# UK Report Urges Retrofit Framework Reform

UK retrofit contractor Domna reports that fragmented procurement frameworks and limited post-award price checks are contributing to above-market costs in social-housing retrofit work. Its recommendations include using fewer government-run frameworks, requiring open-book pricing, strengthening public procurement capacity, and assessing contractors on completed work. In one unnamed housing association scheme analyzed by Domna, the projected cost was revised from £2.8 million (£21,000 per home) to £1.9 million (a median of £14,000 per home); the report presents this as an example of the potential value of closer cost scrutiny, not as a confirmed saving across the wider market.

- Public-sector buyers can use the report’s recommendations to review framework design, post-award price-check practices, and how contractor performance is assessed.
- Contractors pursuing social-housing retrofit work should be prepared to provide transparent cost build-ups and address scope, design, programme, and variation risks early.
- Domna’s analysis indicates that procurement capacity and open-book discussions may help buyers identify duplicated work or uncompetitive pricing before costs constrain the number of homes improved.

**Jurisdictions:** international
**Industries:** Construction & Infrastructure
**Topics:** Contracting Vehicles, Physical Infrastructure
**Published:** November 13, 2026

### Vendors
- Domna (Retrofit contractor; report publisher)
- Durkan Regen (Residential regeneration contractor)

### Key Quotes
> Open conversations about scope, design, costs and programme risks should start early. The aim should be to agree what each home actually needs, what a sensible target cost looks like and how variations will be handled if conditions change.
> — Dan Germann, Managing Director of Durkan Regen

> Every pound lost to duplicated work or uncompetitive contractor pricing is money that cannot be invested in making another home warmer, safer or cheaper to run.
> — Anna Moore, Chief Executive of Domna

### Sources
- [Growing number of frameworks blamed for inflated resi retrofit costs | Construction News](https://www.constructionnews.co.uk/contracts/growing-number-of-frameworks-blamed-for-inflated-resi-retrofit-costs-13-11-2026) - Construction News