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Scottish Procurement Alliance

Managing Safety for Scotland’s Existing Buildings

29th September 2026, 10:00am - 3:15pm

Scotland’s public sector is responsible for homes and buildings that are ageing, complex and increasingly costly to maintain. At the same time, expectations around building safety, tenant wellbeing, legal compliance, retrofit and governance continue to grow.

Recent Scottish housing condition data shows that 28% of dwellings failed the tolerable standard in 2024, while 48% had disrepair to critical elements linked to weather-tightness, structural stability and preventing deterioration. In the social sector, 41% of properties failed the Scottish Housing Quality Standard, underlining the scale of the challenge facing landlords, asset teams and decision-makers.

Marking SPA’s 10-year anniversary, this year’s AGM on September 29th will bring together partners and leading voices from across the sector to explore how public bodies and landlords can respond to these pressures. The event will examine the realities of managing building safety across existing buildings from tenant safety, assurance and board oversight, to legal risk, multi-tenure challenges, repair, retrofit, preservation and long-term asset decisions.

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Date: 29th September 2026
Time: 10:00am – 3:15pm
Location: 6 Deer Park Avenue, Fairways Business Park, Livingston, EH54 8AF
Audience: Public sector landlords, asset, compliance and procurement teams

 

What will be covered

Through a mix of expert presentations, client insight and panel discussion, the event will explore:

  • tenant and resident safety
  • regulatory expectations and landlord assurance
  • board and committee oversight
  • legal duties, risk and common pitfalls
  • ageing stock and older building challenges
  • multi-tenure ownership and shared repair responsibilities
  • stock condition, preservation, repair and retrofit
  • funding pressures and long-term asset decisions
  • practical approaches to managing building safety in existing homes and public buildings

View full programme

Who is this event for?

This event is for public sector professionals involved in the safety, condition, management or improvement of Scotland’s homes and public buildings.

  • Asset Management and Asset Strategy Teams
  • Housing Management Professionals
  • Building Safety and Compliance Leads
  • Property Maintenance and Repairs Teams
  • Planned Investment and Capital Works Teams
  • Property, Estates and Facilities Management Professionals
  • Procurement and Commercial Teams
  • Surveyors, Technical and Building Standards Professionals
  • Governance, Risk and Assurance Teams
  • Development and Regeneration Teams
  • Senior Leadership Teams
  • Public Sector Landlords and Housing Providers

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Who is speaking?

Erica Dickson, Legal Director

Morton Fraser MacRoberts (MFMac)

 

Michael Cameron, Chief Executive

Scottish Housing Regulator

 

Cassandra Dove, Policy Lead
Scottish Federation of Housing Associations (SFHA)

 

Mike Heffron, Chief Executive

Under One Roof

Danny Henderson, Head of Technical Unit

Scottish Government

Martin Callachan, Director

Sidlaw Property Services

Scott Bradshaw, Director

NBM Cost Consultants

Dahamia Stephenson, Head of Procurement

LHC Procurement Group

Heather O'Donnell, Senior Technical Support Manager

Scottish Procurement Alliance

 

Alan Russell, SPA Chair
SPA Committee

 

Lesley Peaty, Regional Director
Scottish Procurement Alliance

 

Register your place

Event Programme

10:00am

Welcome and Introduction from SPA Committee Chair, Alan Russell
Opening remarks from Scottish Procurement Alliance, including recognition of SPA’s 10-year anniversary and the focus for this year’s AGM.

 

10:10am

Business Update, Lesley Peaty, Regional Director, Scottish Procurement Alliance

10:30am

Building Safety Pressures Across the Housing Sector, Cassandra Dove, Scottish Federation of Housing Associations
A sector view on why building safety matters, the most active issues facing housing associations, how priorities are being managed, what the sector needs and what future change could mean.

 

10:50am

Tenant Safety Assurance and the Questions Landlords Should Be Asking, Michael Cameron, Chief Executive, Scottish Housing Regulator
As additional changes from the Regulator come into force for the Annual Assurance Statement which applies a bigger focus on tenant safety and the importance of listening to tenants. We will also hear about the regulatory expectations and what good oversight and assurance look like from a landlord perspective.

 

11:05am

Comfort Break

11:20am
Building Safety Priorities, Funding and Changes, Danny Henderson, Head of Technical Unit, Scottish Government Building Standards Division 
Exploring the current policy, funding and legislative changes shaping building safety in Scotland, including cladding remediation, compliance reform, competence and the future direction of Scottish building regulations including technical research to inform future policy.

11:40am

Understanding Legal Risk, Responsibility and Common Pitfalls in Building Safety, Erica Dickson, Legal Director, Morton Fraser MacRoberts (MFMac)
A legal perspective on building safety, where risk sits, the implications of failure, funding considerations, time-barred cases and lessons from recent activity and published reports.

 

12:00pm

Lunch

12:30pm

The Challenge of Repair in Older Buildings and Shared Responsibilities, Mike Heffron, Chief Executive, Under One Roof
With multi-tenure properties and older heritage buildings becoming more prevalent, addressing repair, retrofit and preservation of these buildings are becoming an increasing concern. Mike will explain how organisations are navigating these pressures and understand more about the role of asset strategy.

 

12:45pm

Getting Building Safety Projects Right, Scott Bradshaw, Director, NBM Cost Consultants

Poor planning and unclear project requirements can lead to increased costs, delays and delivery challenges. This session will explore where building safety projects commonly go wrong, the importance of robust early-stage scoping and the steps organisations should take to manage risk effectively. Attendees will gain practical insight into the information, governance and preparation needed before projects are taken to market.

1:00pm

Understanding Damp and Mould Responsibilities, Martin Callachan, Director, Sidlaw Property Solutions

As expectations around tenant safety and housing quality continue to increase, damp and mould remain a key area of focus for social landlords. This session will explore the consequences of poor housing management, the responsibilities placed on landlords, the proposed legislative changes in Scotland and what organisations should be doing proactively to prevent issues, protect residents and strengthen assurance arrangements.

1:20pm

Procuring Building Safety Works with Confidence, Dahamia Stephenson, Head of Procurement, LHC Procurement Group
Dahamia will provide insight into the role of robust procurement in supporting safe, compliant and well-managed building safety projects, including clear scoping, route-to-market decisions, quality evaluation, audit trails, contract management and the importance of linking procurement to wider asset and assurance strategies.

1:35pm

Comfort Break

1:45pm

Panel Discussion – Erica, Cassandra, Michael and Danny
A chaired panel bringing together the day’s themes and exploring what organisations should take away on assurance, legal risk, tenant safety, older buildings and practical delivery.

 

2:15pm

New Procurement Solutions for Safer Homes and Public Buildings, Heather O’Donnell, Senior Technical Support Manager, Scottish Procurement Alliance

An introduction to SPA’s newly launched PB4 and FD9 frameworks and how they have been designed to support the delivery of building safety, compliance, repair, refurbishment and construction projects across Scotland. Heather will outline the structure of each framework, procurement options, available workstreams and key enhancements. The session will also highlight how social value and community benefit requirements have been embedded throughout the frameworks to help public bodies deliver wider economic and social value alongside their project objectives.

3:00pm

Closing Statement

3:15pm

Close

 

Published date: 29/09/2026

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