The Three Cities required a feasibility to be undertaken to develop an integrated approach to ensuring employment training, equalities and environmental sustainability were delivered through the construction procurement process. The study had to provide decision makers with, firstly a detailed feasibility study and then a fully costed implementation plan to inform the three City Council’s and regional partners how to develop a procurement/compliance model that is both deliverable, robust and cost effective.

FSquared has consistently supported its clients to adopt a comprehensive view of sustainability to ensure better quality social, economic and environmental outcomes for communities. In developing the Three Cities procurement process we used our knowledge of employment & training, equalities and environmental sustainability in the construction process.

• Desktop Research – through involvement in a range of other projects we already had a strong understanding of how employment training, equalities and environmental sustainability could be implemented in construction. To consolidate this understanding, we carried out desk-top research.


• Stakeholder Workshop – it was important to bring interested parties and stakeholders together in a well facilitated creativity event in order to generate some collaboration, fresh thinking and imagination. The workshop also acted to stimulate interest and support from key stakeholders and to mark the inception of the process.


• Development of Ideas – after the stakeholder workshop we held internal meetings to develop the ideas generated. We then tested these ideas with the Three Cities team.


• Feasibility Study – once we had approval for our initial concepts we developed them into the full feasibility study.


• Consultation – the feasibility study was reviewed by the Three Cities Project Manager, the steering group and key stakeholders (including the East Midlands Property Alliance, East Midlands Business (Train to Gain), Jobcentre Plus and the East Midlands Centre for constructing the Built Environment). Once reviewed, we responded to comments and incorporated any changes required.


• Implementation Plan – we then developed a costed implementation plan which provided the means to translate vision into reality. The implementation plan shows the steps to be taken by individuals, organisations and other stakeholders.

Implementation of the initiative is now in the hands of the three local authorities, supported by the East Midlands Development Agency. FSquared will offer advice and support where necessary.