"The Product Group sessions enable you to successfully network with colleagues from the sector. Through sharing ideas and experiences we have enjoyed successful outcomes whilst adding value and improving value for money"
Alan Ballantine, Group Procurement Manager, Gentoo Sunderland.
"Getting involved in PfH through Product Groups has enabled me to help to develop some key national framework agreements and influence the whole sector. For me though, its also about benchmarking and sharing ideas with sector colleagues - that makes it a really valuable experience."
Alan Ballantine, Group Procurement Manager, Gentoo Group.
Product Groups
Product Groups play a vital part in the development of purchasing agreements that deliver significant benefits for the UK's social housing sector. By getting involved, Members can enhance their knowledge of EU compliant procurement, network with sector colleagues and help to shape agreements for the whole sector.
PfH has upgraded the procedure of Product Groups for all new agreements, in order to invite PfH Members to participate in the specification of frameworks. Through online webinars, Members will be involved in establishing which questions to ask suppliers, agreeing scoring for the tender questions, and agreeing the evaluation matrix, as well as providing feedback on reports produced by PfH.
Product Group meetings will be carried out remotely using webinars to encourage greater Member involvement and participation from smaller organisations with smaller travel budgets. Equally, this will meet PfH's commitment to environmental sustainability. Members of the Product Group will be selected to reflect a balanced view of the current PfH membership base according to organisation type, organisation size and geographic location. Specifically, for each Product Group PfH will look to appoint at least one large and small Housing Association, ALMO and Local Authority.
If you are not appointed to a particular Product Group, please remember that PfH welcomes feedback on all of its agreements and is committed to facilitating this process. An online blog will be launched in February 2010 for all upcoming tenders, providing opportunity for Member comment. The feedback you provide is vital to the success of future agreements.
All upcoming tenders are featured on the PfH website. To express your interest in particular product areas, PfH requests that Members complete a short online form which can be found here.
