CHIC CHAT

Recruitment

CHIC is seeking to recruit to two roles, very different but both important. If you or someone you know may be interested in applying, please get in touch as below.

INDEPENDENT CHAIR
(CHIC Board)

SALARY: £20k pa

The Directors are recruiting for a new Independent Chair, to join the Board in mid-2023 and to be appointed Chair in June 2024.This is a part time (3-4 days pcm) remunerated role.The ideal candidate will have a strong housing or construction sector profile and a commitment to driving efficiencies through collaborative asset management and procurement.

Closing Date: Monday 27^th March 2023

FOR MORE INFORMATIONTo request a Candidate Information Pack, or for any queries, please email jfisher@chicltd.co.uk.

GRADUATE APPRENTICE

SALARY: £20k pa | 2 YEAR APPRENTICESHIP

An opportunity for a recent graduate (or equivalent) to grow their business experience and to learn a range of new skills in a busy team.This is a full time (Monday-Friday), office based role.Ideal for someone who is enthusiastic to learn and launch their career. Over 2 years, time will be spent with four different teams: Member Services, Procurement/Supply Chain, Data Analytics/Finance and Marketing.

Closing Date: Friday 31^st March 2023

FOR MORE INFORMATIONTo request a full Role Profile, or for any queries, please email recruitment@arkconsultancy.co.uk.

Communities & Housing Investment Consortium Ltd is a member owned, not for profit, asset management and procurement consortium working across the UK. CHIC’s services to its members are delivered through a services contract with their managing agent, ARK Consultancy Limited.

Damp and Mould

In May 2022, CHIC hosted its first ‘round table’ thought leadership discussion to discuss its members views on current disrepair challenges. More recently, Damp and Mould problems have come to the fore in the sector and focused the Regulators interest in how landlords manage these issues.

CHIC thought it was therefore timely to run its second set of discussions in this series, to understand how CHIC’s members have responded to the Regulators questionnaire and what new initiatives are emerging.

The event was held on 9th February 2023 and attended by 81 stakeholders. This included 63 CHIC members from 37 Housing Associations and Local Authorities, together with supply chain representatives and CHIC colleagues.

Richard Blakeway, Housing Ombudsman, provided an overview of the issues from the cases reviewed by his service. Kieran Colgan, Director of ARK Consultancy (CHIC’s Managing Agent) provided an appraisal of the sectors responsibilities to ensure good housing and health for its customers.

Watch Richard Blakeway, Housing Ombudsman Overview

Kieran Colgan, Director of ARK Consultancy – Presentation Slides

Stakeholders then contributed to some vibrant roundtable discussions, centred around:

• Landlord culture
• Sector culture
• Strategic asset management
• Supporting tenants
• Innovation

A summary of the conclusions reached is set in this document

Comments from the day

“Brilliant session this morning, thought provoking and assuring we are all on the same journey“

“Great insight from the speakers and excellent conversation around the tables”

“Great session today, thanks to you all for arranging”.

If you would like to discuss how CHIC can help you to manage damp and mould issues in your homes, please get in touch with one of the member services team at enquiries@chicltd.co.uk

CHIC Procurement

CHIC Framework Renewals

CHIC continues to work collaboratively to deliver efficiencies for members through procurement and commercial support. This is done by working with its members to secure access to a wide range of contractors, suppliers, merchants, and consultants, through compliant frameworks and dynamic purchasing Systems (DPSs). We continue to build and manage relevant and fit for purpose routes to market to support our members to run mini-competitions or allow them to issue direct awards (from frameworks) in a compliant, timely and cost effective manner.

There are currently four frameworks in the procurement pipeline that are scheduled to be completed during 2023, namely:

- CHIC New Build Framework

- CHIC Retrofit Framework

- CHIC Windows and Doors Framework

- CHIC Kitchen Material Supply Framework

Both the CHIC Newbuild and Retrofit Frameworks are new, but the Windows and Doors and Kitchen Material Supply Frameworks are to replace existing frameworks that will expire on 30^thSeptember 2023. The table below provides the timetable for when Contract Notices are expected to be published and for when the frameworks are expected to be awarded.

Item	Framework Title	Date of Expiry	Contract Notice scheduled to go out on:	Date for Contract Award
1	CHIC New Build Framework	New Framework	27/03/2023	01/08/2023
2	CHIC Retrofit Framework	New Framework	27/03/2023	31/05/2023
3	CHIC Windows and Doors Framework	30/09/2023	26/06/2023	28/08/2023
4	CHIC Kitchen Material Supply Framework	30/09/2023	26/06/2023	28/08/2023

If you would like to know more, please get in touch with CHIC’s procurement team at tenders@chicltd.co.uk

Meet the Consortium

Help CHIC understand your future procurement needs in the North

DATE: Friday 31st March 2023
LOCATION: Premier Meetings Chorley North, Moss Lane, Whittle-Le-Woods, Lancashire, PR6 8AB, United Kingdom

Due to the travel disruption caused by snow at the beginning of the month, our Meet the Consortium event was postponed. The new date for this event is Friday 31st March.
CHIC has several frameworks up for renewal in 2023 including Windows & Doors, Kitchen Materials and Building Works. We want our frameworks to be fully reflective of our member’s needs. This event will enable members to explain how we can help.

Agenda

Arrivals from 08.30

09:00 Background to CHIC

09:15 Key Products and Services and how CHIC is different, including:

- Market Specialisms

- Procurement Processes

- New Frameworks

- Renewal Frameworks

- Localised Supply Chains

- Q&A

10:15 CHIC Order Management System

10:30 Conclusions & Close

*There will be time for follow-up conversations and 121 demonstrations after the close of the event

Do you know that you can use CHIC’s Frameworks and DPS as a Northern Member?

Over the years CHIC has expanded its geographic coverage and now has products and services that can be utilised by its members across all parts of the UK. Members requirements can differ based on geographical location, so our regional teams will work to understand their members local issues and requirements, to propose the best solutions for them. As your local member services representative in the North, I would like to use this opportunity to find out how we can become your go to procurement consortium, developing solutions that are influenced by you.
If you have any questions, please get in touch with Joanne Heyes jheyes@chicltd.co.uk

CHIC Conference

Join CHIC and our exhibitors on 24th May at the Telford International Centre

Please use the following link to book your free place

New Venue and New Programme

CHIC’s 2023 Conference has more workshops, more exhibitors and is structured to appeal to more colleagues from our members.

The workshops are structured around three key themes:

Strategic Issues, Operational Issues, Procurement Issues

The content is intended to appeal to a wide spectrum of operational staff, as well as the directors and heads of service who attend. We want to support those starting out in their careers to meet their peers and build their own networks and knowledge base.

Please share details of the conference with colleagues across your organsiation to enable them to attend this free event. All workshops will be CPD accredited.

The Operational Workshops will cover:

Electrical Safety – All you need to knowWith changes to electrical safety regulations, how compliant are you?

Fire Safety – Regulations and Best Practice
Five years on from the Grenfell Tragedy, what does fire safety look like now?

Delivering Net Zero – Wales Optimised Retrofit and England’s SHDF Programmes
What have early projects taught us and how will the sector meet decarbonisation targets?

Asset Grading – Learn from others
How can landlords balance asset performance, decarbonisation and customer satisfaction?

We are also excited to announce the launch of the first CHIP Charity Dinner and Awards Ceremony. The event will consist of pre-dinner drinks followed by a Gala Dinner. To sign up for this event, please use the following link:

With thanks to our Headline Sponsor

With thanks to our Workshop Sponsor

With thanks to our Exhibitors

News from the Sector

Social housing managers must gain professional qualifications under new rules to protect residents and raise standards in the sector. Around 25,000 managers across the sector will now be required to have an appropriate level housing management qualification regulated by Ofqual equivalent to a Level 4 or 5 Certificate or Diploma in Housing, or a foundation degree from the Chartered Institute of Housing.
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/social-housing-managers-must-be-qualified-under-new-laws-to-protect-residents

The Spring Budget 23 has just been published, with aims to half inflation, grow the economy, continue to get debt to fall and more. However, some feel disappointment in the lack of decarbonisation and welfare commitments, tackling homelessness and a wider investment plan to accelerate the transition to sustainable growth.
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/spring-budget-2023/spring-budget-2023-html

‘Make Things Right’ campaign encourages residents to complain to their landlord before escalating to the Housing Ombudsman.

Residents are being encouraged to make their voices heard by making a complaint to their landlord in the first instance and then escalating to the Housing Ombudsman if they are unhappy with the landlord’s final response.
This follows decisive action to protect tenants in social housing, including time limits for landlords to investigate and fix damp and mould under Awaab’s Law and mandatory qualifications for social housing managers to make sure residents receive a quality service.

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/social-tenants-empowered-to-make-complaints-with-flagship-government-campaign-launch

CHIP

CHIP will launch its Community Chest Fund on Monday 27th March.

Communities and Housing Investment in People (CHIP) was launched in 2022 to support delivery of CHIC’s Social Value objectives. One of CHIP’s responsibilities is to provide small grants, of up to £5,000, to support local projects being promoted in the communities our members represent. Projects may involve opportunities for disadvantaged people, community support initiatives or capital projects, where top up grants will help make a difference to people’s lives and wellbeing. The social value impact of such projects will be measured in the short and long term.

Funds will enable local groups of residents and community stakeholders to secure meaningful improvements to community wellbeing and to create social value. There is no specific framework required for the projects that we will fund, as long as there is a clear vision for the project that will benefit communities, by having a positive impact, to improve the lives of people within them. All we ask is that any application for the fund is supported by one of CHIC’s members.

Application forms can be downloaded and submitted via the CHIP website at www.chipcharity.org.uk

We look forward to receiving applications from groups where small grants will help to make a difference.

Optimised Retrofit Programme

HOW CAN WE HELP BUILD A BETTER WALES

DATE: Thursday 23^rd March 2023
LOCATION: Village Hotel Cardiff, 29 Pendwyallt Rd, Cardiff,CF14 7EF

The Welsh Government has made an ambitious commitment to reaching net zero carbon emissions for the public sector by 2030.

The scale of retrofit required to existing homes is an enormous challenge but it can provide for significant investment to the benefit of local communities.

Welsh Government is providing funding to Welsh social landlords through the Optimised Retrofit Programme (ORP). This draws from the principles set out in the “Better Homes, Better Wales, Better World” report.

The latest programme ORP3 (2022-2025) is focused on Affordable Warmth and understanding the best pathway to improved efficiency for each home and its residents. Its intention is to support the Welsh Housing Quality Standard 2023 (soon to be published). It also supports a test and learn approach to decarbonising homes, with a balanced risk appetite for embracing innovation.

At this roundtable event, we want to discuss how both social landlords and the supply chain can create effective delivery of the ORP, by ensuring that the sector has the right tools and solutions in place, with added social value.

Register for your free place here.

View the full agenda.

With thanks to our sponsors: