The Month in One Line
The Planning and Infrastructure Bill's passage through Lords Committee Stage in June triggered a procurement surge as councils raced to update local plans and build planning capacity.
What Moved in June
Local plan reviews: the Planning and Infrastructure Bill introduces new local plan requirements. Twenty-eight councils published planning consultancy notices in June to support local plan preparation, evidence base reviews, and viability assessments. Average contract value: £380k over 2 years.
Urban regeneration and masterplanning: combined authorities with devolved planning powers are the most active commissioners. West Midlands CA published three regeneration strategy contracts (total value £2.1m) in June. Greater Manchester, South Yorkshire, and West Yorkshire each published at least one masterplanning brief.
Housing land assessments: the new standard method for housing need calculations (effective from July 2026) requires all councils to refresh their housing land availability assessments. Seventeen councils published HLA and SHLAA update procurement in June.
Economic development: the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) end-of-programme spending deadline (March 2027) is producing a surge in economic development project delivery procurement. Thirteen councils published UKSPF project delivery contracts in June.
Transport planning: following the National Transport Strategy consultation, six combined authorities published strategic transport planning and modelling procurement. Average value: £1.4m.
Who Is Buying Right Now
- Councils in growth areas: the government's identified 'priority growth areas' are procuring planning capacity support. The 12 identified areas all had active planning procurement in June.
- Combined Authorities: with new powers under the devolution deals, combined authorities are building planning and regeneration consultancy capacity at pace.
- New Town Development Corporations: three new development corporations established in 2025 are building their first supply chains, including planning, transport, and economic development consultancy.
Forward Signals for July
Planning and Infrastructure Bill receives Royal Assent in July (expected). The consequential regulations and guidance that follow will trigger a second wave of planning consultancy procurement in Q3.
The Number That Matters
28 — councils that published local plan-related procurement in June alone. Every council in England will need to review its local plan within 12 months of Royal Assent.
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