Services

Flexible packages to get the big things right

Get the big things right first time with our materials only, labour only or combined frameworks.

CHIC’s frameworks can ease the time and cost of implementing planned investment and specialist programmes to keep your property assets in good condition. We’ve done the hard work of tendering compliant options that are ideal for either contracted out or in-house approaches to planned work. CHIC’s planned work services save you time on lengthy and expensive procurement and give you instant access to competitive prices, with direct materials supply and a range of contractor options.

CHIC can benchmark different options against your current model, to identify potential savings. Our team can help you scope your future programme, identify the most cost effective options and then support delivery. All this leaves you free to focus on delivering quality outcomes to your customers.

CHIC has a wide range of solutions available, which can support small one-off programmes to major reinvestment programmes. As well as elemental planned works, like kitchens, bathrooms, windows and doors, we can also support major multi-elemental projects and specialist programmes including fire prevention & safety and zero carbon.

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Ensure your buildings are fully compliant with the latest building safety regulations

Save time on procuring specialist services with our ready-to-go frameworks and contracts for everything from asbestos management to fire, gas, and water.

Landlords need to make sure that all customers are safe and warm, so let our tried and tested contracts and frameworks help you ensure that all your homes remain safe for your residents.

CHIC has procured the best packages of contracts and frameworks to offer ready-to-use services from trusted specialist providers. CHIC’s compliance services span asbestos management and removal, door entry systems, drainage and insulation. We also cover fire safety and gas safety, water hygiene and electrical testing.

By using our contracts and suppliers, you can be confident about the scope, quality and price of your services and take advantage of the collaborative learning and economies of scale, achieved across all of CHIC’s members. Our approach is based on sustainable, long-term relationships, which mitigate all but essential price increases and drive cost and efficiency savings through partnership.

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Covering all material needs for registered providers of social housing

Housing providers deliver responsive repair services either through in-house or external contractors. For the front-line operations to be efficient their access to the right materials, ideally from van stock, is critical. Materials represent c.22% of all repair costs.

CHIC has a suite of frameworks and contracts so members can buy materials effectively. We manage comprehensive supply chain price and product catalogues to make sure that our members get great value. We review and monitor spend and provide comprehensive monthly management and VFM reports to our members.

CHIC’s frameworks and contracts cover:

Merchants & Distributors for the provision of materials relating to responsive maintenance needs; usually in the form of a merchant partner covering arrangements such as:

• An over the counter/branch arrangement 
• A van stock service 
• A bespoke, fully-managed store service 

Suppliers & Manufacturers for the provision of materials relating to planned investment programmes: 

• Windows and Doors 
• Kitchens & Bathrooms
• Heating (Gas, Electric, Other) 
• Electrical Work
• Roofing Materials 
• Fire Safety Upgrades (i.e. Fire Doors, Sprinkler systems, cladding, etc.)

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Developing newbuild homes through modern methods of construction

CHIC’s BuildSmart is our service to members developing newbuild homes. It enables a step change in housing delivery, primarily focused on Modern Methods of Construction (MMC).

BuildSmart gives members a compliant procurement solution in collaboration with others, using a common supply chain, standard home type designs, coordinated materials supply and greater efficiencies during the build period.

You can also use BuildSmart to procure your own bespoke designs and solutions. It can be flexible to meet your individual requirements. It is easy to access and ensures procurement compliance.

CHIC developed our off-site constructed showhome to demonstrate the improved speed of delivery and quality that modular homes can provide.  It also shows that it looks just like a traditionally constructed house and can be finished in a variety of materials from brick slip to render or even traditional masonry.  The house has been designed to show a completed structure downstairs and upstairs parts of the walls and ceilings have been left unfinished to demonstrate the construction materials used.

Long Term MMC Contracts

CHIC has a suite of long-term contracts with four key MMC partners:

• A frame & panel (timber frame) manufacturer
• A volumetric manufacturer, which can also provide full turnkey contractor service for smaller housing solutions
• A volumetric manufacturer, who can also provide a full turnkey contractor service for any low risk housing scheme
• A volumetric manufacturer, which can also provide a full turnkey contractor service for any scheme including medium and high rise

All partners can build standard efficient home designs, developed by CHIC – but can change these as required. They also use CHIC’s supply chain for materials, to reduce costs.

Contractors & Consultants

As well as our manufacturer turnkey contractors, CHIC can also provide access to a wide selection of other development contractors and consultants through our Dynamic Purchasing System. We can add contractors and consultants to the system, if required, and each call off contract will be determined by a mini competition.

This system is flexible, efficient and compliant, so we can help you to deliver your new homes through BuildSmart.

For more information, please get in touch with our Head of Development sdavey@chicltd.co.uk

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Legal advice and support for every part of your business

CHIC’s legal services framework creates savings and efficiencies through a panel of the country’s leading housing specialist law firms. Created through an EU-compliant tender process, the service offers more than 200 fixed-fee deals plus hourly rates at an average 30% discount on firms standard charges.

Our route to market has demonstrated significant efficiencies, generating over £1.4m of savings for our members from the previous framework.

In conjunction with specialist agent Kennedy Cater, we’ve brought together the experience, knowledge and expertise of the very best law firms in England and Wales. Our 22 panel members offer in-depth awareness of the demands, priorities and challenges of the housing sector, with a wide range of services to help you make savings and improve efficiency.

​Kennedy Cater also works with central and local government, NHS Trusts and other public sector bodies. We use their legal services experience to deliver sustainable benefits and increased value through spend and service reviews, support for negotiations, strategic planning, change management, mini-tenders and day to day contract supervision.

CHIC’s legal services framework makes all these skills available on demand to your organisation to support any aspect of your corporate governance and finance, housing & asset management and property and development.

Our service includes free induction for staff, a detailed protocol and user guide to help you get the best from the framework and a wide range of added value and social value benefits. Monthly management reports provided by CHIC give you detailed analysis of your spend.

​CHIC’s framework is available and compliant – you can call work off directly, or we can run a mini-tender for you.

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