Six MMC firms chosen for £400m housing framework

Six offsite builders have been selected for a place on a £400m framework to build homes for housing associations.

Modular builders on the offsite housing framework include the newly formed Impact Modular, and Melius Homes, set up by Zero Carbon Hub founder David Adams and Willmott Dixon energy services boss Robert Lambe.

The four-year framework has been set up by Manchester-based Procure Plus, which calls it the Offsite Manufacture and Construction of Housing framework, and is designed to be used by any UK register provider (RP).

The other firms on the list are Jan Snel UK Ltd, M-AR Offsite, OSCO Homes and Totally Modular.

Procure Plus, which operates a number of frameworks and other procurement solutions for more than 75 housing associations and local authorities, said the framework covered standard house types. RPs will be able to use it to access contractors who can both design and manufacture the houses as well as actually deliver the homes on site.

While the firm said it has no specific pipeline of schemes for the framework at the moment, it expected demand to be in the region of £400m of construction over the four years.

Robert Whitton, founder and chief executive of Impact Capital Group said he was “so pleased” to have been appointed under this framework, which came after the firm – set up earlier in 2020 with the purchase of Lesko Modular (pictured) – was one of a number appointed to the £2bn Central Housing Investment Consortium contract.

Whitton said: “We are really excited to have the opportunity to contribute to a positive change in how housing is delivered, building the homes that Britain needs whilst assisting in the transition to net zero carbon housing by combining digital design, intelligent technology and offsite construction techniques to manufacture homes.”