Winners named for £6.6bn of HS2 contracts: Behavioural Assessments Valued at 20%

Hs2 have revealed the winners of over £6bn of the contracts for the Main Works Civils Contracts.
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Valued at 20% of the award scores, B2B designed and delivered a behavioural assessment model which included team behavioural assessments, structured interviews with key directors, group interviews, the evaluation of written tender submissions relating to collaborative working, and evaluation of personal ‘behavioural biographies’ and behavioural criterion-linked personality profiles for key leaders. HS2 are committed to using behavioural assessment as a tool to support its selection of its key collaborative partners. B2B were appointed in 2016 to design and deliver the nine behavioural assessments for the HS2 Main Works Civil Contracts (MWCC).

Behavioural Assessment & Future Benchmark

B2B designed and delivered the assessments for HS2 in full compliance to the only internationally recognised standard for ‘behavioural assessment’ – the ISO Standard – BS ISO 10667 -2.

Key Lessons for Procurement Teams

We identified several critical success factors in designing and delivering a behavioural assessments. The full lessons and key issues will be written up once we gain the tenderers view-points but key ones for now are:

  • Agreement by the client to support best practice for procurers identified in BS ISO 10667-1.
  • Developing the assessment criterion with care and selecting the assessment methods to provide maximum accuracy of results and compliance to ISO 10667-2
  • Reporting outputs and feedback methods should not be left as late considerations and should be agreed early in the BA programme.
  • Ensuring the assessment results are used to leverage behavioural performance improvement post contract award
  • Building a robust evaluation and lessons learned process.
  • Selection of the behavioural service provider based on professional standards delivered to the ISO 10667-2 standards.

A more detailed set of lessons for procurers and tenderers is available on request