Case Study
Clockwise from left:
1/ Colin Taylor
2/ S haron Keenan, Clydebank Housing Association (CHA)
3/ CHA’s La Scala housing development was supported
by Scottish Government funding
4/ S cotland Excel at the Scottish Federation of
Housing Associations Conference
Colin Taylor joined Scotland Excel in 2008. As Housing Services Manager, he
has been leading a Scottish Government-funded project to support procurement
capability within the social housing sector. In this case study, he looks at how the
programme is benefiting housing associations and their communities.
Winston Churchill once said, “We shape our
buildings; thereafter they shape us”. So, it is
little wonder Scotland places such emphasis on
community and housing.
It is not easy to meet the housing needs of a growing
population. In 2016, the Scottish Government
confirmed their commitment to investing £3 billion
to deliver 50,000 affordable homes by 2021, with
35,000 available for social rent. Scotland Excel saw
the opportunity to support housing associations
with the increased procurement this would bring,
and secured funding from the Scottish Government
to help them get the best possible value from their
spend.
The programme encourages registered social
landlords (RSLs) to take part in an assessment
of their procurement capability using a well-
established model known as the Procurement
and Commercial Improvement Programme
(PCIP). The 2013 Review of Scottish Public-Sector
Procurement in Construction recommended that all
organisations procuring construction using public
resources should undergo an assessment of
this kind.
This was a new sector for us and we needed to
build relationships. To get the ball rolling, we
attended the 2017 Scottish Federation of Housing
Associations (SFHA) Procurement Conference to
raise our profile within the sector and encourage
RSL’s to participate in the programme. So, we were
delighted when Sharon Keenan, Chief Executive of
Clydebank Housing Association (CHA) was the first
to sign up to participate in the programme at
this event.
PCIP assessments were new to the housing sector
and we wanted to provide every support to CHA
to ensure that they were ready. Our Housing Team
therefore conducted a mock PCIP assessment in
April, giving CHA valuable experience and insight
into the process.
From the output of the mock assessment, CHA
created an action plan to drive procurement
improvement and, with our help and support,
set about making positive changes within the
52 | Shared Vision, Shared Success. Our Corporate Strategy 2018–2023
association. They also became associate members
of Scotland Excel to take advantage of the many
savings and benefits that procuring through
national frameworks can provide.
One of their actions was to increase their visibility
in the local community and encourage their
SMEs to engage with the procurement process.
Working collaboratively, they exhibited at West
Dunbartonshire Council’s meet the buyer event
which was hugely successful for them in reaching
out to local suppliers.
In October 2017, CHA took part in a more formal
PCIP pre-assessment. This provided them with a
more in-depth understanding of the assessment
and gave them another opportunity to prepare for
the official assessment. However, it was evident
that they had already made many improvements
through their continually updated action plan.
CHA were now ready for the PCIP itself and a
date was set for early March 2018. Though they
were implementing a full staff re-structure and
preparing for GDPR, procurement improvement
remained a priority for them, and they now consider
procurement a strategic function within their
organisation.
For Sharon, the whole experience has really
benefited CHA. She says: “We are delighted to have
embarked on the PCIP process with Scotland Excel.
Although daunting at first, the process itself was
simple and straight forward.
“Scotland Excel were fantastic at guiding us through
the exercise and we easily devised and worked
through a comprehensive action plan. It certainly
was extremely beneficial and well worth the effort,
and we are now well placed to continue in our
procurement journey in terms of knowledge and
practices.
“We thank all at Scotland Excel for devoting their
time to us and the Scottish Government for funding
the exercise.”
We have learned a lot about the sector through
working with CHA and other housing associations
that have since signed up for assessment. We are
now working with over a third of Scotland’s housing
associations to support and encourage improved
procurement capability.
Scotland Excel remain committed to raising
national standards in the public sector. Working
with housing associations has helped us to extend
our reach and ensure that both local authorities
and social landlords can get the best value for
their people and communities through their
procurement spend.
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