Social Housing Emerging Disruptors (5) – Asset Health, Net Zero & Digital Tenant Engagement

This is precisely the scenario SHED 5 was designed to address. Unlike traditional procurement where you must specify exact requirements upfront, SHED 5 allows you to explore the problem with innovative suppliers who may have already developed solutions you weren’t aware existed. Contact the PfH team to discuss your challenge, and they’ll help you navigate the supplier portal to identify potential technologies that match your needs. You can then evaluate multiple approaches through desk-based assessment or mini-competition, comparing how different innovations solve your specific problem. This exploratory approach is particularly valuable for emerging challenges like indoor air quality monitoring, predictive maintenance through IoT sensors, or resident engagement platforms where the optimal solution may not be immediately obvious. The framework’s structure supports this discovery process while maintaining full procurement compliance throughout.

SHED 5 offers significant flexibility in contract structure and duration, allowing you to design procurement approaches that include pilot phases or proof of concept periods before committing to organisation-wide rollout. When discussing your requirements with PfH, you can structure call-off contracts to include initial trial phases with defined success criteria and evaluation points. This is particularly important for disruptive technologies where you need to validate performance in your specific operating environment before scaling. Many suppliers on the framework have experience delivering phased implementations, starting with smaller deployments to demonstrate value and build organisational confidence. You can award contracts for any duration necessary to deliver your requirements, meaning you might begin with a six-month pilot in a subset of properties before expanding to your full portfolio. This approach reduces risk while giving you the evidence base to secure internal buy-in for wider adoption of housing innovation.

Integration with legacy systems is a common concern when adopting housing innovation, and SHED 5 suppliers understand this challenge. When defining your requirements with PfH, clearly specify your existing technology stack, data systems, housing management software, and any integration requirements. During the evaluation process, whether through direct award or mini-competition, you can assess suppliers’ technical capabilities for system integration, API availability, data format compatibility, and their track record delivering interoperable solutions. Many framework suppliers offer digital connectivity solutions, data platforms, and analytics tools specifically designed to work alongside existing infrastructure rather than replacing it entirely. The detailed proposal stage allows you to work with potential suppliers to map integration touchpoints, identify any technical barriers, and agree implementation approaches before contract award. PfH can provide support throughout this technical evaluation process to ensure integration feasibility is properly assessed and contractually addressed before commitment.

Evaluating unfamiliar technologies can be challenging, which is why PfH provides comprehensive support throughout the assessment process. When you contact PfH to discuss your requirements, their procurement specialists will help you develop evaluation criteria appropriate for innovative solutions, balancing technical capability, deployment readiness, user experience, scalability, and long-term viability. For mini-competitions, PfH offers template documentation and can assist with specification development, ensuring your tender asks the right questions to differentiate between competing approaches. They can also provide category expertise drawn from their experience across the social housing sector, helping you understand what good looks like for specific technology types. The SHED portal provides detailed supplier information including product descriptions, case studies, and pricing structures to support informed comparison. Additionally, you can request demonstrations, site visits to existing deployments, or reference site discussions as part of your evaluation. PfH’s wraparound service means you’re not making these assessments alone – you have expert guidance to navigate technical complexity and make confident decisions about housing innovation adoption.

IoT property monitoring solutions available through SHED 5 transform reactive maintenance into proactive resident care, directly improving quality of life while reducing emergency callouts and complaints. Suppliers like Get Property Management, iOpt, and dbfb offer sensor-based technologies that continuously monitor property conditions including temperature, humidity, air quality, water leaks, and energy usage. These systems can detect damp and mould risks before they become visible health hazards, alert you to heating failures during cold weather before residents suffer, identify water leaks that could cause property damage, and flag unusual energy consumption patterns that might indicate appliance faults or fuel poverty concerns. For vulnerable residents, particularly older people or those with health conditions, this technology provides an additional safety layer – sensors can detect absence of normal activity patterns and trigger welfare checks. Real-time data enables you to respond to emerging issues before they escalate, demonstrating that you’re actively monitoring resident wellbeing rather than waiting for complaints. This shifts the resident experience from frustration at having to repeatedly report problems to appreciation that issues are identified and resolved proactively, strengthening trust and satisfaction while protecting residents from avoidable harm in their homes.

Damp and mould represents perhaps the most visible and damaging failure in social housing, directly impacting resident health, driving disrepair claims, and severely damaging landlord reputation. SHED 5 suppliers like Breathe Pure, Mould Away UK, and Bays Consulting offer innovative approaches that go beyond traditional reactive treatments to address root causes and prevent recurrence. Advanced indoor air quality monitoring systems provide continuous data on humidity levels, ventilation effectiveness, and air pollutants, enabling early intervention before mould colonies establish. Environmental monitoring platforms can identify properties or individual rooms at high risk based on occupancy patterns, building characteristics, and usage behaviours, allowing targeted preventative action for vulnerable households. Remediation technologies available through the framework include solutions that treat existing mould while addressing underlying moisture problems through improved ventilation, dehumidification, or building fabric interventions. Some suppliers combine physical remediation with resident education and behaviour change support, recognising that sustainable solutions require both technical fixes and resident engagement. For organisations facing regulatory scrutiny, disrepair claims, or ombudsman investigations related to damp and mould, these innovations provide evidence-based approaches that demonstrate you’re taking resident health seriously, investing in prevention rather than just reactive repairs, and deploying technology to protect residents from conditions that cause respiratory problems, worsen asthma, and create miserable living environments.

All suppliers on SHED 5 underwent rigorous evaluation before framework award, where they had to demonstrate not just innovation but tangible benefits and readiness for adoption. When you access the SHED portal and evaluate specific solutions, suppliers provide detailed information including case studies from existing deployments, performance data, customer references, and evidence of outcomes achieved in social housing environments. During the call-off process, whether direct award or mini-competition, you can request additional evidence specific to your evaluation criteria – this might include site visits to see the technology operating in comparable housing contexts, discussions with reference customers facing similar challenges, technical documentation proving compliance with relevant standards, or data demonstrating measurable impact on key metrics like energy reduction, compliance improvement, or resident satisfaction. PfH developed SHED 5 in collaboration with the Proptech Innovation Network (PiN), recognised leaders in identifying and promoting proven housing technology, adding another layer of credibility to the supplier cohort. This combination of pre-framework evaluation, detailed supplier information, and your own due diligence during call-off ensures you have robust evidence of innovation effectiveness before contract award.

Absolutely, and this is actively encouraged as best practice when adopting housing innovation that will directly impact residents or change staff working practices. When structuring your procurement approach with PfH, you can design evaluation processes that incorporate resident voice and staff input. For mini-competitions, your evaluation criteria might include user experience considerations, requiring suppliers to demonstrate solutions through resident-facing presentations or staff workshops. Many innovative technologies on SHED 5 particularly in areas like assisted living, resident engagement platforms, or smart home technologies benefit enormously from end-user testing during the selection process. You can structure your call-off timeline to allow for demonstration sessions where residents or staff interact with competing solutions before final selection. For technologies like voice engagement platforms, digital rewards systems, or care management solutions, this user-centred evaluation approach helps ensure the innovation you procure will actually be adopted and deliver intended benefits. PfH can support you in designing appropriate evaluation methodologies that balance technical assessment with user experience considerations, ensuring your procurement decision reflects both organisational requirements and the needs of those who will ultimately use the technology.

Social isolation, digital exclusion, and barriers to accessing support services disproportionately affect social housing residents, particularly older people, those with disabilities, and households struggling with multiple disadvantages. SHED 5 includes innovative resident engagement and assisted living technologies that address these challenges while reducing pressure on stretched housing management teams. Suppliers like Alertacall provide telecare and assisted living solutions that enable vulnerable residents to maintain independent living with dignity while having immediate access to help when needed, reducing anxiety for both residents and their families. Voicescape offers voice and conversational engagement technology that makes digital services accessible to residents who struggle with apps or web portals, removing literacy and digital skill barriers that often exclude the most vulnerable from accessing support. Digital rewards platforms like Rainly incentivise positive behaviours and community participation, helping build social connections and encouraging engagement with services that improve wellbeing. Care management platforms from providers like Porters enable coordinated support across housing, health and social care, ensuring vulnerable residents don’t fall through gaps between services. For housing providers facing increasing safeguarding responsibilities, demographic change toward older populations, and residents with complex support needs, these technologies enable you to maintain regular contact, identify emerging concerns early, deliver responsive support, and demonstrate that you’re actively supporting resident wellbeing beyond just bricks and mortar, fundamentally reshaping the landlord-resident relationship toward partnership and genuine care.

Social value is embedded throughout PfH’s approach to procurement, and SHED 5 is no exception. The framework’s SME-friendly design inherently supports social value objectives by opening opportunities for smaller, often local innovative businesses that might otherwise struggle to access public sector contracts. When running a mini-competition or even direct award, you can include social value criteria in your evaluation, asking suppliers to commit to specific outcomes around local employment, skills development, community engagement, or supporting vulnerable residents. Many suppliers on the framework specialise in resident engagement, digital inclusion, and assisted living technologies that directly support social value objectives around improving resident outcomes and wellbeing. PfH’s Quantum platform, available to framework users, includes social value tracking and reporting capabilities, allowing you to monitor and evidence social value delivery throughout your contract term. The framework’s flexibility means you can structure contracts to include targeted requirements relevant to your local context, whether that’s employment opportunities for local people, support for digitally excluded residents, or apprenticeship commitments. When you discuss requirements with PfH, they can help you incorporate social value considerations appropriately within your procurement approach, ensuring housing innovation adoption also advances your broader organisational commitments to community impact.