For manufacturers
PSC Pipeline finds public sector construction schemes in England and Wales at RIBA Stage 0 to 2, before they reach procurement. Your specification team gets in front of the design team while product choices are still open.
01 · The problem
Most manufacturers hear about a public sector scheme when it goes to tender. By then the design team has made its product choices, the specification is effectively set, and the contractor prices what is written. The manufacturer who was in the room at RIBA Stage 2 has already won.
Specification is won earlier, in the window from RIBA Stage 2 to early Stage 3, while the design is still being shaped. PSC Pipeline finds schemes before or as that window opens, so your team is ready to act on it.
02 · The timeline
0
Strategic definition
1
Preparation and briefing
2
Concept design
3
Spatial coordination
4
Technical design
5
Manufacturing and construction
6
Handover
7
Use
PSC finds it
Specification window
Tender
0
Strategic definition
PSC finds it
1
Preparation and briefing
PSC finds it
2
Concept design
PSC finds it
Specification
3
Spatial coordination
Specification
Tender
4
Technical design
Tender
5
Manufacturing and construction
6
Handover
7
Use
RIBA Stage 0 to 2. Picked up from capital programmes, board and cabinet papers and funding announcements, before the scheme is public.
RIBA Stage 2 to early Stage 3. The design team is choosing products. This is where specification is won or lost.
Late Stage 3 into Stage 4. The specification is set and the contractor prices what is written.
03 · What early sight gives
01
Know the scheme, the client and the stage early enough to identify the architect and engineers before they make product decisions.
02
Specification managers spend their time on schemes in or approaching their window, in the regions they cover.
03
Build your programme around a real forward pipeline by region, instead of reacting to tender enquiries.
04
On higher-risk buildings, the Building Safety Act makes late product substitution slower and harder to justify. A specification won early is more likely to stay won.
04 · What you get, and what you don't
Each PSC Pipeline record gives you the scheme, the public sector client, its RIBA stage, value band, region and expected timing. Where a design team has been appointed, the record names it.
What PSC does not always have at Stage 0 to 2 is the named specifier or a specification freeze date. That is the trade-off of being early. An incomplete picture in time to act beats a complete one after the specification is written, and finding the specifier is work your team already does well.
Hartfield leisure centre replacement
Illustrative record, fictional scheme
RIBA 1
Client
Hartfield District Council
Scope
Replacement leisure centre with a 25m pool, sports hall and gym, around 6,500 sqm
Budget and funding
£35m to £40m, council capital and a sport funding bid
Procurement
Two-stage design and build through a framework
Programme
Design 2027, tender 2028, start on site 2029
Planning
Application planned for 2028
Risks
Energy targets under review, pool plant not yet specified
Consultant team
Architect, M&E engineer and quantity surveyor appointed
05 · Fit
PSC Pipeline suits manufacturers who go looking for schemes. If you have a specification or business development team with the capacity to act early, Pipeline brings you the schemes you would not otherwise hear about, across the regions you choose.
The PSC Research Tool suits manufacturers whose schemes come to them. If enquiries arrive through contractors, distributors or specifiers, the Research Tool researches a specific scheme on demand, so your team can check it is real, who the client is and where it stands before committing time.
Explore the Research Tool06 · Common questions
How early does PSC Pipeline find schemes?
PSC Pipeline finds public sector schemes at RIBA Stage 0 to 2, often months or years before they appear on a planning portal or as a tender notice. The specification window opens at Stage 2 to early Stage 3, which is when your team acts.
Do you tell me who the specifier is?
Sometimes. Where a design team has been appointed, the record names it. At the earliest stages it often has not been, so PSC gives you the scheme, client, stage and timing, early enough for your team to find the specifier first.
Which products is this right for?
Any product chosen by the design team rather than the contractor. Building envelope products (facade, cladding, roofing) are the strongest fit, because that is where specification is decided earliest and where the Building Safety Act makes late substitution hardest.
Which sectors does PSC cover?
Public sector construction only, across England and Wales: housing, education, health, leisure, civic, and police and fire schemes.
Where does the information come from?
Published public sector sources: capital programmes, spending plans, board and cabinet papers and funding announcements.
Is this a different product from PSC's contractor service?
No. It is the same PSC Pipeline subscription and the same public sector coverage, used for specification rather than bidding.
Five minutes on what a typical PSC Pipeline record shows, and what your specification team can do with it.
