Is procurement finally getting the recognition it deserves in social housing?

The results from our 2026 Member Insight Report make for interesting reading. More than eight in ten respondents told us they believe procurement’s standing in the social housing sector has risen. For anyone who has spent years arguing that procurement is a strategic function rather than a back-office compliance exercise, that’s a meaningful shift.

But the same report also tells a more complicated story. Nearly half of procurement teams still feel they don’t have enough people to do the job properly. Capacity remains the number one challenge, cited more than any other issue by the professionals who took part in our survey. And while 35% of teams grew in the last twelve months, that growth is unlikely to be evenly spread. Smaller housing associations, already stretched, are probably lagging furthest behind.

That gap between ambition and resource matters more right now than it ever has. The Procurement Act 2023 came into force in February 2025, bringing with it a significantly heavier administrative load. More notices, greater transparency obligations, full contract lifecycle management. The legislation is designed to drive better outcomes, and we believe it will, but it demands more from procurement teams at exactly the point when many are already running close to capacity. As the government’s own guidance notes, the Act requires contracting authorities to publish information at every stage of a procurement, from pre-market engagement through to contract termination.

Our survey found that 75% of respondents have now updated their policies and procedures in light of the Act, a 20-point jump on the previous year. That’s genuinely encouraging. But it also means a quarter of organisations haven’t, and 43% still have significant or some changes left to make. In a sector where the Regulator of Social Housing can now impose unlimited fines for non-compliance, it’s a risk worth taking seriously.

There is a broader context to all of this that makes getting procurement right so important. The government has set a target of 1.5 million new homes by the end of parliament, though the Office for Budget Responsibility has already flagged that this looks challenging to achieve. Demand for social housing continues to grow, with projections suggesting waiting lists could reach 1.35 to 1.36 million households by the end of 2026 if current trends continue. Against that backdrop, the ability to procure compliantly, efficiently and at pace isn’t a nice-to-have. It’s fundamental to delivering the homes and services that residents need.

The good news from our survey is that procurement teams know this, and they’re responding. Strengthening contract management came out as one of the top opportunities for the year ahead. Improving internal collaboration was close behind. These should not be viewed as defensive priorities. Instead, they’re the building blocks of a more strategic, commercially minded function.

There’s also a growing recognition that frameworks have a bigger role to play. Our data shows that 40% of respondents plan to increase their use of frameworks over the next twelve months. This makes sense. For teams under pressure, a well-run framework removes the need to run a full procurement process every time, freeing up resource to focus on the work that genuinely requires professional judgement and market expertise.

What strikes us most from this year’s findings is that the direction is right. Procurement is being taken more seriously, teams are growing, the language around the function is shifting from compliance to value. But intent only goes so far without investment. The organisations that will get the most from the Procurement Act, and from their procurement functions more broadly, are those that treat people, capability and capacity as a priority rather than an afterthought.

If our survey findings resonate with what you’re experiencing in your own organisation, we’d welcome the conversation. Download the full 2026 Member Insight Report to see how your team compares.

By Guy Stapleford, Head of Consultancy Services, PfH

About Guy Stapleford

Guy Stapleford is a commercial procurement specialist with nearly 20 years’ experience in the public sector and housing association sectors.

Currently Head of Consultancy Services at Inprova Group, Guy has also held senior roles as Head of Procurement at Paradigm Housing Group and Bracknell Forest Homes, and Senior Category Manager at Brent Council.

His expertise spans procurement strategy development, contract and supplier management, strategic sourcing, and delivering sustainable cost savings across property, development, and housing operations.

With experience managing procurement portfolios worth over £100m and leading large-scale transformation projects, Guy combines commercial acumen with practical implementation skills, helping organisations embed professional procurement functions and drive measurable efficiencies across their supply chains.