The UK public sector finds itself under mounting financial pressures and facing increasing threats from climate-related service disruptions. Protecting the financial and operational viability of public sector estates in a sustainable way is now an urgent priority.

Public Policy Projects (PPP) had the opportunity to speak with NHS Commercial Solutions (NHSCS) about its new sustainable estates framework, which aims to deliver on these issues.

The potential for this framework to create better financial, operational, and health outcomes has inspired PPP to join forces with NHSCS to deliver the Sustainable Estates Solutions Conference in February 2025.

Raising standards for public sector procurement through sustainable solutions

Finding routes to market that help solve these emerging needs as well as addressing financial, quality outcomes, and compliance can be a challenging combination.

NHSCS’s new Sustainable Estates Solutions (SES) framework does just this, with its unique approach of setting high sustainability and social value standards. It also covers the end-to-end journey of assessing, adapting to, and mitigating against the impacts of climate change on the estates while preventing service delivery disruption due to climate change. The framework itself was tendered with 30 per cent of evaluation scores dedicated to sustainability and social value. NHSCS is a not-for-profit NHS owned organisation and, as an accredited NHSE framework host, is a trusted source for quality routes to market for public buyers.

The Sustainable Estates Solutions (SES) framework has a wide range of service lines and awarded suppliers, including a high number of SMEs, to support the implementation of green plans, including Net Zero targets, through a single market route. Solutions available include specialised consultancy, heat and power pumps, living walls, energy efficient lighting, solar panels, battery storage, and wellbeing green spaces.

Think big: Helping public sector organisations align with global sustainability goals

Buildings and energy account for over 30 per cent of the UK’s greenhouse gas emissions. Of the buildings that will be needed in 2050, 80 per cent are already built, so finding sustainable solutions for retrofitting and decarbonisation will be key to support the global UN sustainable development goals.

Within the UK public sector, the NHS alone has more than 80,000 suppliers in total, each with the potential to create profound impacts on climate-vulnerable communities around the world. NHSCS’s Sustainable Estates Solutions framework aligns to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to help the public sector track where they’re making impact. This is tracked through their contributions to the progression of global environmental targets, and initiatives to prevent social and human rights injustices in their supply chains.

Emission reductions are only part of the story. A holistic approach to sustainability must look beyond emissions to issues of broader environmental and social sustainability. To have impact on all SDGs, human rights and modern slavery issues must be addressed with the same vigour directed to emissions.

A framework with the courage to tackle modern slavery

Modern slavery and trafficking generate illicit profits of around £200 billion GBP globally every year and Walkfree estimates that the number of people in forced labour, trafficking and modern slavery is currently 21 million. This harsh reality is often a challenging conversation to be had and even more challenging to address. NHSCS takes the view that if organisations haven’t identified modern slavery within their supply chains, they haven’t been looking hard enough.

With such high numbers of people estimated to be trapped in modern slavery globally, the risk of human rights abuses is very real, and principled sourcing is now an essential part of public sector procurement.

NHSCS and their Sustainable Estates Solutions (SES) framework suppliers have created a route to market that demonstrates a commitment to driving out modern slavery wherever and whenever possible.

Exploring social sustainability in greater depth

Tackling modern slavery within public sector supply chains will be one of the focus sessions at the Sustainable Estates Solutions Conference on the 5th of February 2025.

This conference’s sessions centre on a range of crucial challenges impacting public sector estates, from decarbonisation solutions, building retrofit, renewable energ, nature-based solutions and climate adaptation measures, to the future of financial leadership, securing sustainability funding, and public-private partnerships.

Register for your free* ticket here.