Fife Council has appointed Sheerframe fabricator and installer CMS Enviro Systems to a £7m window and door replacement and recycling contract after their successful European tender bid.

The 3-year contract will see CMS Enviro Systems supply energy efficient ‘A’ rated 100% lead, barium and cadmium free PVCu windows to over 2,500 council properties throughout the kingdom.

The scope of the tender also incorporates the recycling of all extracted windows and doors from the replacement programme, helping Fife Council to achieve their community objectives and avoid unnecessary waste to landfill. The project forms part of Fife Council’s Scottish Housing Quality Standard investment programme.

Fife Council – Scotland’s largest unitary authority are leading the way with sustainable design and construction practices in the UK. The capital investment programme gave Fife the opportunity to review their traditional C rated window specification. After significant research into the European window industry they combined key energy efficiency, climatic, and environmental requirements to create a ground-breaking specification offering major fuel savings, reduced CO2 emissions, zero waste, environmentally friendly PVCu and windows that are lighter and stronger than before.


Fife Council is the first in Scotland to specify A rated lead-free windows on a window replacement contract and they hope that other councils, national house builders and housing associations follow their lead in raising the bar on window quality in the UK.

John Rodigan, Fife Council Building Services Manager said: "Our Housing and Neighbourhood Services are now providing the tenants of Fife with the best possible window for them and the enviroment. This contract has been two years in the making and represents best practice in Europe.

"Our specification was demanding but not unachievable as CMS have demonstrated. The Housing Partnership in Fife are delighted to be working with a company as committed to quality and the environment as CMS. As well as exceeding our rigorous technical expectations they are extremely customer focussed and offer any number of added value and corporate social responsibility benefits. The new contract has given us a 5% saving on the traditional window supply arrangements so we have effectively moved to a far superior window and reduced costs in doing so.

Andrew Kerr, managing director of CMS Enviro Systems, added: "It’s an exciting time for CMS and being appointed to this 3 year contract with Fife Council is the result of all the hard work and determination of our staff, for which I would like to say a big thank you. We are a professional company totally committed to supplying our clients with an affordable, top quality environmentally friendly product. Our success in the current financial climate is evidence of an intelligent client base, who are well aware of our environmental credentials and the life cycle savings our windows offer.”

(GK)