CHIC CHAT

What's Happening at CHIC?

The CHIC Legal Services Framework has run for the past 3 ½ years and in that time has proven itself to be one of the most successful in the Social Housing sector, generating significant savings for our members. The current framework expires on in June 2020 and Kennedy Cater will again be working with CHIC to procure a new framework.

Part of the current framework’s success has been due to the breadth and depth of the legal firms who were successful in being appointed. The procurement of the new framework will focus on the full scope of the legal services our members use, so we hope to attract individuals from a wide range of firms who support the sector. We will be looking to attract competitive fee rates as well as strong Value Added and Social Value benefits.

What next?

Kennedy Cater will start by holding three procurement planning workshops at CHIC’s offices in Birmingham, one for each Lot. During these workshops, CHIC members will be invited to review the performance of the current framework and agree the specification for the procurement of the new one.

The workshops will be held on 28^th and 29^th November, and amongst other things will consider:

The number of Lots and Lot Description
The price: quality ratio for each Lot
The number of firms required for each Lot
Fixed fee schedules – for a whole range of services
Value Added and Social Value Benefits

If you would like to attend any of the workshops or find out more about the procurement process, please contact Curtis Coulson at ccoulson@chicltd.co.uk or contact Elena Khawaja from Kennedy Cater at elena.khawaja@kennedycater.com or on 020 7113 4018.

In other News

CHIC aims to offer added value to our members and we are currently reviewing all our communication and reporting processes. During October and November, the focus is on the Merchant Reports. For those who utilise our Merchant Framework, look out for a newly branded relaunched report in the future. If you would like to have your say on the content / analysis included in the report, please email your suggestions to materials@chicltd.co.uk.

John Fisher, CHIC’s Managing Director gave a very well received presentation at UK Construction week on what is needed for social housing to become carbon neutral, stating “It is the next big issue for asset managers in the future”. If you missed out or want to revisit the content, you can download it here: Strategic_Asset_Management_in_Social_Housing.pdf
CHIC is constantly seeking new framework opportunities for existing and prospective members. With all of the recent procurement we have conducted, we now have a remarkable 171 suppliers on our frameworks.

OUR 10^th ANNUAL CHIC CONFERENCE UPDATE

For the last 4 CHIC Annual Conferences, BBC Home Editor Mark Easton has continually brought enthusiasm, curiosity and charisma to our annual conventions, which is why it was a no brainer to bring him back for our 10^th anniversary. “I always look forward to my annual pilgrimage to the Sixways Stadium. I would be delighted to come to your anniversary party”.

News from the Sector

Whether or not the Prime Minister manages to win over parliament and deliver his promise that the UK will be leaving the EU by 31^st October, the fact is, we are leaving at some point. Deal or No Deal, there are going to be some challenges that we are going to face to ensure business as usual in the sector.

The Sector Risk Profile outlines many things that Housing Associations should take into consideration when preparing for the inevitable, such as health and Safety Compliance, Asset Management and more. You can read the full report here: Sector_Risk_Profile_2019.pdf

One of the major concerns is that our departure could affect the cost of goods and services, funding, investment and those organisations who rely on the EU for staff. Members of CHIC’s supply chain have taken considerable actions to mitigate this risk.

“We have been working closely with our supplier base in the UK, Europe & Far East to align with their contingency plans to support availability. The plans they are putting in place include increasing manufacturing capability and holding additional safety stock on both finished and raw materials.”

Dave Terrill,

City Plumbing Supplies

In other news

What makes a good partnership between housing, health and social care? Tyfu Tai Cymru have the answer in their recent report detailing the 6 principles which encourage collaboration, better organisational cultures and more. You can read the full report here: Good_health_brought_home___TYFU_TAI_CYMRU.pdf

ARK launches exciting partnership

Our colleagues at ARK have launched an exciting new partnership with Decision Time. This collaboration combines ARK’s housing sector expertise with Decision Time’s governance software platform, delivering a complete solution to the key challenges faced by the sector – improving performance and risk management and ensuring good governance.

ARK is now the sole provider of Decision Time’s Meeting, Risk and Goals products to the sector.

Together, they are driving a ‘step change’ in the management of performance, risk and the quality of decision making across the sector. ARK’s consultancy services and Decision Time’s easy to use and flexible platform will provide leadership teams with easy access to information and the ability to focus on the detail to enable better decision making.

Find out more - https://www.arkconsultancy.co.uk/service/performance/governance/

CHIC members can benefit from a fantastic introductory offer of free training (saving of £950) if you sign up for any of the Decision Time products before 31st December 2019.

News from the Supply Chain

Symphony Group has recently been accepted onto the CHIC framework for the supply of kitchens and are looking forward to working with the CHIC team and clients, supplying high quality kitchens alongside premium client services.

The Symphony Group is one of the UK’s largest privately owned manufacturers of fitted kitchens, bedrooms and bathroom furniture, specialising in private and social housing mixed tenure new build developments, and the supply of kitchens to the social housing refurbishment market. The company has nearly 50 years’ experience in both sectors.

Symphony’s Client team specialise in Social Housing, acting as kitchen consultants offering support with specifications, the design process, the supply of bespoke samples and literature for residents/clients and communication relating to the new build and refurbishment market. Their understanding of the industry provides expertise and experience to offer best value and advice to all our clients, with their in-depth knowledge of projects and what our customers require.

Their involvement from the initial contact right the way through to final competition, offers local support and peace of mind to make sure all projects run smoothly.

When it comes to planned refurbishment, Symphony directly employ a large team of surveyors who are managed regionally, who provide national coverage. The Surveyors work to a right first time policy, offering a personal service to residents when visiting their homes, producing a CAD and 3D layout.

Symphony’s designated order processing team and extranet asset management tool provide a systematic approach to projects, allowing accessible ways to see all information, designs and product specification for future ongoing maintenance. This is made available to both the clients and contractors.

All Symphony kitchens are tested to meet rigorous manufacturing standards, with all frontals and cabinetry meeting the standards of FIRA gold certification, which means they offer a product you can trust.

Symphony’s head office in South Yorkshire houses one of the UKs largest showrooms, showcasing the range of product available. They welcome the opportunity to host client visits, to see first-hand the vast product range on offer to suit all budgets and specifications as well as the services available for the new build and refurbishment market.

If you are interested in visiting the marketing suite please contact enquiries@symphony-group.co.uk asking for the client team, or via CHIC who can arrange a mutual visit.

Find out more about Symphony:

https://www.symphony-group.co.uk/business-to-business/