CHIC CHAT

CHIC Conference 2024

CHIC CONFERENCE & EXHIBITION - WEDNESDAY 22ND MAY 2024
at Telford International Centre

FIVE REASONS WHY YOU SHOULD ATTEND

CONFERENCE PROGRAMME – ten interactive workshops covering today’s asset management hot topics – retrofit repairs, building safety, planned investment and new development. Chaired by the BBC Home Editor, Mark Easton, with other industry experts to share their views and insights.

PROGRESSIVE LEARNING – the workshops cater to the varied needs of the sector, offering learning opportunities for all of CHIC’s stakeholders. For our members and supply chain partners involved in procurement, strategic asset management and operational service delivery, there is a workshop for you. CHIC is CPD registered and certificates will be available

COMPREHENSIVE EXHIBITION – workshops will be held within an exhibition hall with over 50 exhibitors, who support our members across all of our services. This is an ideal opportunity to meet CHIC’s supply chain partners in an informal environment and for them to be able to explain their services and products.

NETWORKING OPPORTUNITIES – complementary lunch and refreshments are provided within the exhibition hall and the programme provides ample opportunity for CHIC’s members and other stakeholders to meet and network. CHIC has helped to forge many strong partnerships through past conferences.

CELEBRATING SUCCESS – the workshops during the day will share relevant case studies, helping delegates to understand successes across social housing sector’s asset management activities. In the evening after the conference CHIC’s associated charity, CHIP, will hold a social value awards dinner, celebrating individual and organisational achievements and raise funds for added social value.

CHIC CONFERENCE 2023 HIGHLIGHTS

THE EXHIBITION – NOW OPEN FOR REGISTRATIONS

Exhibition bookings are now open for registration. We have a variety of stand spaces and sponsorship opportunities available. Be sure to secure your place as soon as possible.

BOOK YOUR EXHIBITION SPACE

Updates from CHIC

CHIC Board Recruitment

CHIC’s Board represents all members to ensure the effective governance and strategic leadership of the consortium. The Board comprises of at least 8 member representatives and up to 3 independents, including an Independent Chair.

Two of our Board members, both of whom have served for six years on the Board, have recently resigned, as they are taking up consultancy opportunities for the next stages of their careers. We therefore have two vacancies on the Board for member representatives.

The current Board will select replacement directors against an overall skills matrix, to ensure that directors have the necessary skills and experience to maintain effective strategic control of CHIC on behalf of all members.

The commitment is to prepare for and attend four Board meetings and a Strategic Awayday each year. If you are interested in becoming a member representative on CHIC’s Board, please contact our Chief Executive (jfisher@chicltd.co.uk) who can provide further information on the role and the recruitment process.

Building Safety Webinar (Revisit)

CHIC recently held its “Building Safety Act: Keeping Up with the Pace” webinar which provided a comprehensive overview of the background and context surrounding this crucial legislation, highlighting the significant changes that have occurred in recent years. With a regime change which took effect on October 1st and an anticipated delivery date in April, it is essential to stay informed and prepared.

CHIC team members Michael Harris and Liam Gratty were joined by Stewart Reid from Wates Group, Holly Watson and David Calvert from Frankham and Mark Williams from Twinnedit.

WATCH THE WEBINAR

The panel deliberated on strategies to effectively inform and involve Social Housing Providers in the building safety process, gearing up for the new gateway regime for higher risk buildings. They also shared approaches to upholding the Golden Thread throughout design and construction, along with effectively managing the associated data.

Thank you to all our speakers for sharing their insights and knowledge and to everyone who attended on the day.

If you would like more information about the Building Safety Act or more about contributing to future CHIC Webinars, please contact marketing@chicltd.co.uk

Healthy Homes

CHIC is delighted to invite tenders for a new Healthy Homes framework, aiming to help address its members needs to help resolve energy inefficiency and poor living standards in their residents’ homes. This framework will include consultants, contractors and digital solutions for sustainable, cost effective and socially responsible retrofitting and property safety measures.

Understanding the Framework

This comprehensive four-year framework encompasses a diverse range of solutions designed to enhance residential properties and improve tenants' lives. It enables landlords to seamlessly execute retrofit energy efficiency solutions and property safety refurbishments. Through strategic collaboration with CHIC's supply chain partners, it includes Consultancy Services, Fabric First Measures, Ventilation Systems, Renewable Energy and Heat Systems, House Refurbishment, Damp and Mould Treatments and cutting edge Digital Measuring Tools and Platforms.

Meeting a Crucial Market Need

The requirement for this framework is underscored by the urgent market need for sustainable and socially responsible buildings that are compliant with ever changing regulatory standards. With energy inefficiency posing a significant challenge and safety concerns increasing in recent years, a structured and comprehensive approach becomes imperative. This framework serves as a bridge, aligning the needs of landlords and tenants while driving the sector towards a more sustainable future.

Compliant with PAS 2030 and 2035 and Building Safety Bill standards, it serves as a unified solution for landlords to realise their net-zero emissions goals. By integrating goods, works and services, it streamlines the process of surveying, design, coordination, assessment and implementation, making sustainability and safety more attainable.

"CHIC is delighted to be able to meet a crucial market need through our highly anticipated framework, supporting our members to champion sustainability and safety as part of their wider approach to delivering their asset management strategies. This milestone reflects our commitment to driving positive change, ensuring that every individual has access to a safe, efficient and socially responsible living environment. " Luke Hurd, Chief Operating Officer at CHIC.

Separating the Works

The framework is divided into three distinct lots to ensure the right suppliers can deliver the works:

Lot 1 – Consultancy Services: Tailored for firms specialising in consultancy and design services, it invites expertise in strategizing, assessing, planning and advising on energy efficiency and safety enhancements.

Lot 2 – Works and Services: Designed for suppliers offering tangible services, this lot encompasses the execution of retrofitting measures, property safety refurbishments and the implementation of various solutions specified within the framework.

Lot 3 - Digitisation: Focused on innovative digital solutions, it welcomes suppliers skilled at providing digital tools and platforms essential for measuring, monitoring and managing the effectiveness of the implemented solutions.

CHIC welcomes tender submissions from consultants, suppliers and contractors specialising in the aforementioned lots for this framework, from SME’s to Tier 1 contractors. The deadline for submissions is 2nd February 2024.

Get in touch

For further information about the Frameworks or the tendering process, please contact Ade Osunsanmi, Senior Procurement Manager, at tenders@chicltd.co.uk.

To tender for one of these three lots, please click this link: CHIC Healthy Homes Framework 2024-28

CHIP

CHIC's Social Value Commitment: Empowering Communities Through CHIP's Community Chest Fund

As part of our dedication to social impact, CHIC allocates funds to CHIP to administer its Community Chest Fund, supporting projects and initiatives that directly enhance the lives of individuals and communities within CHIC's member areas.

The funds provided empower local groups and community stakeholders to make significant improvements to community wellbeing and generate social value. As long as there is a clear vision for community benefit and positive impact on peoples lives, the project is eligible for consideration.

Applications for the fund are open to all, but they are primarily restricted to groups or organisations with an existing relationship with one or more Social Housing Providers which are members of CHIC. This approach ensures that projects supported by CHIP create added social value in communities where CHIC operates.

For individual projects, applicants can request up to £5,000. The application form and guidance documents can be accessed on CHIP's website at CHIP's Community Chest Fund.

Funds for 2023-24 are still available and we encourage applications to support your projects.

Previous Beneficiaries:

Last year, the Community Chest Fund supported initiatives such as:

• Bounce Back in Lambeth, London, aiding ex-offenders in their journey toward self-employment through a digital badges program.

• The Springfield Project in Birmingham, enriching the lives of local children, youth, and families through empowering community activities.

• Lola’s Kitchen in Telford, offering cooking skills and budget-friendly cooking sessions to reduce loneliness and encourage socialisation.

For more information about the fund, please reach out to Emma Macaulay, Social Value Manager, at emacaulay@chipcharity.org.uk.

Wales ORP Roundtable

Last month, CHIC hosted part 2 in its series of roundtable events in Wales to bring together social landlords and supply chain partners, to consider how we can create effective delivery of the Optimised Retrofit Programme (ORP) by ensuring that the sector has the right tools and solutions in place, with added social value.

The event was held on 15th November in Cardiff and attended by 50 stakeholders.

Updates on progress so far and effective solutions for delivery were presented by a range of speakers including Mike Kelly from Evolve, Darren Phelan from The MSS Group and Andrew Partington from Netret Group. We were also joined by two additional presenters who contributed to a Q&A discussion with delegates, Daniel Dunning from Welsh Government and Dusi Thomas from Bron Afon. We thank them all for their valuable insights and contributions to the day.

Click here for the full report on the Roundtable Discussion

The discussions were very positive, centered around the Wales Optimised Retrofit Programme (ORP) and its integration with the Welsh Housing Quality Standard (WHQS) 2023. There was a comprehensive gathering of industry experts and stakeholders which emphasised the importance of a tenant focused approach to upgrading social housing, acknowledging the impact on health, education and overall wellbeing.

Highlights from the Discussion:

Alignment with Standards: WHQS 2023 was applauded for aligning with the ORP strategy, catering to tenant needs and positive outcomes.

Challenges and Solutions: Challenges in data usage, skills gaps, structural concerns and legislative adaptations were identified. Efforts were underway to address these challenges through improved data utilisation and better qualifications for surveyors.

Long Term Funding and Planning: Discussions revolved around funding longevity, diverse data capture and challenges in conducting effective surveys. Suggestions included seeking indicative funding for effective ORP planning and advocating for more thoughtful project planning.

Retrofit Implementation Learning: Learning from early collaboration, challenges in pre-works and defining success factors for effective retrofit implementation were highlighted. Collaboration, data quality and a fabric-first approach were emphasised for success.

Conclusion: The comprehensive discussions highlighted the need for collaboration, strategic planning and alignment with long term investment for effective ORP implementation. The report provides detailed insights into challenges, proposed solutions and key takeaways for industry players to consider in optimising retrofit programmes in Wales.

The event was kindly sponsored by:

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

WHQS 2023

Following our recent articles on the consultation of WHQS 2023, Welsh Government has now released the full guidance for maintaining and improving social housing in Wales. This is welcoming news to the sector, providing an updated standard from the original introduced in 2002 and then revised in 2008.

From reading the standard, it is really encouraging that Welsh Government has listened to the feedback from the sector and has aligned it with the ORP strategy. They (Welsh Government) has said that WHQS 2023 is a tenant focused Standard, designed to upgrade social homes in a way that contributes to positive health, education and wellbeing outcomes for tenants.

Here is a link to the new standard

The purpose of the Welsh Housing Quality Standard is to ensure that all social housing in Wales is of good quality. All social homes must:

1. Be in a good state of repair

2. Be safe and secure

3. Be affordable to heat and have minimal environmental impact

4. Have an up-to-date kitchen and utility area

5. Have an up-to-date bathroom

6. Be comfortable and promote wellbeing

7. Have a suitable garden

8. Have an attractive outside space.

One of the major changes is that the landlords must carry out a Whole Stock Assessment and produce Target Energy Pathways for their homes (3d).

A Whole Stock Assessment is a review of a landlord’s stock condition and energy efficiency data, software and data analytical skills with the purpose of gaining sufficient understanding of their current housing stock. A Target Energy Pathway identifies measures that can lead to the decarbonisation of an individual dwelling such that it can be heated by a low carbon heating system at affordable cost.

One of the other major changes is that at change of tenancy, all habitable rooms (bedrooms and living rooms), staircases and landings located within the home should have suitable floor coverings (6b). This is an addition to the floor covering for the Kitchen and Bathroom areas that was in the last standard.

Landlords will be expected to ensure that all their homes reach a fabric-based EPC band C by 2029.

Here at CHIC, we have different routes to market to help with these changes.

Dynamic Purchasing Systems (DPS)

CHIC has four bespoke Wales Retrofit ORP DPSs’. These cover consultancy, installations, materials and compliance. They cover all the areas of decarbonisation works that the sector require. The advantages to using our DPSs’ are:

• Contractors and suppliers can join at any time

• Easier for SMEs’/ Micro SMEs to participate

• If leaseholder consultation is required for a project, then the DPS still enables an efficient route to market

• Flexible as the market and technology changes

As well as the four dedicated DPSs’. We offer over 17 route to market DPS solutions that will cover all avenues for social housing.

A full list can be found here

Unranked Frameworks

The social housing sector plays a crucial role in ensuring that people have access to affordable and secure homes. To achieve this goal, housing providers often engage in procurement processes to acquire goods, services and construction projects through housing consortia like CHIC. Traditionally, these processes have involved ranked frameworks, where contractors and suppliers are ranked in order based on their overall tendered scores (quality & cost). However, unranked procurement frameworks are becoming increasingly popular in the social housing sector.
CHIC has promoted using unranked frameworks for many years. In this blog, I will explore the benefits of adopting unranked procurement frameworks, emphasising how they contribute to efficiency, flexibility, innovation and a level playing field for SMEs’ right through to Tier 1 contractors.
One of the key advantages that CHIC has seen in the use of our unranked frameworks is the promotion of variety among suppliers as unranked systems encourage a broader pool of suppliers to tender. This diversity can and does lead to increased competition, stimulating a more dynamic marketplace where the potential of a direct award contract is available to all the awarded framework suppliers. This also gives CHIC members the opportunity to not only collaborate with local suppliers/contractors but also to push social value impacts in their communities.
Unranked frameworks offer social landlords, housing authorities and any other public body greater flexibility in decision making. Instead of being restricted by a predetermined ranking that may not fully capture the complexities of a project, decision makers can consider a broader range of factors, including expertise, implementation complexity and the use of a local work force. This flexibility allows for a more tailored approach to each procurement process, ensuring that the specific needs of a project are met without being constrained by other pre-determined rigid criteria.
Choosing unranked procurement frameworks in social housing can boost innovation and enhance quality. Without strict rankings, decision makers can prioritise suppliers with innovative technologies and sustainable practices. This focus on innovation can result in adopting advanced construction methods and energy efficient technologies, benefiting social housing project residents.
By utilising CHIC’s frameworks housing authorities and public bodies are able to mitigate risks. Instead of solely relying on supplier rankings, decision makers can individually assess risk factors for each potential contractor. By working with CHIC’s Member Services Team to create a compliant business case for a direct award contract or a focussed mini-competition, this method of procurement allows for a comprehensive evaluation of a supplier's financial stability, past performance and ability to manage risks, ultimately minimising the chances of project failures.
In the evolving landscape of the social housing sector, CHIC’s frameworks offer both progressive and adaptable options. As Head of Partnerships at CHIC I collaborate and engage with the supply chain to actively promote diversity, flexibility, innovation and fairness through our (CHIC’s) frameworks, empowering social landlords to make decisions that best serve their asset management programmes as well as promoting social value into their communities.
CHIC has several forthcoming new frameworks which will be released to market in the coming weeks including Kitchens & Bathrooms, Mechanical and Electrical and Passive Fire protection, and I look forward to supporting our vast supply chain to become one of accredited service providers for our members.

Mike HarrisHead of Partnershipse: mharris@chicltd.co.uk | m: 07468 697613

HOMES UK

THE CHIC COMMUNITY

Many thanks to all of CHIC’s partners who exhibited with us at HOMES UK and those who visited us in the ‘CHIC Community’. We caught up with hundreds of our members and partners over the two days and saw many new faces.

Our Exhibitors:

Sero – https://sero.life/

MSS Group - https://www.themssgroup.co.uk/

Sovereign Group - https://www.sovereigngroup.com/

EA-RS Group - https://ea-rsgroup.com/

JNP Group - https://www.jnpgroup.co.uk/

Novus - https://www.novus.ac.uk/

ARK Consultancy - https://www.arkconsultancy.co.uk/

Pennington Choices – https://www.pennington.org.uk/

JELD-WEN – https://www.jeld-wen.co.uk/

TwinnedIT - https://www.twinnedit.com/

Niyaa People - https://www.niyaapeople.co.uk/

DorSuite - https://www.dorsuite.com/

CWG - https://cwggroup.co.uk/

PlugMeIn - https://www.plugmein.com/

BAXI - https://www.baxi.co.uk/

Hewer FM - https://www.hewerfm.co.uk/

IG Doors - https://www.igdoors.co.uk/

Luke Hurd, CHIC’s Chief Operating officer, along with representatives from Inenco Group, Metropolitan Thames Valley Housing, Energy Saving Trust and HACT had some interesting discussions around addressing core challenges for getting registered providers data ready for better energy and carbon performance.

Luke Hurd, Chief Operating Officer

M: 07497044014 E: lhurd@chictd.co.uk

The three latest additions to CHIC’s Member Services Team Sarah Degg (West), Chris Brockwell (South) and Adrian Hussain (East) had a great time introducing themselves to our members as their key representative, helping to ensure a smooth procurement process by providing ongoing member support and advice. Their contact details are:

Sarah Degg, Head of Member Services (West), sdegg@chicltd.co.uk

Chris Brockwell, Head of Member Services (South), cbrockwell@chicltd.co.uk

Adrian Hussain, Head of Member Services (East), ahussain@chicltd.co.uk

Enjoy exhibiting with us or want to be part of the CHIC Community next year?

We are delighted to have rebooked the CHIC Community Pavilion and have 14 exhibition slots available for booking. We have taken your feedback onboard and now have an exciting new layout to enhance networking opportunities. If you would like to book your place, please click the link below:

CHIC CHAT

CHIC Conference 2024

Updates from CHIC

Healthy Homes

CHIP

Wales ORP Roundtable

WHQS 2023

Unranked Frameworks

HOMES UK

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