Throughout 2025, the Procurement group will be hosting a series of events exploring the procurement aspects of the Building Safety Act. In January, the group held a session focused on Early Supply Chain Involvement, with input from NHS England’s Helen Sturdy and Melanie Jacobsen Cox about NHSE’s work in this area.
What is ESI?
ESI refers to Early Supply Chain Involvement and, according to guidance, extends Early Contractor Involvement (ECI) to include tier 2 and 3.
ESI occurs in the pre-construction phase and enables input into the design, cost, risk management and structuring of the project. It is designed to provide thinking time to ensure that, not only does everything add up, but that there is a mutual understanding of the project, the risk allocation, and enabled the optimisation of contributions from all duty holders to achieve improved safety, quality and compliance.
Guidance states this should all be completed ahead of Gateway 2. It also distinguishes between ESI and two-stage tendering in that ESI isn’t speculative, it is based on a conditional appointment.
The contractor and supply chain should be involved alongside the principal designer, client and project manager as a team.
Benefits
- Promoted by the Construction Playbook and Gold Standard
- Fosters collaboration from the outset
- Builds stronger relationships and trust
- Improves transparency
- Leverages contractor / specialist expertise
- Enhances cost efficiency
- Promotes better risk management
- Encourages innovation and quality
- Ultimately improves project outcomes
- Can avoid fragmentation, defensiveness and a failure to share information
NHS England
Helen Sturdy, Head of Construction & ProCure23 Framework, and Melanie Jacobsen Cox, Techincal Lead for ProCure23, from NHS England, joined the group to share their experiences of ESI.
How to do it successfully:
- Establish the right project team: the right capability, competency, availability and continuity from start to finish are key.
- Strong leadership: project governance is crucial to effective decision making.
- Build trust and the right behaviours: the right mindset should be embedded from the outset in all team member. There should be one team with a shared vision employing a collaborative approach.
- Right first time: clear alignment and an understanding of the project brief and objectives reduce mistakes.
- Good communication: a good strategy should underpin everything to ensure understanding and working from the same page.
ProCure23’s ESI Challenges
- New processes have yet to be embedded.
- ESI scope needs to be clearly defined from the outset- where do the responsibilities lie.
- Capacity and timelines affect the programme, cost funding and patient facilities.
- Influence: need to be an active party at the decision making and guidance stage.
Get Involved
This session on ESI was the first in a series of events focusing on the Building Safety Act in relation to procurement. To get involved with the procurement group or attend the next session on Selection By Value, get in touch.
