Scottish councils fuelling ‘race to the bottom’ through procurement practices, says RIAS

By Daniel Gayne2025-07-07T11:23:00

Award-winning practices said to be turning away from public frameworks as councils accused of ignoring national guidance

The Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland has hit out at local authorities for prioritising cost over safety and design quality in public construction projects.

The organisation said there were potentially “grave consequences” to the public sector’s current approach to procurement and offered to work with council leaders to “embed best practice”.

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