Forward Commitment Procurement
"Delivering best value Through innovation - Forward Commitment Procurement: Practical pathways to buying Innovative solutions' published by the Department for Buisiness, Innovarion and Skills in November 2011 describes Forward Commitment Procurement (FCP) Concept thus:
"Delivering social objectives (such as environmental sustainability) often requires new solutions that are either not available in the market or are available at excessive cost, because they aren’t available, customers don’t demand them; because there is no demand, the solutions do not receive the investment required to enter and be competitive in the market. Consequently, public sector objectives are compromised by lack of affordable and effective products and services to deliver them."
"The FCP approach unlocks this stalemate by making the market aware of genuine needs and requirements. It offers to buy solutions that meet these needs once they are available at a price commensurate with their benefits. This ‘credible articulated demand’ provides the necessary market pull to galvanise supply chains and unlock investment to deliver the requirement."
"It is both innovative procurement and smarter procurement creating better outcomes for society. With future markets more certain our industries and enterprises will invest in innovation to meet demand and grow, and by buying smarter, public services can become more efficient and more effective."
"... A critical factor for suppliers of new products is the confidence that there will be a market once the solution is proven. The amount of investment made by product developers and by their supply chain depends on this confidence. The future customers of the new products can significantly affect investments decisions by making the future market as certain as possible (while retaining competition). FCP is a way for public procurers to make this future market visible and credible without either procurer or supplier incurring unmanageable risks."
[edit] Related articles on Designing Buildings
- Admeasurement
- Build lease transfer BLT.
- Build operate transfer BOT.
- Competitive procedure with negotiation.
- Complex project.
- Connected procurement.
- Corporate objectives for procurement.
- Design and build procurement route
- Design and manage procurement route.
- Design build finance and operate.
- Design, build, finance, maintain DBFM.
- Design Build Finance Operate Maintain DBFOM.
- Design build finance transfer (DBFT).
- Design, build, manage contractor.
- Design build operate maintain DBOM.
- Design Build Operate Transfer DBOT.
- Design construct manage finance DCMF.
- Difference between procurement and purchasing.
- Engineering procurement and construction contract.
- European Single Procurement Document ESPD.
- Framework contract.
- Lump sum contract.
- Maintenance Repair Operations MRO.
- Management contractor.
- OJEU procurement procedures.
- Partnering in construction.
- Private finance initiative.
- Procurement policy.
- Procurement route – frequently asked questions.
- Procurement route.
- Procurement strategy.
- Public private partnerships PPP
- Public procurement.
- Renovate, operate, transfer (ROT).
- Restricted procedure under the Single Procurement Document (Scotland).
- Reverse auction.
- Shadow tolls.
- Single-stage tender
- Subcontract procurement.
- Tender processes for construction contracts.
- Traditional contract for construction.
- Transforming Public Procurement Green Paper.
- Two-stage tender.
- What is the most common procurement route?
Featured articles and news
Do you take the lead in a circular construction economy?
Help us develop and expand this wiki as a resource for academia and industry alike.
Warm Homes Plan Workforce Taskforce
Risks of undermining UK’s energy transition due to lack of electrotechnical industry representation, says ECA.
Cost Optimal Domestic Electrification CODE
Modelling retrofits only on costs that directly impact the consumer: upfront cost of equipment, energy costs and maintenance costs.
The Warm Homes Plan details released
What's new and what is not, with industry reactions.
Could AI and VR cause an increase the value of heritage?
The Orange book: 2026 Amendment 4 to BS 7671:2018
ECA welcomes IET and BSI content sign off.
How neural technologies could transform the design future
Enhancing legacy parametric engines, offering novel ways to explore solutions and generate geometry.
Key AI related terms to be aware of
With explanations from the UK government and other bodies.
From QS to further education teacher
Applying real world skills with the next generation.
A guide on how children can use LEGO to mirror real engineering processes.
Data infrastructure for next-generation materials science
Research Data Express to automate data processing and create AI-ready datasets for materials research.
Wired for the Future with ECA; powering skills and progress
ECA South Wales Business Day 2025, a day to remember.
AI for the conservation professional
A level of sophistication previously reserved for science fiction.
Biomass harvested in cycles of less than ten years.
An interview with the new CIAT President
Usman Yaqub BSc (Hons) PCIAT MFPWS.
Cost benefit model report of building safety regime in Wales
Proposed policy option costs for design and construction stage of the new building safety regime in Wales.
Do you receive our free biweekly newsletter?
If not you can sign up to receive it in your mailbox here.






















