We have received a great response for todays Llandudno awards drop in session.

There is still time to book onto Swansea or Cardiff before you complete your award entry form to gain some great advice and top tips on what the judges are looking for in this years awards! Details of the drop in sessions below

CEW Awards Drop in Session - Swansea

CEW Awards Drop in Session - Cardiff

For further information please contact Susan Selkirk

To view the Value Wales Bulletin please click here

This weeks issue includes:

• Welsh National Procurement Awards 2015: Get Your Nominations In
• Procurement Week : Book Your Place Now
• Competition and Markets Authority Consultation
• Procurement Best Practice Academy Celebrates First Year
• SQuID Training, Aberystwyth

The new Public Contract Regulations (PCR) 2015 will be laid in Parliament by the end of January and are expected to come into force in February, probably during the second half.

Key Welsh Government procurement policies already reflect many aspects of the new rules which will help to strengthen the Wales Procurement Policy Statement. For the pub-lic sector, this means being able to run procurements faster, with less red tape, more fo-cus on getting the right supplier and the best tender. For suppliers, the process of bidding for public contracts will be quicker, less costly, and less bureaucratic, enabling suppliers to compete more effectively.

It is important that those engaged in procurement activity across the public sector are fully aware of the new rules and what they mean for your organisation to ensure compliance for your organisation from February 2015.

The PCR 2015 are attached along with a summary of the top 10 changes that Value Wales has produced, plus Q & A provided by Crown Commercial Services which you may find helpful.

Please note Part 4 of the Regulations, which relates to the Lord Young recommendations, will not apply to bodies in Wales whose functions are wholly or mainly Welsh devolved functions.

If you have any queries regarding the new Regulations please contact Value Wales by email or contacgt Karen Coombs on 01792 765838/07792054577.

DECC commissioned BRE to undertake research to improve understanding of the performance of solid wall properties in the UK housing stock and the effect on energy post-insulation.

The first output of this research project is a literature review of existing research and knowledge on Solid Walls and Solid Wall Insulation in the UK and other countries, where relevant. The literature review considers:

• Heat loss measurement and calculation methodologies
• Predicted performance compared to actual energy savings
• Occupant behaviour
• Unintended consequences of solid wall insulation
• Heritage and conservation

Architects, building materials, renewable energy and Welsh construction policy: the Wales Green Building Marketplace brings the top companies, and public sector organisations, from Wales and beyond together in one place.

Find out how to make your property portfolio greener and more cost-effective, whether you're building your own home, renovating an old property, managing energy for hundreds of buildings or improving a commercial property.

There are four sessions through the day: public sector policy, public sector practice, homeowners, SME’s and commercial landlords.

For more information and to register please click here.

You are invited to join Welsh Government for a workshop to help shape future Welsh Government guidance on Construction and Demolition Waste. Your input will help them to develop practical and useful publicly-available resources for the Welsh construction industry.

Instead of making regulations on Site Waste Management Plans, the Welsh Government is looking to develop guidance that will help businesses in the Construction industry to save money and through reducing the amount of waste we produce, lessen our impact on our environment in Wales.

There are two workshops planned:-

• South Wales will be held at the Welsh Government office in Cardiff on 24th February 2015. Registration - 8.45am for 9am start, finish 12.30 noon.

             Venue: Welsh Government office at Cathays Park (Blue Room), Cardiff. CF10 3NQ. Teas, coffees and lunch will be provided.

• North Wales will be held at the St.George’s Hotel in Llandudno on 3rd March 2015. Registration - 8.45am for 9am start. Finish 12.30 noon.

             Venue: St.George’s Hotel, The Promenade, Llandudno, Conwy, LL30 2LG.

Places are limited so if you can attend this workshop, please RSVP to rachel@srssustainablebusiness.co.uk by 19th February, indicating which workshop you would like to attend.

They would be grateful if you could circulate this email to any colleagues or businesses who you think may be interested in attending the workshops.  

The workshop is free to attend, and will provide a chance to have your say and shape guidance and templates for Wales.

Winter weather, especially in Wales, can play havoc with developments as sites can become waterlogged very quickly.

The other problem with heavy rain is that soil can quickly be washed away from site losing valuable topsoil.

This soil can then end up in local rivers and streams which can ‘smother’ spawning grounds for fish like salmon and trout and kill the small insect they feed on.

Following a spate of incidents in west Wales, Jon Willington from Natural Resources Wales, offers this advice to developers and builders.

John said:

“We all know how changeable the weather can be and it can catch people out on building sites especially when they are being cleared. Simple precautions can help you keep soil on site and reduce the risk of it affecting local rivers.”

These include:

• If you are clearing an area of land for development consider what controls you may need to prevent or minimise losing soil
• Be proactive - consider producing a Water Management Plan for your site that identifies how soil could enter local rivers, streams or lakes
  
  
• Each site is different - testing the soil on your site can help inform you as to the most appropriate way to prevent pollution e.g. the soil particle size should inform the choice of silt fencing
  
  
• Consider employing expert advice to help you plan your development to avoid causing pollution
  
  
• Consider producing a site emergency plan in case things go wrong. If things do go wrong and pollution occurs call Natural Resources Wales on 0800 807060 so we can work with you to minimise any impacts