go the extra mile, and 31ten got that. They helped us position things well and be fully prepared, so we were always on the front foot. 31ten constantly challenged us to improve our work, and they brought a level of expertise that strengthened our bid, especially their understanding of what councils are really looking for.”
Simon Wingate, Project Director, Lovell
Outcomes and benefits
Lovell was successful in being appointed as the Council’s Strategic Partner for the scheme, with the Council recognising the high quality of the bid and compelling offer put forward.
31ten’s support has gone well beyond supporting Lovell in being selected as the Council’s partner. We have gone on to support the Council and Lovell in securing approvals to enter the contract, mobilising the Strategic Partnership and we are now playing a significant ongoing role in annual business planning, governance reviews and integration with wider system partners for the delivery of the scheme.
“I would absolutely recommend 31ten to any developer pursuing a large-scale regeneration project. There’s nobody better in that space. Their knowledge of governance, legal and commercial frameworks, combined with their ability to challenge constructively and stay focused on what really matters, is second to none. They even made the process fun.”
Simon Wingate, Project Director, Lovell
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