Timber, sheet materials, aggregates, bricks, blocks, fixings, plumbing and electrical materials for UK construction businesses. Materials are the largest variable cost on most construction projects — and the category most consistently bought through a single merchant relationship at rates set years ago and never reviewed.
A building contractor with £400,000 of annual materials spend buying through a single national or regional merchant on account terms set in 2019 is carrying a procurement risk they may never have quantified. Post-2020 price inflation increased construction material costs dramatically in many categories. Some of those increases have partially reversed. The account pricing has not been revisited to reflect the downward movements — only the upward ones.
The construction materials distribution market is genuinely competitive above certain volume thresholds. National merchant groups — Jewson, Travis Perkins, Buildbase, MKM — actively compete for account business and offer framework pricing that can be significantly below standard account rates. Regional independents often offer better service and competitive pricing for committed volume. The saving available through a competitive materials review is typically 8–15% against an unreviewed incumbent account — on £400,000 of spend, that is £32,000–60,000 per year.
Structural timber (C16/C24), sheet materials (OSB, plywood, MDF), aggregates (MOT Type 1, sharp sand, ballast), bricks and blocks, plasterboard and associated fixings, plumbing materials (copper, plastic, fittings), electrical cable and containment, insulation, roofing materials, and general sundries. Participants specify their approximate annual consumption by category — the pool tender is structured to allow suppliers to quote across the full range or on specific categories.