Evolve: A partnership with London Borough of Waltham Forest
London Borough of Waltham Forest (LBWF)
Services
- Architecture
- Mechanical Engineering
"I am very pleased that we are extending our successful joint venture partnership with Norse Consulting until 2027. We have worked together on a number of innovative projects that have brought major benefits to the area, such as the work to transform garage sites into good quality affordable housing, and turning council-owned, seemingly impracticable small parcels of land into new homes for local families. We look forward to continuing this successful partnership working into the future."
CLLR SIMON MILLERCABINET MEMBER FOR ECONOMIC GROWTH AND HOUSING DEVELOPMENTWALTHAM FOREST COUNCIL
- Name
Daniel Fordham
Operations DirectorBSc- Telephone
- 01603 706706
- Daniel.Fordham@nps.co.uk
- View Biography
Project Summary
Since 2007, the JV has completely transformed the council’s estate and delivered 729 projects at a value of £450 million, including new libraries, schools, affordable homes and a climate change educational centre.
The partnership has now been reset to provide gateway access to a range of industry-leading built environment skills.
In response to an ever-changing landscape in local government our partner challenged us to continue to be a ‘delivery vehicle of choice’ and ‘to optimise the use of land and property assets of the council’ supporting the delivery of their public services strategy.
To support the council’s ambitious £640 million capital investment strategy and its desire to reshape and redesign public service delivery, the partnership has introduced a new operating model.
The innovative solution was to design and implement a tiered supply chain model, which involves a tiered delivery mechanism, placing greater choice of suppliers and greater control of quality with the local authority.
Some services will be delivered directly by the joint venture while others will be accessed via a framework of suppliers that will form a community of service providers.
This community will benefit in turn by repeat and future business through a performance management mechanism administered by the JV.
The JV has provided new homes, learning facilities and community spaces, creating £2.20 of additional social value for every £1 spent, with projects including the Suntrap Education Centre, Epping Forest; Warburton Terrace, Walthamstow, and Ive Farm, Leyton.
Project Overview
Since 2007, Norse Consulting (formerly NPS London) has had a long-term partnership with the London Borough of Waltham Forest, delivering built environment professional skills, and supporting social infrastructure, schools and corporate buildings.
Now named Evolve, the partnership was renewed in 2015 and refocused to incorporate the Council’s emerging priorities around new homes.
Now the current joint venture (JV) and its operating model is being reset again (from April 1, 2022) under a new five (plus five) year agreement, which will continue to provide professional services supporting the council’s ambitions.
The JV is being re-engineered and rebranded to have the appropriate expertise and capacity to deliver Waltham Forest’s reset priorities and growing capital investment portfolio, which continues to increase in scale, complexity and quality.
Project Impact
Since 2007, Norse and London Borough of Waltham Forest have worked tirelessly and collaboratively to invest in communities, focusing on how they live, work, learn and experience local spaces and culture in the borough.
As the delivery partner, Norse shares the same values as Waltham Forest, ensuring that what is most important remains at the heart of the agenda – creating jobs for local people, building high-quality, affordable homes and delivering the best educational facilities for young people.
Since 2007, the JV and its supply chains have created between 30 and 70 jobs per year.
Approximately £70 million has been invested in schools, with more than 4,000 new school places created.
Norse Consulting has supported the Council in delivering over 1,200 high-quality new homes, including 134 affordable new homes delivered on 21 brownfield or garage sites, alongside providing expertise to their housing delivery company Sixty Bricks and capital delivery teams.
This new innovative operating model provides the ability for the council to influence third party emissions and third party, social value, bringing greater benefits to the communities of Waltham Forest.
It has also supported the 15-minute neighbourhood and a fair deal for its residents.
This creation of a new procurement solution to access private sector consultant expertise is a major building block in achieving the ambition and vision of the new JV.
Providing a mixed economy approach will enable us to harness our capacity, capability, expertise and experience, while also making use of the skills, potential and opportunity of the wider local supply chain in Waltham Forest.
The new JV will help provide the high-quality skills, capacity and expertise to realise Waltham Forest’s long-term growth, place making and transformation plans.
We also have a new service agreement and performance measures based on client feedback and a benchmarked fee structure that offers value for money. This enables us as partners to commission at pace, be responsive and agile, and work in partnership with the council and local suppliers to invest in local skills, homes and community facilities.
This is a joint venture where the staff represent the communities they serve, with diversity and inclusion playing a huge part. We also work collaboratively with Waltham Forest on a Women in Construction mentoring initiative, encouraging and motivating enthusiastic women to forge a career in the construction industry.
The JV supported the London Borough of Culture infrastructure in 2019 and was shortlisted for Best Public to Public Joint Venture by the Local Government Chronicle.