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Click here to download the SOCIAL_HOUSING_CROSSWORD_PUZZLE.pdf

The future of social housing was prudently addressed, following a riveting conversation held by Theresa Mays former chief of staff Nick Timothy at one of our own board awaydays, back in January.

Many believe that social housing is nearing the bottom of the agenda when it comes to the implications of Brexit and is being heavily overlooked.

Arguable, the main issue that the social housing sector is going to face is the logistical changes to supply chains. With materials like timber being heavily imported from the EU, many merchants have already begun contingency planning to maintain their sustainability, and have adopted the approach of stockpiling materials; however, it’s a very temporary solution

The overcomplicating of importing materials is set to have some implications on the affordability of social homes, whether this is going to be for the good or bad of renters in the UK.

But the question is, does anyone know what they are doing? Planning for the unknown is an impossible feat in all walks of life, let alone when looking to mitigate the effects of Brexit on an entire industry.

The potential knock-on effects are endless with the immediate ones possibly the most damaging. Will we begin seeing more or less jobs in the construction industry? Half of construction workers in London come from the EU and many have already gone back to avoid being ‘stuck’.

The effects that deal or no deal Brexit could be endless from temporary purchasing alternative materials to a complete logistical change, steering away from current just in time solutions.

Going from a blanket agreement to, well, who knows what, is going to be a huge change regardless of the specifics and the social housing market is inevitably going to learn to adapt no matter what comes its way; Deal or No Deal is just the beginning of something bigger.

With every future deal coming from UK Parliament, surely our government will do what is best for UK citizens? It is no secret that the UK has been in a housing crisis for some time now with the publication of reports like the Shelter’s “vision for social housing”.

Although the UK is going Brexit crazy, there’s no need to panic. CHIC has been actively collaborating with its members / suppliers to gather intel on what is the best course of action to mitigate the amount of disruption to the supply chain. 95% of Manufacturers and Distributors have already plans in place to mitigate for a No deal vote with the large majority being determined as low risk. (Testimonial from a supplier)

CHIC has engaged with it’s supply chain to ensure that members have contingencies in place for every aspect of property maintenance requirements.

CHIC’s Merchant Services Manager (maybe change it to Supply chain manager) is of the opinion that: “The worst thing that we in the social housing industry can do right now, is to put our heads in the sand and hope that this storm will pass us by. The first thing that will be affected will be supply chains, as we see in other sectors such as the automotive industry. Arguably if housing associations engage with purchasing groups, in respect of their suppliers, trends will be noticeable which means that steps can be taken to mitigate negative effects.”

As rightly pointed out purchasing groups such as CHIC, are better positioned to notice trends in the market that individual housing associations cannot see, and this is purely down to the number of suppliers each engages. Having a pool of suppliers providing the same type of service, normally via a framework, will allow members that purchase through that group a better understanding of where the market is going.

In these trialling times, co-operation is key, and instead of we can do it better, we need to do it better together.

The question is then, what has your association done to ensure that services will not drop.

Quote from Bournville to come: - need to chase giles again today.

If you are worried about the Brexit impact on your organisation, please give us a call.

 

 

 

 

CHIC Procurement Activity

CHIC remains committed to meeting the evolving needs of our members and adapting to market demands by consistently introducing and updating frameworks. This proactive approach ensures that we provide tailored solutions and stay aligned to industry trends, ultimately enhancing the value we offer to our stakeholders.

After a successful launch of the CHIC Healthy Homes Framework in April, our Legal Services Framework is currently going through the final stages of the procurement process with anticipated awards shortly.

Several other framework procurements are planned within the next 12-18 months, including Kitchen and Bathrooms (part of Planned Works (Phase 1), Fire Doors, Temporary Fire Alarms and Active Fire) and Materials Framework. If you would like further details about when these frameworks are to be published, please contact CHIC’s Head of Partnerships Mike Harris (mharris@chicltd.co.uk)

 

Procurement Act 2023: Ensuring Compliance and Knowledge

As mentioned in April’s CHIC CHAT, over the next five months, CHIC will be covering 5 key topics which will affect both contracting authorities (CHIC & Members) and suppliers in the order listed:
May - Transparency
June - Performance
July - Frameworks
August - Direct Awards/Mini-Competitions
September - Notices
October - Launch of Act

 

Transparency

Transparency requirements for the Procurement Act 2023 are fundamental, broad reaching and embedded into every part of the procurement life cycle. It aims to ensure that the flexibility being afforded in the new regime is delivered in an open and accountable way. From the identification of needs, through to analysis, tendering, supplier selection, contract management and termination.

This article is a brief summary of transparency requirements under the new regime, including what they mean for both CHIC Members and suppliers. It also touches upon details of the Central Digital Platform, where all tendering information will be visible to both suppliers and Contracting Authorities.

The Act introduces some new notices throughout the procurement and contract management stages. It also includes the requirement to publish relevant data to provide commercial intelligence for the design and delivery of procurement competition.

Click here to see a table which consists of the noticing requirements, scope and what each means for suppliers.

  

Relevant notices required for commonly used routes to market

1. Framework Contracts
Frameworks that are public contracts require appropriate use of the notices UK1-UK12 & UK17. However, reporting on KPIs for the Frameworks using UK8,9& 17 notices is not required, but necessary for contracts called off from the Framework.

You do not need to publish tender notices for call off contracts under the framework as this is already covered when establishing the agreement.

2. Dynamic Markets
Notices UK13-UK16 are mandatory when establishing a dynamic market, because an established Dynamic Market is NOT a public contract. All standard notices will apply to contracts called off via the market, including the publication of Tender notices (UK4).

3. Regulated Below Threshold Procurement
Covered under Sections 84-88 of the Procurement Act. These are contracts that are below the thresholds of contracts for goods & services ((i.e., below £213,477) and works i.e. £5,336,937)) and not an exempt, concession or utility contract.

Tender notice must be published on the central digital platform and a contract detail notice must be published on the conclusion of an award.

A central place for all public sector tendering opportunities – The Central Digital Platform.

The purpose of the new platform is to provide a central location for registering basic supplier details for tenders and a single place for all public sector opportunities. This is to reduce time to tender, remove duplication, reduce administrative cost of tendering for suppliers and improve accessibility of commercial data. It is anticipated that the platform will be of great benefit to SMEs, making it easier for those who may not have resources required for public tendering activities.

All aforementioned notices will be published through the platform.

CHIC eSourcing (an example eSender) can punch out information to this platform, similar to how we currently publish tender notices through eSourcing to FTS and Contract Finder. The Central Digital Platform is essentially an enhanced Find the Tender (FTS) platform and New Supplier Information System.

Note that all notices must be published on the Central Digital platform (FTS) before publishing anywhere else. Just like now you must check visibility on FTS & have a confirmation email of publication going live before publishing anywhere else. In addition, commercial tools and registers will be available on the Central Digital platform for use during the commercial lifecycle of a project. The Introduction of these features will enable the analysis of commercial data based on notices published on the Central Digital platform Contract Finder will no longer be used for any notice publication but will be available during the transition period.
Whilst transparency is at the centre of the Procurement Act 2023, any data shared must not contravene the Data Protection legislation and Contracting Authorities must be mindful of the requirements under this Act whenever information is published or otherwise shared.
Visit the Transforming Public Procurement page to read the Benefits for Prospective Suppliers to the Public Sector - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk), and the Government transparency ambitions at Transforming Public Procurement - our transparency ambition - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).
If you have any questions about the Procurement Act, please get in touch with Sam Domican at tenders@chicltd.co.uk.

The Westdale Midlands Ltd Skills Training Academy

Meeting our collective fuel poverty reduction and net zero obligations is a challenge we all recognise and few housing providers with older stock profiles would argue that fabric-first measures make the greatest impact in meeting both of these challenges.

However, most don’t know that whilst skills shortages are common parlance, for many key trades, no suitable training courses exist!
One of CHIC’s key contractors, Westdale Midlands Ltd, is addressing this problem in their typically pragmatic fashion by setting up their own Training Academy, and the results are beginning to be noticed in higher circles.
Using their multi-year Wave 2 SHDS contract with Citizen Housing as a catalyst, Westdale converted their Coventry-based office and warehouse into a bespoke facility for training unemployed people from the communities where their works take place.

Partnering with Coventry College to select candidates with a desire to join the industry, Westdale’s timeserved trainers impart the skills and knowledge focused on real-world necessities.
On purpose-built training walls and in classroom sessions, four cohorts of trainees have now learned and practiced the essential skills and have graduated through the Academy, where they have learned: 

-  A wide range of practical External Wall Insulation techniques and capabilities.
-  A background in construction and legislation that underpins their practical skills.
-  The importance of customer care, a ‘right first time’ and quality service delivery approach.
-  The essential health and safety knowledge, including gaining accreditations necessary for work on site. 

Not only do trainees access unrivalled training, they also benefit from: 

-  A steady wage during their training period
-  On-site placement with existing Westdale teams, where their learning is truly reinforced
-  The promise of a full-time role in the business for those who reach the required standards. 

Westdale has now completed the 12 week course 4 times.
The number of students completing the 4 courses is 23, including 5 on the current course. They have had a few students join them by word of mouth rather than through the bootcamp.
They currently expect that the full cohort going through the course will be offered full time employment if they maintain current standards being achieved. They will have offered and provided full time employment to 20 students so far.
Westdale anticipate this number growing to circa 40- 50 full time jobs by the end of Wave 2 installing EWI. Unsurprisingly, this pro-active approach to resolving the current skills shortage, whilst at the same time delivering very real legacy benefits within the communities of Coventry, has garnered interest from Regional and Government bodies.

Visits to the Training Academy have been commonplace, each a reminder of the unique approach to problem solving that is Westdale’s trademark.

If you have aspirations to deliver a grant or directly funded project and think that there could be a role for a similar Academy in your region, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.
Tel: 01952 677 926 E mail: wml@westdalegrup.co.uk
Web: www.midlands.westdalegroup.co.uk

As we head towards the end of our financial year, it will be time for CHIP to start reviewing the social value that has been generated through contracts, sponsorships, volunteering and our Community Chest Fund. As CHIP moves closer to the end of its second year in operation, we are excited to see the impact of support that has been created amongst the individuals and communities we work with.