NHF-backed alliance appoints 22 construction firms to £800m framework

A National Housing Federation-backed framework has appointed 20 traditional construction companies and two modular firms to help increase the delivery of social housing through modern methods of construction.

Building Better, an alliance of 30 housing associations and local authorities backed by the National Housing Federation, along with the social housing procurement consortium Procurement for Housing (PfH), has appointed these 22 businesses to an £800m framework that will span four years.  

There will be an option to extend the framework for a further two years. 

PfH and Building Better created this integrated framework, combining traditional and MMC construction, based on feedback from social housing organisations. 

Social housing providers said they wanted trusted local building firms to lead MMC projects and deliver traditional construction elements as needed.

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Building Better was established in 2018 under the National Housing Federation’s Greenhouse innovation programme.

Current members of Building Better include: BPHA, Halton Housing, Golding Homes, Advantage South West, LiveWest, Magenta Housing, Sevenoaks District Council, Nottingham Community Housing Association, EMH Homes, Grand Union Housing Group, Flagship Group, London Borough of Kingston Upon Thames, Platform Housing, RHP and Raven Housing Trust. 

In February, Building Better and PfH put a call out for contractors to apply to join the framework. 

Firms from across 37 different regions of England and Wales have been appointed, ensuring that housing associations and local authorities can work with contractors from their own communities. 

The framework is split into two lots. Lot one provides principal construction services for smaller sites of up to 30 units, including small infill sites, housing and low-rise apartments of up to 11 metres.

Lot two provides principal construction services for larger sites of over 30 units, including medium high-rise developments over 11 metres, apartments, housing and extra care homes.

Tony Woods, technical manager of construction and sustainability for PfH said: “Over recent years we’ve seen MMC companies focusing more on manufacturing their systems rather than providing a turnkey service.” 

“It makes sense to bring in traditional builders with a strong reputation in a local area to manage these MMC projects and deliver any traditional build elements, too.”

Woods also noted that two MMC firms known for their “excellent turnkey services” have been included in the framework.

He explained that the 22 firms are experienced lead contractors, many of whom already have established relationships with social housing providers. 

Jamie Watkins, operations manager at Elkins Construction, said: “Over the last few years, we have seen increased requirements from our clients for net zero homes and this has meant the need to use more innovation in our construction practices.

”By using MMC or hybrid construction we can cut down time on site, reducing disruption to the communities we work in, improve quality through offsite manufacturing and reduce our carbon footprint, whilst providing our clients with highly energy efficient homes for their residents.”