News
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PfH forges a new procurement alliance
1st February, 2012
PfH has announced that it is delighted to be one of the founder members of a new procurement alliance that will generate social outcomes as well as achieving the primary aim of creating more cost savings for over 1,000 social landlords. Alliance is a partnership between PfH, Fusion21 and the Northern Housing Consortium.
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HouseMark Procurement Clubs in 2012
18th January, 2012
Following the inaugural success of the HouseMark Procurement Clubs, PfH is delighted to announce dates for 2012.
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Retrofit for Housing Seminar Invitation
19th December, 2011
Meeting the retrofit challenge - Thursday 2nd February 2012, Manchester Conference Centre
Fuel poverty is probably the biggest challenge facing social landlords today. Nearly one fifth of social homes are so badly insulated and poorly heated that their tenants are classified as living in fuel poverty.
Things are set to get worse, the cost of carbon-based energy is predicted to rise dramatically in the next ten years as demand exceeds supply and the result is that one quarter of households, across all tenures, are expected to sink into fuel poverty.
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Special offer from Office Depot
24th November, 2011
To all members thinking about stationery & office supplies savings. If you would like us to conduct a benchmarking exercise on your behalf and receive a FREE desktop diary please contact cchamberlain@procurementforhousing.co.uk for further information.
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Quick wins to drive savings
23rd November, 2011
The effects of the Government’s £4 billion budget cut for social housing are far from over. Most of you will have seen staff redundancies, fewer affordable homes delivered and more people added to England’s 4.5 million housing waiting list. Budgets are under increased scrutiny as social housing providers scramble to help families into homes, so it is a smart approach to look at in-house costs and how they can be reduced before looking at more staff redundancies.
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CDP Print Management Celebrates 25th Acorn Client
22nd November, 2011
In a milestone event, Walsall Housing Group (WHG) has become the 25th Social Housing provider using CDP Print Management’s “Acorn” web ordering and template system.
“WHG own over 19,000 homes and is one of the largest and most successful providers of high quality housing in the West Midlands” says Fay Wood, Facilities Coordinator, WHG. ““Print is a key communications channel for whg and we needed to look at ways where we could streamline our processes, reduce admin, improve efficiencies, and deliver true VFM for our Tenants”.
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Apollo is constantly striving to raise health, safety and environmental standards for their customers
22nd November, 2011
Apollo Property Services Group, a supplier on the Solar PV, Solar Thermal and Voltage Optimisers Framework, has recently announced how it maintains a keen focus on continuous improvement in its approach to health, safety and the environment, across the business.
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Wolseley sale provides opportunity to deliver more on Materials
21st November, 2011
Builders Merchant and PfH Materials supplier Wolseley, has announced that it is selling its Electric Center and Build Center brands and both will cease being legal trading entities over the next few months. Electric Center will be sold to and branded as Edmundson, while Build Center will be sold to Saint-Gobain (subject to European approval) and branded as Jewson.
Steve Malone, Managing Director explains what this means for PfH Members.
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Contract challenges on the rise
5th October, 2011
The rise in contract complaints from suppliers to the public sector has been in the news recently. The Financial Times reported that 73 complaints were made to central government about public sector procurement last year compared with only fourteen complaints between 2007 and 2008.
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Bramall Construction (part of Keepmoat) help teenagers to build new futures for themselves
28th September, 2011
Regeneration specialist Bramall Construction (part of Keepmoat) along with Preston Vocational Centre has given two teenagers an apprenticeship to help turn their lives around. Since being taken on by Bramall Construction and Preston Vocational Centre the teenagers have gained qualifications and vast experience in this industry.
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One purpose, two events, three vital days!
22nd September, 2011
PfH is pleased to announce the launch of their extended three day annual conference. PfH Live takes place at Manchester Central on 12th - 14th June 2012 and is co-located with the Chartered Institute of Housing, Housing 2012 conference and exhibition. Packed with content, both events will provide the information, debate, networking and ideas to enable you to meet your professional challenges for the year ahead.
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Developing a clear organisational wide print stratergy can deliver huge savings on your printing costs
20th September, 2011
Printing costs are often seen as hidden, small or incidental costs within an organisation that have no or little bearing on the overall financial position of an organisation.
Gartner the world’s leading information technology research and advisory company, has proven that on average 3% of the total revenue of any organisation can be attributed to printing costs. For a typical Housing Association, that can run well into the hundreds of thousands of pounds every year, for example every £10million turnover/revenue then generates approximately £300,000 of print costs.
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Less than one month left to achieve the 14 percent Decorating Voucher Discount
9th August, 2011
The B&Q Decorating Voucher Scheme provides PfH Members with a flexible, efficient and secure method of funding tenants' decorating requirements. The Decorating Vouchers Scheme puts members in control, whilst giving tenants access to a wide range of decorating products.
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Automotive Leasing Rental Services
8th August, 2011
Automotive Leasing Rental Services are committed to providing a daily rental solution that makes it easier for PfH members' to manage business and employee travel through the Daily Rental Framework.
Automotive Leasing supply partners work to the highest standards and our supply base for 2011 is designed to meet the range of requirements in all organisations across the housing sector. -
TNT post: How managed postal services can help reinvigorate public sector departments by marrying specialist expertise to local requirements.
8th August, 2011
Since the postal market was deregulated in 2004, TNT Post has delivered savings of more than £150m for the public and private sector. In TNT's experience even a medium-sized council can make six figure savings on its postal business over the course of a year. However the ability to deliver savings is not the only reason for switching supplier. TNT's focus is to deliver a high level of service. With Definite Day Delivery they can ensure that bills and information bulletins arrive on time.
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Northgate and PfH -Working in Partnership
8th August, 2011
Northgate is the only vehicle hire company represented on the framework and it has recently secured an agreement to have short term rental rates displayed to members on the PfH website. Kimberly Meachin from PfH said: “The relationship between PfH and Northgate is mutually rewarding and our relationship is very much a two-way street.''
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PfH announces the launch of Debt Management Services Agreement
28th July, 2011
Procurement for Housing is delighted to announce the launch of a new agreement area for the supply of Debt Management Services that is set to provide substantial cost efficiencies of up to 3% on the rate of commission paid for the collection of debt. The Agreement is set to run for the duration of three years with an additional 12 month extension for satisfactory performance.
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PfH announces launch of new Building Cleaning Services Agreement
24th July, 2011
PfH is pleased to announce the launch of its new Building Cleaning Services Agreement, a fully EU compliant framework through which current and future Members can procure cleaning services.
The Agreement has been awarded, in six geographic lots to cover main regions of the UK, to seven suppliers: AM Support Services; Hi-Spec Facilities; Mitie; Ocean Contract Cleaning; QFSL Cleaning; Regent Cleaning and; Superclean Services.
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MVVR and HRRV: the third agreement in the Retrofit Solution
24th July, 2011
The third agreement from PfH and Fusion21 in the Retrofit Solution covers Mechanical Ventilation with Heat Recovery (MVHR) and single room Heat Recovery Room Ventilation (HRRV) units.
As with all the Retrofit agreements, these products are intended to be procured and installed as part of a low carbon refurbishment package for existing housing stock. The overall package of measures to be installed will depend on a range of factors and the ‘whole-house’ performance standards being aimed for. The refurbishment package could be delivered all in one go or as part of an incremental improvement. -
Green Deal discussions - Huhne acknowledges the Federation's valid concerns
19th June, 2011
On 14 July, the Federation's Chief Executive, David Orr, will meet with Climate Change Secretary Chris Huhne to discuss the leading role the social housing sector can help to deliver the Government's Green Deal programme. As the whole sector knows, the Green Deal aims to enable home owners, tenants and landlords carry out home and domestic energy efficiency improvements.
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Insulation and Airtightness: Second Retrofit Solution Agreement
19th June, 2011
The second Agreement from Procurement for Housing & Fusion21's Retrofit Solution encompasses Insulation and Airtightness. The framework will cover the supply and/or installation of the energy efficiency products in the following categories:
Internal wall insulation
External wall insulation
Loft insulation for 'more advanced applications'
Air tightness and draught-proofing products -
Nearly half of British homes are 'not properly insulated'
19th June, 2011
Almost 50% of British homes are not properly insulated according to a Government warning released 17 June 2011. As a result, householders are wasting at least £100 a year on their bills.
While fuel costs rise for households, the latest estimated figures released by the Department of Energy and Climate Change (Decc) show that only 57% of Britain's lofts and only 58% of cavity walls have been insulated sufficiently. -
How etrinsic can save you money by managing VAT mitigation on printed material
12th June, 2011
With VAT at 20%, management of this tax is even more crucial, particularly for those organisations who cannot reclaim it.
VAT regulation on printed material can be something of a minefield. Some items of printed output - such as the printing itself - are zero-rated, while others - like the production of artwork - attract the standard rate. -
Track your vehicles 24/7 with Northgate's Vehicle Monitoring system
12th June, 2011
Northgate Vehicle Hire, Europe’s leading vehicle hire company, has enhanced its customer proposition with its Vehicle Monitoring package. Vehicle Monitoring gives customers the ability to track their vehicle fleet 24 hours a day, 365 days of the year. Should anything unexpected happen to one of your vehicles, you will automatically be sent a text, email or live message on your PC.
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Annual Reports: "Business as usual" say Nonconform
26th May, 2011
Hands up if, just over 12 months ago, the mere mention of ‘Annual Reports’ was enough to make the hairs on your neck stand on end.
Well, you weren’t alone. The absence of guidance from the Tenant Services Authority (TSA) on the integration of its six standards and its expectations for size, structure or format for the Annual Report created widespread panic, confusion, eyebrow raising and tongue wagging across the sector. -
FRC make headlines in the FT
23rd May, 2011
Furniture Resource Centre (FRC) has recently been praised in the Entrepreneur column of the Financial Times.
FRC is a social enterprise based in Liverpool and provides contract quality furniture to social landlords throughout the UK and supplies everything required to furnish a single room or a whole hostel. -
Shapps sets out Zero Carbon Homes standard
23rd May, 2011
Housing Minister Grant Shapps has announced a tough, but realistic, definition for zero carbon homes that manages to strike the right balance between delivering the zero carbon homes of the future and creating the appropriate conditions to get the homes the UK needs building.
The Zero Carbon Homes standard (to which all new homes started after 2016 must adhere) will ensure that new homes do not contribute to the country's carbon footprint.
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PfH announces launch of new Vehicle Purchasing Agreement
22nd May, 2011
The new PfH Vehicle Purchasing Agreement is due to be launched to Members shortly and will offer a variety of features and benefits that will provide tangible cost efficiencies and savings. This Agreement supplements the current PfH Vehicle Leasing framework giving all Members the option of either leasing vehicles or outright purchase.
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Protect your rental income stream, advise HouseMark & CIH
17th May, 2011
Swingeing public sector cuts and welfare reform will cause housing providers to re-focus on collecting as much rent as possible at the lowest cost, according to a new joint report written by the Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH) and HouseMark.
Protecting your rental income stream is going to be of paramount importance to social housing organisations which will need to be fully prepared for the potential impact of all the changes expected to arise in the next four years.
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Eco-friendly kitchens from Moores Furniture Group
17th May, 2011
‘ReAction’ is Moores Furniture Group’s newest range of eco-friendly kitchens, which reduces, re-uses, recycles and is responsibly sourced.
Moores’ ReAction kitchen has been reviewed by a BREEAM Code for Sustainable Homes Assessor and is a huge step forward in the industry, achieving 17 points on the Code for Sustainable Homes.
Designed for longevity and to reduce waste, the ReAction range uses innovative techniques to put into practice Moores Furniture Group’s commitment to sustainability. -
Make further savings through PfH mini-competitions
17th May, 2011
EU Procurement regulations state that mini-competitions are a legally compliant method of calling off goods and services from framework agreements. In situations where member requirements are bespoke to the organisation or where there are significant levels of committed volume, mini-competitions are a proven method of delivering significant additional cost savings.
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Forthcoming Retrofit Agreements from PfH and Fusion21
26th April, 2011
PfH and Fusion21 have been working together for the last 12 months to develop a Retrofit Solution which will help the social housing sector meet one of the biggest challenges of the decade. The project takes a holistic approach to sustainable retrofitting, incorporating contractors, consultants, suppliers, products, services, skills, jobs and resident training, which will be focused on meeting the Green Deal and wider sustainability agendas.
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PfH Announces Imminent Launch of Building Cleaning Services Agreement
25th April, 2011
The new PFH Building Cleaning Services Framework is due to be launched to Members shortly and will cover the supply of cleaning services within the property portfolio of individual Member organisations, including offices and communal or shared areas within sheltered accomodations, for instance.
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PfH and Fusion21 Announce Forthcoming Photovoltaics and Solar Agreement
25th April, 2011
One of the biggest challenges facing the social housing sector over the next ten years will be the retrofitting of its existing housing stock to meet the joint demands of carbon reduction requirements and fuel poverty among its residents. The Government recognised this challenge in December 2010 when it launched the Green Deal, a framework enabling energy efficiency improvements to homes, community spaces and businesses with no upfront cost, alongside capital payment recovery through a charge in instalments on the energy bill.
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Can Affordable Rents Help Deliver 34,000 Homes Each Year?
20th April, 2011
Hometrack has carried out a detailed study which suggests that housing associations will build an average of 34,000 affordable homes each year in England until 2015 under David Cameron’s Coalition Government.
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Scottish Procurement in the Affordable Housing Sector
20th April, 2011
A recent report commissioned by the Scottish Government has shown that there is a need for a more mature approach to procurement resulting in realistic savings of £26-45 million p.a.
Due to the differences in approaches to procurement and the lack of expertise in the area, it is believed that these savings are going to be difficult to obtain in the short-term and need a concerted effort in attitude and change management from key stakeholders. -
Brakes Comes Out Top at Green Business Awards
20th April, 2011
Brakes Group, one of the leading suppliers to the foodservice industry, took gold at the Green Champions (Suppliers) category at the Green Business Awards for 2010 beating other finalists, Guy’s and St Thomas NHS Foundation Trust for the top prize.
This highly coveted award is testimony to Brakes Group corporate sustainable and environmental achievements throughout 2010 which indicate the company’s passion and dedication to green issues in business. -
How PfH Can Help Social Tenants Carry Out Their Own DIY
20th April, 2011
Housing Minister, Grant Shapps, has declared that tenants should be rewarded for taking care of their homes and performing routine maintenance and DIY tasks on the property. It’s believed that housing associations and councils spend £1000 per property each year on repairs when, in reality, the tenants could do the work themselves.
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Office Depot Awarded 12-Month Contract Extension
31st March, 2011
Office Depot has been awarded a 12-month contract extension within the Office Stationery Agreement following a positive review of the company's performance in delivering office supplies to our Members and their organisations.
Prices have been fixed to 2010 levels and will be honoured until 31st December 2011 so Members can be sure of no surprising bill increases.
The contract, originally written to expire on 30 November 2011, has now been extended until 30 November 2012.
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Prime Minister Declares Support for Public Sector Willing to Work With SMEs
24th March, 2011
In what has been described by some as a scathing attack on public sector procurement spending, David Cameron, PM, has declared that he wants to increase the amount of government work allocated to small-medium enterprises (SMEs) from 5% to 25% in order to make government buying more transparent and competitive.
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Launch of Debt Management Tender for July 2011
23rd March, 2011
Following Member Feedback, PfH has initiated a contract tender for a new Debt Management Services Agreement which will go live on 1 July 2011. The Debt Management Services Agreement has been designed to help Asset Managers/Debt Recovery Managers within organisations to recover outstanding debts which will encompass, but is not restricted to, debt streams such as Former Tenant Arrears, Council Tax Arrears and Rechargeable Debts.
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B & Q To Use Responsibly Sourced Wood
23rd March, 2011
In February 2011, B&Q, the largest home improvement and garden retailer in the UK, announced that it is the UK’s first major retailer to achieve its goal of only buying timber products from proven responsible sources following a campaign that spans over 20 years.
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RCU, the First Credit Union to be Offered in Lee Valley
23rd March, 2011
Social Landlords, Riverside and RCU, have established the only credit union in the Lee Valley area of Liverpool and already welcomed its first customers.
The credit union is aimed at helping those people on low incomes who wish to start saving money. Additionally, customers can take out loans at preferential rates, avoiding high interest rates offered by doorstep lenders.
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Successful retrofit must include more choice and support for tenants
22nd March, 2011
A survey has found that 38 per cent of social renters are given no choice about energy efficiency improvements made to their home, over 14 per cent are worried they won't know how to use energy-saving equipment and 17 per cent are concerned retrofit technology won't actually work.
Although 94 per cent of respondents had seen some energy efficiency upgrades made to their properties, nearly 25 per cent received no support from their landlord post-installation.
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CEL Group achieves 'Best Companies' accreditation
16th March, 2011
CEL Group, Management Contractor of Procurement for Housing, has achieved "Sunday Times 100 Best Companies to Work For" one star accreditation. Despite not quite making the 'top 100' the business gained an excellent accreditation score.
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Procurement for Housing shortlisted at Housing Heroes.
7th March, 2011
Procurement for Housing is pleased to confirm that the consortium has been shortlisted for the Financial or Procurement Team of the Year.
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The power to create your own marketing material.
9th February, 2011
Do you have full control over the design of marketing and communications material produced by local offices? Is it always on-brand and compliant with your promotional style? Do you use expensive external designers when items could be produced in-house?
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Addressing ASB in practice.
7th February, 2011
Landlords could be able to evict tenants who commit anti-social behaviour more quickly and easily in plans outlined by housing minister Grant Shapps.
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Stannah wins stairlift contract with Newcastle City Council.
7th February, 2011
Jen Vinton, Head of Investment Delivery for Your Homes Newcastle, said “We are delighted to be working with Stannah for another four years. The new contract arrangements will help us reduce costs and meet the needs of our customers quicker, without compromising service quality.”
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3663 come out on top!
4th February, 2011
3663 have been chosen ahead of Brakes and Booker as the ‘Best Delivered Wholesaler for 2010’ voted for by independent caterers at the recent Wholesale Awards held by ‘Him!’ (Harris International research & consulting)
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Eight new agreements planned for 2011!
4th February, 2011
2011 is going to be a busy year for the PfH team with an additional eight new agreements scheduled to be added to PfH’s existing portfolio.
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PfH Marketplace Webinars
3rd February, 2011
Ministers are considering forcing associations to publish details of all spending over £500 as a condition of accessing the £1.9 billion affordable housing grant. Association chiefs fear both measures will create unnecessary work and risk pushing their £40 billion private debt portfolio onto the public sector balance sheets.
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Tackling tenancy and benefit fraud....the way forward?
21st December, 2010
PfH’s Managing Director will be speaking at the CIH’s Tackling Tenancy and Benefit Fraud event taking place on the 28th January 2011 in Birmingham.
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Recruitment Services - have we got your correct contact details?
17th December, 2010
With the imminent launch of the retendered Recruitment Services Agreement expected in January, PfH will be contacting all Members over the next two weeks to confirm whether we have the appropriate HR / recruitment contact.
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Continued cold snap and the energy market.
17th December, 2010
PfH is delighted to introduce the first of monthly energy use spotlights, powered by PfH supplier Inenco. The EnergyUpdates.com portal powered by Inenco, comprises of five separate TV channels that look at different issues and aspects of energy use.
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Calling all tenants! Last chance to have your say in the great retrofit debate.
17th December, 2010
Don’t forget to invite your tenants to take part in our retrofit survey before Christmas Eve.
PfH and Fusion21 are undertaking the research in partnership with the Tenant Participation and Advisory Service (TPAS) on the retrofit agenda.
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Have you delivered Value for Money (VfM) on every pound spent this year?
23rd November, 2010
With Christmas just round the corner, this means that there are only a few months left in the financial year. Can you guarantee to your residents that you have delivered Value for Money (VfM) on every pound spent this year? With over 24 agreements in place, PfH is here to help you across a spectrum of procurement requirements.
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Procurement Clubs
May sees the start of HouseMark’s next round of highly successful regional procurement Clubs run in partnership with PfH.
