Speaker Greg Birch

Collaboration: The basis of best practice, Conference speaker Greg Birch talks to PfH.

PfH Member Greg Birch, Director of Property Management, from Shepherds Bush Housing Group will be delivering a session entitled "Good things come in small packages" at the PfH Annual Conference and Exhibition 2009 taking place on Tuesday 24th November.

With funding and budgets becoming more and more stretched for Housing Associations, Greg believes collaborative procurement is a necessity for cost efficiency. At the Conference, Greg will be discussing how PfH Members can support local merchants whilst securing the most efficient procurement terms.

PfH caught up with Greg to find out more on his views on why collaboration is fundamental to success.

Tell us about your career background. How did you get to the role you are in today?

I knew that after graduating from Sheffield Hallam University in 1985, with a degree in Construction, that I did not want a career as a site manager, as I had spent a year on a building site as part of my degree course. The constant cold and rain, even in the summer, put me off that career path. My girlfriend at the time, now my wife, was studying for a degree in Housing Management and suggested the working with a Housing Association would be a different and exciting. So, I secured a job with the Southern Housing Group in London, as a Regional Surveyor, followed by a post as an Area Technical Manager with Places for People. After 10 years of working for regional and national organisations, I applied for the post of Property Manager with the tenant influenced Shepherds Bush Housing Association and 12 years later I am still here, but now in the role of Director of Property Management.

Tell us about one important collaboration which led to creativity or discovery.

The biggest, and most successful, collaboration of my career has been the formation of a joint venture company, by Shepherds Bush Housing Association and our responsive maintenance contractor, Collective Maintenance Solutions Ltd, called Domus Maintenance Services LLP. The idea of forming a joint venture company began 2 years ago when CMS became the sole provider of our responsive maintenance service. We agreed to jointly procure a repairs reporting system, transfer the repairs call centre to CMS and price the contract using an Open Book Fixed Price Framework. This new partnering arrangement went live on 1st September 2007. A year later, CMS took over the Association's gas servicing contract. Then in April 2009, CMS took over the out of hours call handling service. Finally, on 1st August 2009, the joint venture company, Domus, went live. Over the past two years, the responsive maintenance performance indicators have improved rapidly, tenant satisfaction is sky high, the maintenance budgets are under control and Domus has saved the Association over £250,000 through reduced VAT payments on the labour force and the management fee paid to CMS. The joint venture company is managed by an independent Board, on which Shepherds Bush Housing Association have the controlling interest.

What is going to be your main message to social housing organisations at the Conference?

Firstly, join PfH. Then, thoroughly explore the contracts that PfH have entered into. There are numerous contracts, which offer excellent value for money for Housing Associations of all sizes and locations.

What's so good about collaborative procurement? Why does it often lead to innovation? Why is it so important for the future of the social housing sector?

Collaborative procurement allows Housing Associations to benefit from the best practice in procurement and obtain value for money, which cannot be realised on an individual basis. The leading officers in PfH use the expertise that they have gained from liaising with their member organisations to develop innovation in procurement. With funding and budgets becoming more and more stretched for Housing Associations, collaborative procurement is becoming an increasing important tool for driving down costs. UNIMER have become an important tool in driving costs down. PfH members can have confidence that when procuring material from UNIMER builders merchants they will obtain excellent value for money at any outlet that they visit whilst supporting local providers.

What can housing officers do to foster a collaborative environment? What is the key to collaborative success?

Open and honest exchanges of best practice is the best way to foster a collaborative environment. Housing Officers must seek continuous improvement and obtain best practice from within and outside the social housing sector. UNIMER members have demonstrated that they are willing to operate in a collaborative environment and that value for money can still be achieved.

Tell us about an example of collaborative excellence that is already delivering innovation and ideas.

Five years ago, Shepherds Bush Housing Association formed a development partnership with Origin Housing Group and Octavia Housing, called Connected. Over the last five years that partnership has extended to Property Management, Housing Services, Human Resources and Finance. The Property Management teams have worked together on the joint procurement and project management of the Decent Homes programme, joint training, an annual technical conference and, recently, best practice seminars. The three organisations are using UNIMER members to procure materials for their Decent Homes programme.