CHIC CHAT

CHIC Conference Review

CHIC Conference and Exhibition 2021

CHIC hosted a wide range of great speakers discussing the latest developments and challenges from the social housing and construction sectors at our annual conference last month.

A big thank you to all who attended the CHIC Conference & Exhibition 2021! A special mention to our sponsors Buildbase, Niyaa People, Novus Property Solutions, AKW, Nationwide Windows and Doors, Worcester Bosch and Bristan Group Ltd and to all of our many other exhibitors for allowing us to host a successful event. See you all again next year!

We would also like to give a special mention to Mark Easton for hosting yet again, prompting interesting debates and giving his unique perspective on current sector wide issues.

CHIC’s Chief Executive, John Fisher said “it was tremendous to get so many of our members and supply chain partners together again for a really interesting and vibrant conference. Our thanks to all who supported us for making the event such a success”.

Trainee of the Year Awards

We had some fantastic submissions for our annual awards this year. Thank you to all who nominated candidates.

Congratulations to Jessica Davey from Lift & Engineering Services for winning the award, a much deserved winner who was strongly supported and endorsed by many of her colleagues. A special mention also to Steve Tovey from Bell group and Kenny Robertson from Global HSE Solutions who were our runners up. Well done to them all.

Workshops and Speakers

Our conference hosted an interesting range of workshops, with a variety of great speakers. Details of all sessions and speakers are below. If you couldn’t make it or would like to revisit the content, please click the link(s) below to view the presentation slides.

Keynote	FUTURE CHANGES IN THE SECTOR All delegates and exhibitors engaged in this plenary session, discussing key sector challenges such as the state of the economy, the retrofit challenge and managing data efficiently.
Building and People Safety	CAN WE BE DOING MORE? It was discussed what others are doing to change their approach to keeping residents safe and the sectors response to the Building Safety Bill.
Decarbonisation	HOW ARE WE GOING TO ACHIEVE Achieving net zero carbon is perhaps the biggest challenge the sector has faced for a generation. Our speakers discussed how they are tackling it and debated how the Welsh Government has forged its own ambitious path.
Engaging the Supply Chain	HOW FAR SHOULD YOU GO? How clients who separate materials supply from contracting services achieve savings, improve quality and how their contractors take less risk.
Strategic Asset Management	WHAT DOES BRILLIANT LOOK LIKE? We discussed what others have been doing to ensure that strategic asset management is central to their corporate planning. Existing residents need great homes, so how do we make sure they don’t get trumped by the development programme?
Dynamic Purchasing	HOW DOES THIS WORK? Our speakers talked about how a Dynamic Purchasing System offers an alternative, efficient route to market to more traditional procurement solutions. Also, how it might help you to deliver efficiencies in your assets, FM and development programmes.
Newbuild	WHAT’S CHANGING? Is MMC reality or bluster? We discussed some of the experiences of those who have embraced the change already and debated how the sector can really change its approach.
The Future is Technology	HOW IS IT CHANGING WHAT WE DO? New technology in homes helps to monitor energy use and so improve efficiency. New technology in contract management helps to improve process efficiencies. We discussed how others are using technology to improve their customer service.

FEEDBACK PLEASE

We think it was our best conference, but what did you think?

We would love to get your feedback about the day so we can make our next event even better. If you could take a few moments to fill out our short Feedback Form, it would be greatly appreciated.

SAVE THE DATE

Due to popular demand, we will be hosting our annual conference again at Sixways Stadium on Thursday 16^th June 2022. If you would like to exhibit or sponsor our event, please send an email to ccoulson@chicltd.co.uk

Professional Services

CHIC’s Professional Services provide members with access to a wide range of consultancy and agency solutions, including CHIC’s long established Legal Services Framework, to give members options for compliant access to professional services.

The Legal Services Framework was first established in 2016, then reprocured for a further 4 years in 2020. It has seen great take up by our members since its inception and continues to be an effective route to market to access a wide selection of market leading lawyers, covering areas such as Housing & asset Management, Property & Development and Finance. We have over 60 members now using this service, which is just one part of CHIC’s Professional Services solution for all members.

Members can opt for a direct award or via mini-competition from one of our frameworks, or via a mini-tender from our Dynamic Purchasing System (DPS)

Frameworks and CHIC’s DPS are regularly updated in response to members needs. New qualifying consultants / suppliers can join the DPS at any time.

The professional services frameworks and DPS solutions include:

Legal Services
Risk Assessments
Asbestos Abatement
Development Consultants
Fire Protection
Lone Worker and Tracking
Agency Services

The CHIC team will support you to identify the most efficient solutions for your own requirements. If you would like to find out more, please get in touch with one of our Member Services Team:

Stephen Sharman

Head of Member Services (Midlands & SE)

ssharman@chicltd.co.uk

Victoria Speakman

Head of Member Services (SW & Wales)

vspeakman@chicltd.co.uk

Joanne Heyes

Head of Member Services (North)

jheyes@chicltd.co.uk

Christmas Giveaway

Supporting a community project or initiative

Do you have a community project or initiative that needs a security solution? It could be an early years project, youth centre, domestic violence refuge, homeless shelter or any other community requirement.

Together, we might be able to bring Christmas cheer to a community initiative near you.

Bamford Doors, CAME Entrotec and CAME KMS have teamed up to supply an early Christmas present to one of our members, who require a security door, door entry and access control.

To enter this year’s Christmas Competition, send an email to conor.kelly@bamforddoors.com containing a short description of:

who you are,
what you will do with this package, and
who it will benefit.

Closing Date: Friday the 10th of December 2021

All entries will be reviewed, and the lucky winner will be announced on Friday the 17th of December 2021.

*Any entries received after this date will not be entered into the competition*

Bristan Group

A crucial part of being Part G compliant, is ensuring that baths in new homes have thermostatic control of water temperatures. To guard against scalding, especially in properties that may be home to vulnerable groups such as young children and the elderly all baths are required to fit a device that limits the hot water to a maximum 48°C.

With over 40 years of bathroom experience, Bristan Group provides affordable housing solutions that won’t get you in hot water!

Thermostatically speaking

Thermostatic mixing valves (TMV) are the most effective way to alleviate the risk of scalding anywhere that hot water is delivered. TMVs allow water to be stored and distributed at a high enough temperature to kill harmful legionella bacteria, and reduce it to a safe temperature at the point of use by mixing it with cold water supply. What’s more, TMVs will maintain water temperature even when the incoming water pressures or flow rates change.

Pictured here, the Bristan Assure Thermostatic Bath Shower Mixer comes with easy to use handles and a five year parts warranty.

Always certified

You can’t skip on quality, so rest assured every Bristan Group product meets the appropriate legislation for both domestic and non-domestic buildings in the UK. With all products specified to WRAS compliancy, you can be confident your specifications are fully compliant with building regulations and by-laws.

All Bristan Group thermostatic mixing valves meet BuildCert regulations, providing both fully certified TMV2 and TMV3 safety levels.

Pictured here, the Bristan Craze thermostatic shower features Safe Touch technology. Shrouding the hot water feed inside the valve with a layer of cold water, to keep the bar itself safe to touch.

Included as standard with this product, the Wallmount 12 fixing kit has been specially designed for smooth installation, retrofit and servicing.

Customer First

From national and regional housing associations to city councils, Bristan Group has worked with affordable and social housing providers of every kind.

The UK’s leading tap and shower provider understand the needs of the procurements teams they work alongside. Offering sound, expert advice which ticks the boxes of function, cost and style.

Whether you are looking for bathroom and kitchen products for a new build affordable housing project, or you need easy-to-fit, robust replacements as part of your maintenance work, the Bristan Group specification team can guide you to the right products for your homes.

For more information, please contact:

E: contractenquiry@bristan.com

T: 0330 026 6273

W: www.bristan.com/specifiers-home

News from the Sector

This article summarises the latest news from the social housing and construction sector

New rules mean housing providers will be required by law to install smoke alarms in all social housing, and carbon monoxide alarms must be fitted in social and private rented properties with fixed appliances such as gas boilers or fires.

Traditional house building techniques are not sustainable with the UK needing around 150,000 new social housing homes built every year to meet demand. More and more organisations are looking at modern methods of construction as the answer

Growth in Britain’s construction industry hit its strongest pace in four months in November, as delays obtaining materials such as timber eased.

Derelict sites across the country will be transformed into new homes under a flagship government scheme to regenerate brownfield land, boost local communities and support people onto the property ladder.

Major issues for the growing housing emergency and the government’s building targets discovered in latest report. “More land needs to be allocated and major improvements to the planning process will be needed”

Costs associated with modern methods of construction (MMC) could fall by a third as demand in the sector grows, reveals a new report published Constructing Excellence

Compliance Auditing

CHIC’s latest £150m framework, available now

CHIC has just completed the procurement of a national 4-year Framework for the provision of independent auditing and validation services for asbestos management, commercial and domestic gas safety, electrical safety, fire safety, lifting equipment, mechanical and electrical servicing and water hygiene, accessible by all members.

11 qualified, accredited and experienced organisations have been appointed to deliver these comprehensive audit services and independent assurance for members’ ongoing building and resident safety services.

The framework includes:

Lot 1 – Asbestos Management Auditing

Lot 2 – Commercial Gas Auditing

Lot 3 – Domestic Gas Auditing

Lot 4 – Electrical Safety Auditing

Lot 5 – Fire Safety Auditing

Lot 6 – Lifting Equipment Auditing

Lot 7 – Mechanical and Electrical Auditing

Lot 8 – Water Hygiene Auditing

Appointed safety auditors are:

Organisations	Lot 1	Lot 2	Lot 3	Lot 4	Lot 5	Lot 6	Lot 7	Lot 8
Clear Safety		Y	Y	Y	Y		Y	Y
Blue Flame Assoc.		Y	Y	Y			Y
Corgi Tech Ltd		Y	Y	Y
Morgan Lambert		Y	Y	Y
Environmental Management Solutions	Y
AEC UK Ltd	Y
MSS Group	Y
Quay Consulting	Y
Savills				Y
Ventro Ltd					Y
Cundall						Y

Members can access a range of internal Policy Compliance and Site Portfolio Audits along with Site Contractor Assurance Audits. The process is an integral part of regulatory management to ensure that services and works are completed to their defined specification, whilst complying with all legislative and best practice requirements.

The framework includes Policy Compliance Audits, which will assess management systems and control procedures and policies, with a goal of formulating and providing a Compliance Report which identifies any necessary improvements.

Site Audits will be conducted and reviewed against the members existing Management Plan, to highlight any failings in consistency. Suppliers will assist with the implementation of effective processes to monitor contractors and to provide assurance for member boards and residents.

CHIC’s Chief Executive, John Fisher said, “We expect that our new framework will provide an effective solution for our members to obtain independent assurance that their building and resident safety obligations are being fully delivered, in a cost effective way”.