With thanks to our Sponsors

STANDARD SELECTION QUESTIONNAIRE (SQ)An update from Sam Domican, CHIC’s Procurement Director
The Standard Selection Questionnaire (SQ) is an integral part of any procurement under the Public Contracts Regulations 2015. It will remain so under the amended procurement rules being progressed through Parliament at the moment.

Cabinet Office has recently published a revised version of the SQ which is to be applied to procurements from 1st April 2023; it applies to all contracting authorities in England and to contracting authorities in Wales and Northern Ireland.

In summary, the new policy involves several changes to the current SQ. Some sections have been amended, others removed and new sections added. The amendments are based on feedback given to the Cabinet Office from buyers and suppliers in order to improve the supplier selection process.

CHIC Procurement has reviewed the changes and set up the new SQ on the CHIC eSourcing portal to ensure that we fully understand the changes and we are compliant for all new procurement published after 1st April deadline.

Further information and details on the changes are available on the CHIC website via a Procurement Advice Note [PAN 01-23] - Standard Questionnaire [SQ] – Update April 2023.

NEW ADDITION TO THE PROCUREMENT TEAM!Ade Osunsanmi started her position as our new Head of Procurement this month, to maintain a forward plan of CHIC’s new and replacement procurement requirements for frameworks and DPS solutions to meet our members requirements. We welcome Ade to the team and believe her vast experience in the sector will further strengthen our procurement services for CHIC members.
WE’RE RECRUITING
CHIC and its managing agent ARK Consultancy have 5 roles now open for applications.
To request a full Role Profile, or for any queries, please email recruitment@arkconsultancy.co.uk, clearly stating the job title of the role you are interested in.

ARK’s Communities & Housing Investment Consortium Team

COMMERCIAL COORDINATORCHIC | SALARY: negotiable £25k - £29kThe post holder will support the Head of Commercial Services, providing commercial, contract and technical advice and support for CHIC’s members across a wide range of construction and building safety related services.The ideal candidate will be in the early stages of their career in a construction or related role, with a qualification and interest in contracts and commercial contract management.

OPERATIONS COORDINATORCHIC | SALARY: negotiable £25k - £29k paWe are seeking a competent and experienced administrator to provide all elements of administrative support to a busy and results orientated operations team, providing comprehensive services for CHIC’s members.You will be experienced in the use of MS Office and used to taking responsibility for keeping accurate records and supporting the delivery of high quality outcomes.

PROCUREMENT OFFICER
CHIC | SALARY: negotiable £30k - £35k paThe post holder will support the procurement team to manage, administer and deliver the compliant procurement of new framework agreements, long term contracts and the Dynamic Purchasing System. You will have experience of procurement procedures and documentation and understand the need to deliver timely, accurate and compliant outcomes.
ARK Consultancy
BUILDING SURVEYORARK | SALARY: negotiable £35k - £40kAn enthusiastic and focused individual is required to (i) provide a ‘hands on’ facilities management service to our offices and two small property management companies in the Jewellery Quarter, and (ii) work as part of our asset management consultancy team, to support a wide range of asset management and building related consultancy assignments.Business travel will be required to deliver projects for our clients across the country.

GRADUATE DATA ANALYSTARK | SALARY: negotiable £25k - £29k paThe post holder will be part of ARK’s data management team, helping to manage ARK’s database of quantitative and qualitative information, benchmarking client data, carrying out market research, data analysis and supporting ARK’s strategic asset grading model as well as other data related activities as they arise.

MEET THE CONSORTIUM EVENT (NORTH)Thank you to all those who attended our first Meet the Consortium event in Chorley late last month. We hope you all enjoyed the event and found it interesting and beneficial.Although the snow may have delayed the event the first time round, it did go ahead on 31st March and was a great success. With existing members and potential new ones from across the North coming to see us, we were able to showcase the latest CHIC products and services and learn more about how to structure our Frameworks and DPS in the future, to ensure our products can be more widely utilised by our Northern members, as well as our existing members in the South.

Our main discussions focused around:- Frameworks and DPS required in the sector- How can we attract Northern Contractors & Suppliers

The thoughts and feedback from the morning will be discussed by the key stakeholders within CHIC and considered for future procurement activities.With the great success of the event, we are hoping to schedule more of these events in the future, so please keep an eye out for these in CHIC CHAT and on LinkedIn.

Comments from the day

Just wanted to say thanks for a great event, very informative, the team were approachable and knowledgeable, always good to be able to be involved in shaping future frameworks, look forward to working with you again soon. The bacon buttie was amazing too!Fiona, Bolton at Home

The event was a great opportunity to further understand all of CHIC’s new and existing solutions that are on offer, to network with peers from across other housing associations and to meet with members of the supply chain. It was an engaging event which also allowed for new and existing members to input ideas for the development of new frameworks and DPS to further improve CHIC’s offering.Sofia, Muir Group

Great to see some new and familiar faces and have a lively discussion about how CHIC can support more members in the North. Some great ideas came from the morning, and I look forward to putting these in front of the CHIC team. Thanks to everyone who came. Watch this space for more Meet the Consortium events and follow up meetings from the day.Jo Heyes, CHIC

If you would like to discuss how CHIC can help you with your 2023 Procurement Agenda, please contact one of the member services team at enquiries@chicltd.co.uk

The Board is chaired by an Independent Director, Maggie Punyer, and currently has one other Independent Director. The remainder of the directors are member representatives.

Key issues arising from the March quarterly meeting were:

Board ChangesMark Pinnell tendered his resignation, due to work pressures elsewhere. The Board has been grateful for his valued input and will appoint a replacement with a similar skill set. Advertising for the new CHIC Independent Chair has attracted a strong set of applications. The Board has agreed the shortlisting and interview arrangements. The new chair will be appointed in May and take on the chairs role in mid 2024.

Annual Member and Supply Chain SurveyQuestions for the 2023 survey were agreed, to be undertaken on behalf of CHIC’s Board by Insight Communications.

Social Value StrategyCHIC’s Social Value Strategy was reviewed and updated. CHIC is now committing 10% of its annual turnover to social value activities, both directly and through donations to our associated charity – CHIP. The Board noted updated Social Value contractual requirements for future framework and contract procurement.

Financial ReportsThe forecast outturn for the FY 2023/24 is in line with budget (CHIC’s FY in July to June). The Board approved the budget for 2024/25. This forecasted further growth in the consortiums activities and a lower average fee payable by members. All business strategy targets are being met or exceeded.

CHIC Team­The Board noted there are some minor changes to the team structure, to optimise member service delivery.

MarketingCHIC has hosted three successful events this quarter - roundtables on Damp and Mould and the Welsh Optimised Retrofit Programme and a ‘meet the consortium’ event in the North West. Planning for the CHIC Conference has well advanced - taking place on 24th May in Telford.

AwaydayThe Board is holding it’s annual away day in June, to maintain it’s focus on CHIC’s business objectives and strategy, on behalf of members.

 

In this BLOG, we explore the recent announcement from the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, recognising the crucial link between the British Energy Security Strategy and the Net Zero Strategy.
As a Head of Member Services for CHIC, I was encouraged to delve into the recommendations and present the solutions CHIC offers to help lower the carbon footprint, reduce energy consumption, and improve thermal comfort for tenants in our member’s support.
In February 2023, the Prime Minister created a new Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, recognising the clear connection between British Energy Security Strategy and the Net Zero Strategy. Heightened by the current political climate and the need to provide British energy for British homes the government has reaffirmed its investment in alternative energy sources to deliver sustainable solutions for the UK.
On the 30th March 2023, this newly established department published a declaration paper detailing current observations and future ambitions in the “Powering up Britain” overview. This sets out the plans on how the government will strengthen our energy security, capture economic opportunities and deliver on our net zero commitments. This paper clearly details the link between Energy security and the pathway to net zero.
The powerful opening statement by Rt Hon Grant Shapps MP - Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, sets a great precedent for the ambitions of government to offer climate security for England through the energy market.
A particular focal point of this paper, for me, is:
(Quote) “Reducing household bills by increasing energy efficiency: We are confirming plans for our new Energy Company Obligation scheme the Great British Insulation Scheme, extending help to a wider group of households. This will mean that around 300,000 of the country’s least energy efficient homes could save £300-£400 each year as part of a £1billion energy efficiency programme by March 2026. This will form part of our work to meet our 15% demand reduction target by 2030 which will not only help lower bills, but also support our net zero objectives. To secure the economic opportunities of the transition to clean heat, £30 million will be provided through the Heat Pump Investment Accelerator, leveraging up to £270 million of private investment into manufacturing and associated supply chains”.
Residential homes account over 16% of carbon emissions. ¾ of those emissions can be attributed to inefficient domestic heating, coupled with poor insulation. This means properties need heating for longer to achieve thermal comfort and control moisture levels which can lead to damp and mould issues. In a time of increased energy costs, this is a recipe for impoverished living conditions for the less financially secure.
If you would like to discuss the CHIC DPS and Framework solutions that are available to help deliver Healthy Homes by lowering the carbon footprint, reduce energy consumption and emissions and improve thermal comfort for the tenants of your properties, please contact your designated Head of Member Service representative, assigned to support you with retrofit and decarbonisation solutions.
Vicki Clements (East) | vclements@chicltd.co.ukLiam Gratty (West) | lgratty@chicltd.co.ukJackie Leonard (Wales) | jleonard@chicltd.co.ukJoanne Heyes (North) | jheyes@chicltd.co.ukStephen Sharman (London) |ssharman@chicltd.co.uk
You can read this paper for yourself on the link below.Powering Up Britain - Joint Overview (publishing.service.gov.uk) 

DELIVERING WARMER AND SAFER HOMES IN WALESCHIC promotes and supports collaborative partnerships between its members and the wide range of supply chain partners they access via CHIC.

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 Registered Social Landlords through the Optimised Retrofit Programme (ORP). This draws from the principles set out in the “Better Homes, Better Wales, Better World” report.

CHIC thought it would be a good opportunity to host a roundtable event to bring together social landlords and supply chain partners, to consider how we can create effective delivery of the ORP, by ensuring that the sector has the right tools and solutions in place, with added social value.

The event was held on 23rd March 2023 and attended by 42 stakeholders.

Updates on progress so far were provided by Chris Jofeh (Chair of the Independent Implementation Group on the Decarbonisation of Existing Homes) and on behalf of Welsh Government. These provided an overview of the background to ORP, progress to date and the next steps for the sector.
View the presentation content here
Stakeholders all then contributed to some vibrant roundtable discussions, centered around the topics below:• ORP Investment Programme Planning• ORP Project Delivery• ORP Supply Chain Engagement• ORP Programme Collaboration
A summary of the conclusions reached can be found here

To find out more about CHIC’s retrofitting DPS, please contact Jackie Leonard, Head of Member Services (Wales) jleonard@chicltd.co.uk

Led by chief executive Andrew Carpenter, Constructing Excellence Midlands is a progressive membership organisation committed to improving business performance in the construction industry by driving innovation and best practice across the Midlands. It is a cross-sector, cross-supply chain, member-led organisation operating for the betterment of the industry and its stakeholders - encouraging professionals to drive change and improvements. Members to CE Midlands have access to a range of knowledge-sharing and best practice events and forums, as well as local clubs and four theme groups - which champion thought leadership discussions across future skills, smart construction, climate crisis and building safety. The organisation also publishes best practice guides on a diverse number of topics, from procurement to mediation. Members have access to training, technical support and opportunities to promote projects where business objectives have demonstrably benefitted from the application of best practice methods and innovative construction technology. For CHIC members in other geographical regions there are other CE regional groups available – for details click here https://constructingexcellence.org.uk/regions/. For younger professionals in construction, CE Midlands runs the incredibly successful G4C Midlands group. G4C provides a dedicated forum and series of events for young professionals to come together to share knowledge, experience and opinions to collectively broaden their understanding of the construction landscape and develop their network. CE Midlands also offers a Diploma in Collaboration in Construction, in which course tutors from leading construction firms across the Midlands deliver experience-led educational insights on topics including the Value Toolkit, designing for the environment and collaborative forms of contract. The CE Midlands Awards celebrates best practice across the Midlands built environment. Tickets are available for the West Midlands awards dinner, taking place on 1 June at Edgbaston Cricket Ground in Birmingham. There is still time to enter the East Midlands Awards, with entries open until 5 May and the awards dinner taking place on 29 June at the Crowne Plaza hotel in Nottingham. Entries are welcomed from developers, clients, contractors, specialist and sub-contractors, engineers, of all disciplines, members of the design team and other consultants.