Social housing procurement services provider Procurement for Housing (PfH) has worked with the Disruptive Innovators Network to launch the fourth generation of the SHED framework, which is worth up to £100m over three years.
The framework aims to recruit the most innovative firms working in property technology today.
Suppliers appointed to SHED4 include Harcourt Technologies, a 3D concrete printing firm; Vantage UAV which delivers drone-based property inspections; Geobear Residential, offering eco-friendly subsidence solutions; Autonomous IoT, providing renewable energy security and lighting towers; Confurr, a real-time video platform that helps tenants report repairs; robotic underfloor insulation firm Q-Bot and Switchee, which delivers real-time data through a thermostat, helping social landlords to proactively manage homes.
PfH set up the first SHED framework four years ago in response to feedback from housing associations and councils about how difficult it was to procure emerging services from innovative start-ups.
Many fledgling firms with fresh ways to tackle old issues such as damp and mould, net zero and building safety were unable to break into the market because of tender bureaucracy and a lack of the resources needed to commit to the lengthy public procurement application process.
The SHED framework streamlines the process, allowing social landlords to do a quick desk-based evaluation to identify the supplier that best meets their needs. PfH provides pricing information and supports the contracting process.
Neil Butters, head of procurement at PfH said: “We had a range of firms bidding for the SHED this year and the 17 winners offer a wide variety of services. That’s a sign of where the social housing sector is right now and the myriad of problems and competing priorities it faces. The market is responding to those challenges and our job with the SHED is to nurture both the SME supply chain and innovative procurement in the sector – both key goals of the new Procurement Act.”
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