Waste Management and Technical Services framework

Waste management in Scotland is regulated primarily by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) rather than the Environment Agency, which covers England. The core legislative duties for organisations producing or handling controlled waste sit under the Environmental Protection Act 1990, including the Duty of Care for waste producers, and the Waste Management Licensing (Scotland) Regulations 2011. The Controlled Waste (Scotland) Regulations 2012 define what counts as household, industrial, and commercial waste. Organisations must ensure waste is handled by a registered waste carrier, that transfer notes are completed and retained for a minimum of two years, and that hazardous waste consignment notes are used for any hazardous streams. SEPA has enforcement powers and can issue fixed monetary penalties for breaches. Using framework suppliers with robust compliance documentation and digital reporting helps members demonstrate they’ve met their duty of care obligations. 

Both appointed suppliers provide digital platforms holding auditable reporting and compliance documentation, including waste transfer notes, hazardous waste consignment notes, and evidence of legal disposal routes. This matters in a Scottish regulatory context because SEPA can request evidence of compliance at any point, and having centralised, searchable records is far preferable to managing documentation across multiple contractors. The reporting tools also support the Scottish Government’s zero waste ambitions and can feed into annual environmental reporting that many housing associations include in their Scottish Social Housing Charter returns or sustainability frameworks. 

Yes. Hazardous waste is covered within the framework’s scope, which is particularly relevant for Scottish housing organisations carrying out void clearances, kitchen and bathroom replacement programmes, or any works touching older properties with legacy materials. Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) in upholstered furniture, such as certain types of foam used in sofas and armchairs manufactured before 2019, require specific disposal routes and can’t go to landfill or energy recovery without treatment. WEEE from electrical replacements and any asbestos-containing waste from compliance or planned works programmes all fall within scope. The supplier takes responsibility for ensuring these streams are handled through legally compliant routes, with documentation flowing back to the member. 

Fly-tipping clearance, including site remediation, is included within the framework scope. For Scottish housing associations and local authorities managing communal areas, car parks, and open spaces, reactive fly-tip clearance is often an ongoing requirement rather than an occasional one. The framework allows members to arrange clearances reactively without needing to go through a separate procurement process each time, and the supplier’s subcontractor management means the member doesn’t need to oversee multiple contractors for different waste types found at the same site. Where fly-tipping involves hazardous materials, the supplier manages the appropriate disposal route and documentation. 

Carbon accounting and net zero support were specifically identified as priorities during the pre-tender engagement process and were evaluated as part of the qualitative assessment. Both suppliers provide waste tonnage data and carbon impact tracking through their digital platforms, which gives organisations the evidence base to include waste-related carbon data in their sustainability reporting. For Scottish housing associations and local authorities working towards Scotland’s 2045 net zero target, being able to demonstrate reductions in waste to landfill, increases in recycling rates, and a clear picture of carbon impact from waste streams is increasingly expected by boards, funders, and the Scottish Housing Regulator when reviewing environmental performance commitments. 

The framework is designed for organisations that want a managed service approach, where a single supplier takes overall responsibility for waste management across streams and manages the subcontractor chain on the member’s behalf. This suits organisations that want consolidated reporting and compliance documentation without the overhead of managing multiple waste contractors directly. The Capital Works DPS includes waste services within Lot 11 and may suit organisations that prefer to procure waste services as part of a broader construction or maintenance contract, or where a managed service arrangement isn’t the right fit. PfH Scotland can help you think through which route suits your specific operating model and volume of waste activity. 

Sub-lot 1P covers East Scotland and Sub-lot 1Q covers West Scotland. Both Reconomy UK Ltd (ranked 1) and Acumen Waste Services Ltd (ranked 2) are appointed across all sub-lots including both Scottish regions. In practice, the sub-lot structure supports localised pricing, meaning the rates you pay reflect your geographic location and the logistics involved, rather than a blended national rate that may not reflect actual service costs in Scotland. When calling off the framework, you’d reference the relevant Scottish sub-lot as part of your specification, and PfH Scotland can assist with this as part of the call-off process. 

Yes. The framework can be used to ensure waste produced by your Direct Labour Organisation or subcontractors is compliantly disposed of and auditable. Directing subcontractors to the framework gives members complete oversight of all waste produced across their works programmes, which supports both environmental and commercial reporting. This is particularly useful for organisations running planned works programmes where multiple contractors are generating construction and demolition waste, as it creates a single evidence trail for compliance documentation rather than relying on each contractor’s own arrangements. 

The framework was evaluated on a 60% price, 40% quality split. The qualitative evaluation covered account management capability, contract mobilisation and management, ordering procedures and helpdesk provision, management information and reporting quality, service resilience and legislative conformance, service models and innovative solutions, and social and environmental impact including net zero carbon accounting. The emphasis on service resilience and legislative conformance is particularly relevant in a Scottish context given SEPA’s regulatory role, and the social and environmental impact criteria reflects the Sustainable Procurement Duty that Scottish public bodies and their supply chains operate under. 

The framework accrues a rebate specifically allocated to social value initiatives and charitable donations, selected annually by PfH. These donations are directed towards generating community impact in the social housing sector. For Scottish organisations subject to the Sustainable Procurement Duty under the Procurement Reform (Scotland) Act 2014, this built-in social value mechanism provides an additional layer of evidence that the procurement has considered community benefits, alongside the broader environmental and compliance performance that the framework’s reporting tools support.