Name:

Greg Birch

Position:

Director of Property Management

Number of properties and location:

4500 West London

Direct Labour Organisation (DLO) used:

Joint Venture Company

Contractors used:

Domus Maintenance Services LLP

Merchants used:

BuildBase, Jewsons, PTS and UNIMER merchants

Manufacturers chosen:

Vokera boilers

What volume of business do you put through PfH's Materials Agreement?

We put through approximately £50,000 per month.

What benefits has PfH created for your organisation?

Quicker invoicing, electronic format easy to upload onto our repairs and accounting systems, single monthly statement, lower materials costs, costs are the same across all suppliers

Was it easy to set up with the Account Cards?

Yes

How did you make changes with your contractors? What advantages did you see? What did you have to consider?

Our contractor saw the benefits of the PfH materials agreement immediately and it wasn't hard to persuade them to buy into the agreement. They were already using a large percentage of the suppliers on the agreement. We saw the huge advantage of having one monthly invoice, which was sent promptly at the end of each month. The fact that the invoice was sent electronically has reduced data inputting immensely. Finally, a key advantage was the standard pricing arrangements through the agreement.

What savings do you expect to make annually?

We expect to save at least £50,000 per annum.

Have you managed to reinvest your procurement cost savings? How will your residents and their neighbourhoods benefit?

These cost savings have been reinvested straight into our responsive maintenance contract. The contractor's call centre now has more capacity to respond to tenant's enquiries, due to the reduction in their invoice inputting workload. We have used the money to invest in more directly employed operatives. The tenants benefit by getting their jobs completed quicker.

What would you say to other housing organisations that are considering becoming PfH Members?

Do it! It saves money and time and it's easy to implement.

How will your residents and their neighbourhoods benefit from this reinvestment?

Our responsive maintenance budget is higher, so residents benefit from a quicker service from the call centre and the operatives.