CHIC CHAT

CHIC Conference 2023

This year CHIC’s conference and Exhibition moved to a new events venue, the International Conference Centre in Telford. It was held on Wednesday 24th May and attended by our 500 members and supply chain partners.

Delegates attended a range of workshops, connecting the strategic challenges facing the housing and construction sectors to operational realities and procurement solutions. With CHIC’s focus on collaboration and partnerships, stakeholders could meet, share and learn.

It was attended by:

The conference concluded with an inspiring keynote session hearing from Elizabeth Froude, Chief Executive of Platform Housing Group, Andrew Cameron-Smith, Content Director of Unlock Net Zero and Chris Jofeh, Chair of Independent Implementation Group on the Decarbonisation of Existing Homes for the Welsh Government. They each shared their thoughts on the big issues affecting the housing sector over the next 5 years, with particular focus on decarbonisation, skills shortages and building safety.

Closing remarks were delivered by CHIC’s Chair, Maggie Punyer, who thanked all attendees and introduced Amanda Long, who will be taking over as Chair of CHIC in June 2024.

Many thanks to all of our speakers and session chairs. A special thank you to our host BBC Home Editor Mark Easton, who helped us focus on what the sector needs to achieve.

The topical workshops shared knowledge, best practice solutions and case studies about the sectors current and future challenges. Each session concluded with an engaged Q&A with our panels of speakers. Thank you to all those that contributed and if you didn’t get the chance to ask your questions, please email marketing@chicltd.co.uk who will put you in touch. The presentation content from the day is also available on request.

One of the highlights of the event was the vibrant networking opportunity that enabled attendees to connect, exchange ideas and meet the CHIC team.The exhibition was a vibrant hub showcasing some of the latest innovations, services and products from a range of CHIC’s supply chain partners. There was a definite ‘buzz’ to the event, with all stakeholders agreeing it was a great opportunity to network and catch up on current sector news and views.

We look forward to welcoming you all back next year
More details will be publicised shortly. If you would like to register your interest for next year, please do so HERE

Grateful thanks to our Headline Sponsor

And thanks to our Sponsors

CHIP Dinner

On 24th May CHIP held its first annual Charity & Awards Dinner at the Telford International Centre. The evening was attended by a range of CHIC’s members and supply chain partners, where we celebrated the social value support CHIP contributes to in the communities which CHIC operates.

120 guests enjoyed great food and company. They heard from the Chair of CHIP’s Trustees, Tracey O’Brien and from Fadzai Dzimwasha from Bounce Back. CHIP provides financial support to Bounce Back which focuses on the training and employment support for people in and leaving prison. Bounce Back work inside and outside of prisons, with a firm belief that everyone has the ability to change and deserves an opportunity to do so.

CHIP is grateful to all stakeholders who provide sponsorship and who supported the event, giving generously to help us raise funds for more social value support.

CHIP was proud to present four awards, that recognise the social value achievements of our partners, apprentices, and mentors. The nominations that we received were of a really high standard and were great examples of the programmes and achievements our partners support.

Social Value Employer of the Year – Winner and Runner-up

Bell Group was the justified winner of this award. They have built a fantastic programme to support their staff and apprentices, having a positive impact in communities in which they work. Bell Group delivered 203 work placements in 2022, of which they employed 101 apprentices. In 2023 they will succeed in delivering over 200 work placements with a commitment of offering over 50% of attendees a Bell apprenticeship commencing this summer. This award is a testament to the hard work and commitment of all of their staff. Congratulations Bell Group!

Aico was selected as a close ‘runner-up’. Aico builds strong partnerships with local community groups and organisations to deliver meaningful, long lasting social value and sustainable futures. Since the formation of their CSR initiative, Aico has made Community Donations of £803K, supported 245 projects; hosted 177 Educational visits; provided 873 hours of volunteering with £80k Colleague fundraising. A fantastic social value programme, with brilliant outcomes for the communities they have supported. Well done, Aico!

Apprentice of the Year – Winner and Runner-up

Trish Barnes at The Wrekin Housing Group very deservedly won this award, where she is training as an apprentice plasterer. Trish has proven to be an exceptional member of the Groups team, where she applies her efforts and her time to supporting others, outside of her apprentice role. “Trish has applied herself amicably to her plastering apprenticeship and is an admirable role model for females in Construction.” Trish stood out for this award due to always going above and beyond, for her own personal development and for the benefit of the organisation and providing excellent customer service. Huge congratulations to Trish!

Lucy Taylor, a trainee quantity surveyor at J Tomlinson won the runner-up award where despite joining the business during the Covid-19 pandemic, she has established herself to be a reliable member of the team and has grown in confidence. She takes the lead on contracts, uses her initiative to complete vital tasks and displays the key qualities of a team player, consistently embedding J Tomlinson’s ‘one team’ values and behaviours. Lucy’s eagerness to learn and grow is a testament to her ambition to progress within the industry. Well done Lucy.

High Achiever of the Year – Above & Beyond

Terri Walker, Customer Engagement Manager at J Tomlinson joined as a Resident Liaison Officer in 2020. After demonstrating exemplary customer support, she has been continually commended as a rising star within the company, being promoted after 18 months to Senior Resident Liaison Officer and a further promotion to Customer Engagement Manager in November 2022. Terri has delivered over 80 hours of school engagement sessions so far this year, often working above her working hours to support communities. She has worked tirelessly to develop strong working relationships with schools, colleges and universities to arrange employability events. A fantastic achievement for Terri in winning this award!

Mentor of the Year – Ian Winslet Award

This award was introduced by Helen Scurr, Director of ARK Consultancy. ARK sponsored the award in memory of Ian Winslet, a former colleague who passed away in late 2022 suffering from pancreatic cancer. Ian was a qualified coach and mentor.

Richard Orders, Senior Category Manager at Platform Housing Group won this award based on his support and commitment to apprentices within his team. “Richard's exceptional mentorship and dedication to supporting apprentices has a ripple effect on the overall organisational culture. His approach of empowering learners, promoting innovation, and valuing individual needs sets a positive example for others within the organisation.” Congratulations Richard on winning this highly acclaimed award and for the work you do supporting others to thrive and achieve within Platform!

John Fisher, CHIC’s Chief Executive and Director of Ark said “we were delighted to hear Richard had won this award. He has been closely involved with CHIC since the consortium was launched and is a true procurement professional. It is great to see him rewarded for passing on his talent to his apprentices.”

In addition to the success of our award winners, we are so grateful to our sponsors and donors of raffle prizes who helped us make the evening such a success. The raffle raised over £1,000 at the dinner, contributing to more social value support by CHIP.

We look forward to welcoming you all to our 2024 event!

CHIC Routes to Market

CHIC has two new frameworks in the pipeline and will be available for members in Q1 2023/24.

CHIC Newbuild Framework
CHIC has conducted the necessary pre-market engagement activities to meet the immediate and future requirements of CHIC members and now published the 1st stage Pre-Qualification Questionnaire (PQQ) to procure a new 8-year framework for Newbuild Development and related works and services.
The extended duration of the framework recognises the long lead in times for newbuild and regeneration and the need to share learning from scheme to scheme (across projects and members) to secure continuous improvement.
Although generally housing focused, being primarily Housing Associations and Local Authority landlords, some members are more diverse (education, health, commercial sectors), so the Framework is being procured for a wider range of needs than just housing.
CHIC has been actively promoting the use of Modern Methods of Construction, adopting off-site manufactured housing solutions, recognising the benefits of construction quality, speed, capacity and environmental impact. CHIC does though recognise that different solutions are needed for certain projects, so this Framework is intended to give members options to select the most appropriate ‘route to market’ for their projects whilst supporting and promoting MMC.
The Framework will provide CHIC’s members with a compliant route to access via the following lots:
Lot 1: Consultancy services: for newbuild and regeneration projects

Lot 2: ContractorsWorkstream 1: Traditional construction brick and block- MMC Manufacturers:- fully modular (Workstream 2)- frame and panel (Workstream 3)- MMC manufacture and turnkey (Workstream 4)

Lot 3: Regeneration Contracts: for projects with newbuild and/or property and/or estate regeneration
Other CHIC members may require non residential newbuild development and property refurbishment or conversion, either as part or separately to a residential development project. Again, the Framework is intended to provide a compliant option for those developing organisations.
The Framework is being procured to meet the Gold Standard for public sector construction frameworks using the FAC-1 form of Framework Agreement, which supports collaboration. CHIC intends to use the Framework to share and promote best practice and learning across members and supply chain partners appointed to the framework, through a series of Stakeholder round table discussions, webinars, seminars and featured in a well attended workshop at CHIC’s Annual Conference and Exhibition in Telford on the 24th May 2023.
CHIC’s members can choose any form of contract for projects awarded under the framework.

CHIC Retrofit FrameworkThis Procurement will establish a multi supplier Framework Agreement as a route to market for the acquisition of retrofit energy efficiency measures and refurbishment works by its Members and other Contracting Bodies.
All organisations are required to have and maintain for the duration of the Framework;
TRUSTMARK registrationIt is a requirement that any organisation carrying out work within the scope of PAS2035:2019 and any of the Retrofit Roles is TrustMark Registered.

PAS 2030:2019 AccreditationIt is a requirement that any organisation that will install energy efficiency measures under any of the government supported initiatives such as Energy Company Obligation (ECO) must be certified to install the measures against the Publicly Available Specifications (PAS) standards 2030 by a certification body that has been accredited by UKAS.
Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS)It is a requirement that any organisation that will install low-carbon heat measures such as heat pumps under government driven initiatives must be certified with the MCS.
Lots will cover consultancy services for design and planning and retrofit coordination to PAS2035. Fabric measures, including but limited to, solid wall insulation, cavity & loft insulation, room in roof insulation, under floor insulation, draught proofing and airtightness. Ventilation systems and MVHR, renewable energy systems - solar photovoltaics and battery storage systems, air/ground source heating, heat networks, metering and monitoring, solar thermal systems and heating controls, plus one-stop shop whole house refurbishment works for both internal and external components, roofing, facias & soffits, windows & doors, kitchen and bathroom replacements.
The lot structure allows bidders to bid for the areas of work that fits with their capability, experience and expertise; there are no restrictions on which Lots or geographical regions bidders can bid for however bidders will be expected to demonstrate the ability and experience of delivering in the Lots and regions through the procurement process.

If you would like to know more about upcoming procurement opportunities, please get in touch with us at tenders@chicltd.co.uk

Searchflow

CHIC Members save up to 37% on the cost of conveyancing searches and gain greater portfolio visibility with intelligent data insights and analysis.SearchFlow’s Conveyancing Search Framework benefits all CHIC Members by reducing the disbursement fees for conveyancing searches by up to 37%.

The Conveyancing Framework enables CHIC members and their legal teams to access all elements of conveyancing search data with enhanced PII cover of up to £20m and backed up by SearchFlow’s multi award winning customer service.

CHIC members can benefit from these cost savings by either accessing SearchFlow’s services directly or by instructing one of the law firms on the CHIC Legal Framework.

Why partner with SearchFlow?SearchFlow informs and empowers social housing providers when it comes to:• Portfolio visibility• New build targets• Decarbonisation• Retrofit• Net zero and climate change• EPC Data and environmental risk analysis

Working with SearchFlow gives you access to a wealth of geospatial data to effectively manage your assets and streamline the way you work. SearchFlow enables their customers to understand and analyse risk across your entire property portfolios with summarised and granular data at your fingertips.

As part of Landmark Information Group, SearchFlow has access to an extensive wealth of data that is used across the property industry, every day, by developers, property lawyers, environmental consultants, estate agents, surveyors, architects and planners to help with confident decision making and property transactions.

Take a look at how our Geodata Team improved the management and insight of Wakefield District Housing’s portfolio here.

Meet The TeamThe SearchFlow Team will be exhibiting at the CHIC Conference and Exhibition on 24th May at Telford International Centre. We will be on Stand 8 so please feel free to come and have a chat with us.

Contact usIf you’d like any further information, or to speak with one of our team, you can contact us on 0800 977 8818 or email our team.

Housing 2023

Come and meet the CHIC team at Housing 2023!

27-29 June, Manchester CentralJoin us on stand G42 right outside of the conference entrance and register your attendance here if you haven’t done so already - https://housingevent.com/
It is expected to be a busy few days. If you would like to book a 121 meeting with someone in the CHIC team, please send an email to marketing@chicltd.co.uk

Drinks ReceptionWe will be hosting a drinks reception on stand G42 at 4pm on Wednesday 28th June. We look forward to welcoming some of CHIC’s members and supply chain partners for an informal catchup in the midst of the conference, so do join us if you can.

Please let us know if you can join us by Monday 19th June (marketing@chicltd.co.uk).

Materials Pricing

Materials & Merchants
CHIC’s merchant services, materials frameworks and dynamic purchasing system (DPS) allow members to work directly with a wide selection of market leading suppliers for materials and merchant services. CHIC can offer over the counter solutions, van stock management, delivered services or bespoke fully managed stores.
CHIC manages frameworks with a wide range of materials manufacturers and suppliers. We maintain price catalogues to help members choose the best value products for their planned programmes or new homes. These can be supplied to both internal and external contractors, for planned investment and newbuild projects.
CHIC also manages a comprehensive price catalogue for each materials manufacturer and merchant, to offer volume discounts and benchmarked value for money on all the materials and components most commonly used for responsive repairs and planned investment works.
CHIC reviews each members monthly spend data to identify any new products that are purchased on a regular basis; these are then added to the merchant catalogue with agreed prices.
The chart below shows CHIC’s price comparison over the last 12 years for a standard basket of goods, with CHIC’s annual budget price compared to the best price from 2011, had it been increased annually by CPI or KPI. This demonstrates that a CHIC materials price is consistently better value for money then the market average.

CHIC’s dedicated supply chain team keeps a close eye on material prices and with a monthly cost analysis monthly reported to our members.

To find out more, please get in touch with Giles gnewman@chicltd.co.uk

What’s happening at CHIC

CHIC has continued to widen its services over the last financial year and the further expansion of our operations team supports this growth and development. We are thrilled to introduce two key individuals who are joining our operations and procurement teams. Yolanda Binanga has joined as Operations Coordinator and Riten Aghera as Procurement Officer. Their experience and enthusiasm are sure to strengthen our services for members.
Yolanda will be supporting the CHIC team to ensure the business runs efficiently. Yolanda has a experience in supporting teams to optimise customer services.
Riten Aghera is a procurement professional, who will be a part of our team supporting strategic procurement and tendering exercises from inception to contract execution.
Next month, we will be introducing another new starter through our refreshed website at www.chicltd.co.uk. Our new recruitment page will let you know when new opportunities to work at CHIC arise.

Invitation to Mills & Reeve event with Andy Street, Mayor of the West Midlands: 'Business Collaboration to Design out Homelessness'

Mills & Reeve are proud to be the business representative on the WMCA Homelessness Taskforce.
Since 2017 the Taskforce has been working on a wide range of issues and initiatives ranging from Housing First through to research work on children and families in Temporary Accommodation. The purpose of the Taskforce has been to Design out Homelessness, in all its forms, by identifying gaps in strategies, policies, procedures, laws, structures, systems and relationships that either cause or fail to prevent homelessness, and to identify conditions for systems change by addressing these gaps.
Join them on Tuesday 27 June to welcome Andy Street, Mayor of the West Midlands as our keynote speaker, who set up the Taskforce with a commitment to bring together organisations, people and resources to tackle homelessness across the region.
With the cost of living crisis continuing to affect people across the region, this event will be an opportunity for businesses to engage with the taskforce and learn about the Designing Out Homelessness: Practical Steps for Business toolkit which was co-produced with Business in the Community.
You will hear from Andy and Jean Templeton CEO of St Basils examples of how the toolkit is already working but also how now more than ever we need to collectively seek to implement the actions set out in the toolkit to prevent homelessness within the regions workforce, give practical help to employees when issues arise, and create pathways to employment for people who have experienced homelessness.
REGISTER HERE: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/634725931347

Constructing Excellence

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.

CHIP’s Community Chest Fund

Part of CHIC’s commitment to social value is to donate money to CHIP to deliver its Community Chest Fund, to support individuals and groups with projects and initiatives that have a direct, positive impact on the people and communities in which CHIC’s members operate.

The money allocated to the Fund will enable local groups of residents and community stakeholders to secure meaningful improvements to community wellbeing and to create social value. There are no specific criteria required for the projects that we will fund, as long as there is a clear vision the project which will benefit communities, through having a positive impact, in improving the lives of people within them.

Any project or initiative can apply for support from the fund. However, applications are restricted to groups or organisations that are known to (and ideally have an existing relationship with) one or more Social Housing Provider that is a member of CHIC.

The maximum amount that can be applied for, for a single project is £5,000. If you have a project you think might benefit from support, further guidance and application details can be found on CHIP’s website https://www.chipcharity.org.uk/community-chest-fund/

You can apply at any time. If you have any questions regarding the fund, please contact Emma Macaulay, Social Value Manager – emacaulay@chipcharity.org.uk