Join us at Homes 2023!

Procurement's role in delivering sustainability: staying on track for carbon net zero

Building sustainability into your procurement is crucial in order to meet the 2050 net zero target. It can add value to your organisation by future proofing against compliance issues, supply chain risk and decrease costs. Yet it can be complex to implement especially in the face of budget constraints and competing priorities.

This session will explore how to implement sustainable procurement and overcome common obstacles.

Chair: Paul Towers, Fusion21

• Michael Brown, Michael Dyson Associates
• Emma Briggs, Metropolitan Thames Valley Housing
• Matt Hickman, VINCI Facilities

How to meaningfully engage tenants in procurement

This session will look at how housing staff and procurement teams can support tenants to share their valuable insights and experiences and work to co-design services and contracts that deliver value for money.

Chair: Peter Francis Fusion21

• Julie Butterworth, Tpas 
• Yaw Boateng, Croydon Tenants and Leaseholders Panel 
• Verna Francis, London Borough of Croydon
• Jon Upchurch, Red Kite Community Housing 

Preparing for Procurement Reform

With widespread changes under the new Procurement Act likely to commence in late 2023 or early 2024, this session will help you to gain clarity on how (and when) it will work in practice and what housing associations can do to get ahead.

As well as considering the operational detail of implementation, panellists will look at opportunities for future improvement and innovation. 

How are housing organisations adapting to ensure compliance? What questions remain and will there be flexibility in the new requirements?   

Chair: Duncan Spokes, Fusion21

• Rebecca Rees, Trowers & Hamlins
• Emily Powell, Hugh James
• Helen Marsh, The Riverside Group
• Sharon Phillips, Welsh Government
• Ursula Tebbet-Duffin, The Cabinet Office

Procuring with purpose and delivering social value

The Levelling Up White Paper reinforced the central role social value will play going forward in the housing sector’s contract award decisions. 

This session will explore how social value outcomes can be better articulated, procured and measured to ensure that place-based decision making is at the centre of each contract.

How can the sector make better use of collaboration with neighbouring public-sector buyers to ensure that they don’t duplicate efforts or miss a trick?

Chair: Clare Connolly, Fusion21

• Danielle Buckley, Wates Residential
• Chrissy Galerakis, EQUANS
• Lauren Bailey, Ridge & Partners LLP 

Supporting tenants through the cost of living crisis

With the cost of living crisis showing no sign of ending soon, this session will explore the impact on tenants’ lives and how landlords and their partners can work with residents to make a difference. 

Learn from practical examples across key areas such as fuel poverty, furniture poverty, youth engagement and health and wellbeing. 

Chair: Jo Hannan, Fusion21

• Matt Buckham, Sovereign Housing
• Sahil Khan, Peabody
• Kate Shone, Torus Foundation

A focus on repairs services: objectives, priorities and excellent performance

With the landmark Social Housing Regulation Act requiring all landlords to act quickly when repairs are raised (and within soon to be introduced time limits), this session will explore what best practice looks like in a repairs service.

Chair: Gary Stanfield, Fusion21

• Roy Mason, Huws Gray
• Mandeep Bhogil, Tower Hamlets Community Housing 
• Yvette Carter, Southern Housing

The role of procurement in a high inflation economy

High inflation is a major challenge for housing providers operating in today’s economy. While the impact on procurement can be significant, this session will explore the proactive steps that organisations can make to mitigate its effect. 

Chair: Steffanie Swift, Fusion21

• Lorraine Sawyer,  Anchor 
• Shabber Ahmed, Newlon Housing Trust
• Mark Mayler, Selwood Housing

How to proactively detect and prevent damp and mould?

This session will explore the strategies that housing associations can use to get ahead of damp and mould and how to cope with increased demand on repairs services.  

Chair: Andrew Gray, Fusion21

• Mark England, Coastline Housing
• Margaret Goddard, Torus 
• Bernard Cook, Vericon Systems 

The future of asset management in a changing climate

Efforts to adapt the UK’s housing stock to the impacts of changing climate lag behind what is needed to keep residents safe and comfortable, even as these risks grow.

Higher average temperatures, flooding and water scarcity are all factors that will impact existing stock. So how can asset managers make a long term plan to cope and adapt? 

Chair: Oliver Mooney, Fusion21

• Loreana Padron, ECD Architects
• Liz Blackwell, L&Q 
• AJ Eaton, Bell Group UK 

The future of building safety and compliance: working smarter with technology

This session will explore the progress that the sector is making with producing a standardised digital golden thread of building safety information for existing and new builds.

Knowing your buildings: How is the sector using digital solutions to collect, store and manage building information? How are RPs securely holding up-to-date information about residents with disabilities that may impact evacuation and sharing with the relevant authorities?

Chair: Phil Woodhead, Fusion21

• Varun Soni, Calfordseaden
• Kelly Lee, Orbit Group
• Tony Cahill, Livv Housing Group

Quality data as the foundation of good landlord services

Landlords should be asking themselves if their tenants are living in safe and decent homes. Are they listening to what tenants are saying? And are boards scrutinising the range of data sources being used to gain assurance, so they and their organisation really understand what is happening?

However, long-standing issues with data quality and performance reporting often hold back landlords from achieving this. 

Chair: Mark Chadwick, Fusion21

• Amramanjari Singh, Southern Housing
• Ruth Dent,  Believe Housing 
• Tony Cahill, Livv Housing Group