IN Brief:
- Robertson has been appointed to Lot 1 of the £1.5bn YORbuild Major Works 2 framework.
- The lot covers projects valued from £10m to £30m, including new build, refurbishment, and decarbonisation work.
- The framework runs initially for four years, with an option for a further two year extension.
Robertson Construction Yorkshire & East Midlands has secured a place on the £1.5bn YORbuild Major Works 2 framework, giving the contractor access to public and third sector building projects valued between £10m and £30m.
Appointed to Lot 1, Robertson will be eligible to compete for new build developments, refurbishments, contractor designed projects, decarbonisation programmes, maintenance work, and term contracts commissioned through the framework.
Managed by East Riding of Yorkshire Council and Leeds City Council through YORhub, the procurement route became live in July 2026. It will operate for an initial four year term, with an option to extend for a further two years subject to approval.
The wider Major Works 2 framework includes 11 appointed contractors and covers eligible projects across Yorkshire, the Humber, the North East, Lincolnshire, Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, and Leicestershire.
Local authorities, NHS organisations, schools, colleges, universities, blue light services, and other eligible public or third sector bodies can use the route. Contractors will compete for individual commissions through the framework’s call off procedures.
Robertson already holds a place on the YORbuild3 Medium Works framework, which covers projects valued between £4m and £10m and runs until April 2028. Its work through that route includes a £9m teaching block at Bingley Grammar School and an engineering and life sciences innovation hub at Chesterfield College.
At Chesterfield, the project created 28 local full time jobs and supported 270 apprenticeship weeks. Robertson calculated that the development generated £6.5m in social value under the National TOMs framework, while the site achieved two perfect Considerate Constructors Scheme assessments and a Gold award in 2026.
Jonathan Sizer, regional managing director at Robertson Construction Yorkshire & East Midlands, said: “Our strong relationship with YORhub has helped us deliver high quality projects across the region.”
He added: “Securing a place on YORbuild Major Works 2 means we can further build on the successful projects to date by supporting even more partners to achieve their ambitions while creating lasting value for the local communities and supply chains.”
Framework workload depends on project readiness
Although appointment creates access to a substantial pipeline, actual workload will depend on the number of funded schemes brought forward, the pace of call off competitions, and the readiness of clients to procure projects with sufficient design and cost certainty.
Public estates across the framework area carry extensive demand. Schools require replacement buildings and capacity upgrades, healthcare organisations are managing ageing facilities, and local authorities face maintenance, accessibility, energy performance, and decarbonisation obligations across varied property portfolios.
Converting that demand into construction activity remains difficult where business cases, funding approvals, design development, planning, surveys, stakeholder consultation, and internal client capacity are incomplete. A framework can shorten procurement, but it cannot compensate for an underdeveloped brief or an unrealistic budget.
By providing prequalified delivery teams, standard commercial structures, and established appointment routes, YORbuild can reduce the time spent repeating full contractor selection exercises. Effective call offs still require clear scope, reliable surveys, an achievable programme, and risk allocation suited to the available project information.
Early contractor involvement becomes especially valuable on refurbishment and decarbonisation schemes, where existing buildings may contain incomplete records, concealed conditions, asbestos, live services, occupied areas, and structural constraints that are difficult to price without investigation.
Public clients are also attaching broader outcomes to framework delivery. Local employment, apprenticeships, regional supply chain expenditure, prompt payment, carbon reduction, and measurable community benefit increasingly sit alongside cost, programme, and technical performance.
Those commitments require practical planning rather than tender stage promises. Social value obligations can lose substance when they are treated primarily as scoring material instead of being resourced, measured, and reported throughout construction.
Robertson’s regional operating model provides an established base from which to compete for Lot 1 projects, while existing supplier relationships and experience of live educational and public estates should reduce mobilisation time. Any growth in workload will nevertheless need to be matched by management, design, and subcontract capacity.
With privately financed development still exposed to interest rates, viability pressures, and weak demand, public frameworks offer greater medium term visibility. Competition is likely to remain strong as contractors seek stable regional projects to balance more volatile commercial markets.
Projects between £10m and £30m occupy a demanding part of the market. They require developed governance, building services coordination, design management, and commercial control, yet may not carry the overhead allowances available on the largest national programmes.
Selective bidding will therefore remain important. Robertson will need to pursue schemes where design maturity, programme, client expectations, and risk allocation match its regional delivery capacity rather than treating every call off as an automatic target.
YORbuild Major Works 2 now provides the procurement structure. Its contribution to regional construction will be determined by how quickly public investment moves through that structure into properly prepared contracts and live sites.
