The economic outlook remains turbulent with local authorities planning significant service changes in response to reduced government grant funding over the next 4 years. Local authorities will need to do considerably more with shrinking resources; taking difficult decisions in order to make vital efficiency savings. In such challenging times, we can't just wait and see what happens; we must act now to improve and strengthen public services, collaborate and work better in partnership with other providers.

The empa collaborative construction programme, supported by the East Midlands Improvement and Efficiency partnership, (EM IEP) is making a real difference for local communities by enabling the procurement of high quality public buildings in partnership with experienced contractors, resulting in significant efficiency savings, value for money for the taxpayer and active engagement of the
substantial skills of local businesses.