Welsh construction won one of the top award categories at the national Constructing Excellence awards ceremony on Friday 4th November when South & Mid Wales Collaborative Construction Framework (SEWSCAP) was named client of the year.

It was the first local authority construction framework in Wales and has set the standard for subsequent arrangements in Wales and now across the UK.

SEWSCAP was set up in 2011 to share best practice in the procurement of 21st Century School projects, it is now on its second iteration. To win client of the year the judges looked for clear, consistent leadership, acceptance of core Constructing Excellence principles, and commitment to the vision set out in Construction 2025. The way projects are procured and delivered through SEWSCAP2 meets these criteria.

Like CEW, Constructing Excellence is a trusted and valued partner to UK government as well as the industry and its clients. The UK-wide network is instrumental in driving improvement through the supply chain, and the Awards play an important role to recognise and inspire high performance in the sector.

Welsh organisations consistently set a high benchmark at the national Constructing Excellence awards and this year was no exception. The message from Don Ward, CEO of Constructing Excellence was to spread the learning from SEWSCAP and all the other winners, as well as the regional winners from awards such as CEW’s in July.

Don Ward said: “We need to share and learn from one another to grow and improve the sector at a time when ‘Excellence with Collaboration’ is vital for the industry. So please use all our shortlisted winners to improve your business, your customers and your colleagues to deliver outstanding performance for all – and then you might be with us next year celebrating your own achievements!”

SEWSCAP is the largest cross-sector collaborative procurement framework in Wales, having delivered 45-plus projects with a total tendered value of £500m. Framework projects are based on shared objectives, processes and tools to facilitate a common, non-adversarial approach and there is a great deal of learning to be shared from the past five years and 45 projects.

Milica Kitson, CEO of CEW said: “SEWSCAP has brought about significant cultural change in south and mid Wales, with clients and contractors working as one body, sharing ideas and building long-term relationships. It is a model that should continue to set the standard for other regions. Congratulations to the team on their CE national award.”