Introduction
At PfH, we specialise in supporting housing associations to achieve their goals through expert procurement. Westmoreland Supported Housing Limited (WSHL) is a housing association providing supported accommodation and working with care providers to deliver homes and support for vulnerable adults. Managing 646 units across 124 buildings in England and Wales, WSHL’s mission is to create strong and sustainable supported housing where people can flourish. They are committed to making a positive difference to people’s lives.
WSHL chose to work with us because of our proven expertise in compliant procurement and our ability to tailor solutions to complex requirements. They needed a partner who could guide them through a critical procurement process and deliver both cost savings and service improvements.
The challenge
WSHL required expert support to procure a new outsourced service covering responsive repairs, maintenance, planned works and voids. With the existing contract due to expire in April 2023, timing was crucial. The procurement process needed to allow for full mobilisation of the new contract ahead of this deadline.
Like many housing associations, WSHL needed a contractor who could deliver more than operational reliability. They sought a partner capable of providing a responsive service, supporting cyclical compliance and maintaining high levels of customer satisfaction across all touchpoints.
The solution
We worked with WSHL to design and deliver a fully compliant open tender process under the Public Contracts Regulations 2015. We developed a comprehensive tender pack, including eight detailed specifications and a bespoke pricing model to ensure value for money across all service areas.
Once the documents were approved, we managed the tender via our portal and supported WSHL through the evaluation and contract award stages. Our team worked closely with WSHL to shape a procurement process that reflected their unique needs, from technical requirements to service expectations.
By investing time at the outset to define the specification, we enabled WSHL to approach the market with clarity and confidence. The result was a robust contract structure that not only met their operational goals but also provided the tools to manage performance and drive long term value.
Testimonial
“At Westmoreland, we had a series of one year contracts and were in a position to sign up to a longer-term contract that needed to deliver cost savings as well as improvements to service delivery.
PfH led us through the process to ensure that we were not only legally compliant, but created tender documents that reflected our needs, attracted interest from the market, and established a competitive scoring system to help us select the contractor that would deliver the benefits we required.
The process worked well for us and has delivered the benefits we identified. We would recommend PfH to any organisation looking to maximise the potential from a procurement exercise.”
Tom Hodgson, Operations Director at WSHL
The results
Following the conclusion of the tender process, we supported WSHL in awarding the contract to Renov8 Property Services UK Ltd. The project was delivered on time, enabling a smooth transition to the new contract and ensuring continuity of service.
The procurement exercise has delivered an anticipated annual saving of nine per cent compared to WSHL’s previous contract, while also ensuring full compliance with the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 for the duration of the agreement.
This outcome demonstrates the value of a well structured, collaborative approach to procurement, one that balances legal compliance with operational impact.
