November 2026
One paragraph in Cabinet Office's guidance on PPN 026 says that where social value costs money, the cost should be shown in the supplier's cost model, justified in the authority's business case and monitored through the contract. If tenders take it seriously, whoever wins will arrive with social value commitments that are priced, budgeted and contractual. The second in a series.
August 2026
In labour-dominant services the public sector sets the pay, not the market. On a recompetition the workforce transfers on its existing terms, so an authority scoring pay properly is choosing to spend more money. Nothing published with PPN 026 says where that money comes from. The first in a series.
April 2026
The conversation about construction's skills crisis is largely about supply: how to attract more people into the trades. The data suggests the framing is wrong. The binding constraint is not the willingness of individuals to train. It is the capacity of the construction employer base to host and develop them.
Coming soon
Social value commitments are made in bids, reported in spreadsheets, and rarely delivered in practice. The challenge isn't measurement — it's that these commitments sit outside the core procurement design, unfunded and disconnected from payment. A system design perspective suggests a different route.
Coming soon
Each procurement decision is rational on its own terms. Collectively, they can prevent the investment they're trying to create. A system design perspective on construction skills, coordinated accountability, and why the sector needs to think beyond individual contract obligations.
Coming soon
The shift from MEAT to MAT is more significant than most commissioners have yet explored. An overview of what has genuinely changed, what new approaches are now available, and where the opportunity lies for organisations willing to move first.