Services

Achieving high levels of productivity in the delivery of a repairs service is both key to process efficiency and to ensuring high levels of customer satisfaction. The effective supply of materials is critical to keeping operatives working efficiently.

CHIC’s merchant services and materials frameworks and Dynamic Purchasing System allow members to work directly with a wide selection of market leading suppliers for materials and merchant services. We can offer an over the counter solution, van stock management with delivered services or bespoke fully managed stores. Detailed price catalogues and monthly management information help members to achieve greater workforce and materials purchasing efficiencies, right down to each individual operatives needs.

Merchant Services

CHIC manages a comprehensive price catalogue for each materials manufacturer and merchant, to offer volume discounts and benchmarked value for money on all the materials and components most commonly used for responsive repairs and planned investment works.

We review manufacturers and suppliers prices regularly, to keep you in touch with the latest top products and cost changes. Each month members will receive a comprehensive report explaining their purchasing trends and recommending alternative, more cost effective products and options, to help contain costs.

Development and Planned Materials

CHIC manages frameworks with a wide range of materials manufacturers and suppliers. We maintain price catalogues to help members choose the best value product for their planned programmes or new homes. These can be supplied to both internal and external contractors, for planned investment and newbuild projects.

Separating materials from labour gives members control of what materials are purchased, therefore supporting their long term asset management strategies, as well as giving price transparency and delivering project savings. The supply and payment processes can be efficiently managed through CHIC’s Order Management System (COMS).

Choose between a multi-merchant or one-stop-shop approach, backed by our detailed knowledge of merchant services, with on call contract support for:

• Responsive repairs
• Minor and major voids
• Gas servicing and repairs
• Electrical inspections and repairs
• Plumbing and heating products
• All planned investment projects

• View our products for this service:

• Decent Homes
• Fire Safety
• Planned Works
• Building Safety
• Planned Materials
• Merchant Services
• New Build & Development
• Minor Improvement Works

All landlords and building managers need a range of building safety contractors and specialist advisors to provide servicing, repair and installation services.

These often involve relatively low values and volumes of work but are of critical importance to resident and staff safety. CHIC uses the combined needs of its membership to provide more opportunity and volume to contractors and other specialists, helping them to provide a high quality service at competitive rates.

CHIC has been providing support with compliance contracts for over a decade. We can help with specifications, pricing and supplier or contractor selection.

Members can access contractors and suppliers through CHIC’s frameworks or our Dynamic Purchasing System (DPS). Direct contract awards are available via our frameworks (subject to business case approval), or we can run a mini-competition under a framework or the DPS. CHIC can save members procurement time and cost and provides ongoing support once a contract is established.

Which of your compliance requirements can CHIC support?

• Gas safety: servicing, safety checks, repairs and auditing
• Lifts: passenger lifts, stair lifts and hoists
• Fire prevention: spread prevention work, doors, alarm systems, emergency lighting and equipment maintenance
• Fire safety: fire risk assessments (FRA’s) and sprinkler/misting systems
• Asbestos: survey, management and removal
• Water hygiene: legionella testing and remedial work
• Door entry: entry systems, warden call, CCTV and barriers
• Compliance auditing: independent quality control and verification
• Electrical safety: inspection and repair
• Compliance consultancy: professional services – design, project management and compliance auditing

• View our products for this service:

• Decent Homes
• Fire Safety
• Consultancy
• Planned Works
• Building Safety
• Planned Materials
• Compliance
• Minor Improvement Works

CHIC’s newbuild services offer flexible solutions to support members in the development of new homes, including comprehensive offsite manufacturer options.

BuildSmart – CHIC’s Newbuild Services

BuildSmart offers CHIC’s members the opportunity to secure efficiencies in the development process. Not all developing organisations manage their own frameworks. That is where CHIC comes in.

Modern Methods of Construction (MMC)

CHIC has procured contracts with a range of MMC providers, to offer direct access to modular off site manufactured solutions.  CHIC offers a compliant procurement solution, standard house type designs and coordinated material supplies. Members can directly access any of our long term contracts.

Some contracts also offer a full contracting service, so the manufacturer can also act as the main contractor – a ‘turnkey’ solution.

Tendering via CHIC’s Dynamic Purchasing System (DPS)

CHIC’s members often want to run a tender for each new project and want access to an appropriate range of contractors and consultants. This can be for a brick and block design and build solution, for timber frame or fully modular.

CHIC’s DPS provides a wide variety of registered contractors and consultants, offering members a cost effective and time efficient route to market. New contractors and consultants can be added at any time, to suit local requirements.

A DPS mini-tender can be run at any stage of the development process. benchmark costs. Or a tender could be based upon fully developed designs and employers requirements.

CHIC will help you to understand what best suits your needs and fully support the tender process.

Why DPS?

A DPS offers members a PCR 2015 compliant solution for competitive tendering. Projects must be tendered, but this is managed through an efficient electronic process. The scope of each tender can be geared to individual project and member requirements.

CHIC Materials for Newbuild

Over the last decade CHIC has achieved significant savings for its members by procuring materials collaboratively and managing relationships and pricing direct with manufacturers. These benefits can also be applied to newbuild schemes.

By supplying key components to newbuild contractors, members can ensure they specify the quality of products required, whilst securing competitive pricing. So members can use the same materials as they do in their asset management programmes and control this element of their newbuild costs,

Orders can be managed through CHIC’s Order Management System (COMS).

• View our products for this service:

• Decent Homes
• New Build & Development
• Planned Materials

Programmes of Capital and Planned Investment are essential to ensure that your assets are in good condition, are well managed and meet your current and future needs.

Whether delivered through an in-house team or an external contractor, CHIC has a solution to support your needs.

Whatever your current and future investment strategy includes, CHIC:

• Can source materials for all in-house delivered programmes
• Can source external contractors, on a supply and fit or fit only basis, with separate materials supply
• Has manufacturer supply and fit options (e.g. windows and doors and fire doors)
• Works with small and medium enterprises as well as the larger regional and national contractors, giving you access to a wide pool of service providers
• Can support the delivery of all types of projects, ranging from very small to high value, long-term rolling contracts
• Supports whole house and estate wide regeneration solutions.

CHIC’s capital and planned investment options save you time on lengthy and expensive procurement and give you access to competitive prices, collective learning and the experience of all our suppliers and members. We help you keep a tight control on costs and deliver added social value

CHIC works closely with contractors and suppliers to ensure that we can offer flexible and competitively priced contract options:

• Members can access these through CHIC’s frameworks, via direct award or mini-competition, or with a mini-competition through our Dynamic Purchasing System (DPS)
• We have supported major projects in all capital and planned works, including kitchens, bathrooms, windows and doors, roofs, gas and heating installations, as well as whole house and regeneration projects
• Where materials and labour are split to improve value for money, materials supply can be managed efficiently and transparently through CHIC’s Order Management System (COMS)
• If you have leaseholders to consult on any works, the use of CHIC’s DPS enables you to comply with Section 20 requirements for leaseholder consultation. Any nominated qualifying contractor can be added to the DPS before the procurement commences
• Our team can help you scope your future programme, identify the most cost effective options and then support supplier selection and delivery. All this leaves you free to focus on securing quality outcomes for your customers

• View our products for this service:

• Decent Homes
• New Build & Development
• Planned Works
• Fire Safety
• Building Safety
• Planned Materials
• Compliance
• Facilities Management
• Minor Improvement Works

CHIC’s Professional Services provide members with access to a range of consultancy and agency solutions, including CHIC’s long established legal services.

Members can opt for a direct award or via mini-competition from one of our frameworks, or via a mini-tender from our Dynamic Purchasing System (DPS)

CHIC is regularly updating its frameworks and DPS in response to members needs. New qualifying consultants / suppliers can join the DPS at any time. CHIC’s team will support you to identify the most efficient solutions for your own requirements.

Legal Services Framework

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

In conjunction with specialist agent Kennedy Cater, we have brought together the experience, knowledge and expertise of the very best law firms in England and Wales. Our 22 strong panel of legal firms 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.

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

Our services include 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 Kennedy Cater give you detailed analysis of your spend and savings achieved.

• View our products for this service:

• Consultancy
• Facilities Management
• Legal Services

Find the solutions you need to help reduce your carbon footprint

As the housing sector moves towards the 2030 EPC C target and then progresses to the 2050 zero carbon objective, having a range of innovative advisors, suppliers and contractors will be increasingly more important for CHIC’s members.

Members will need to understand the current energy performance of their assets in detail and will need comprehensive plans in place to update or replace them, to achieve low and zero carbon targets.

CHIC can help with compliant access for:

• Consultants who can advise on detailed overall asset performance and on asset management strategies
• Energy assessors and advisors
• Designers, engineers and other consultants
• Suppliers of a range of building materials which will help reduce carbon usage, including:
  • Fabric First – internal and external wall insulation, roofing, floor insulation, windows and doors  
  • Mechanical and Electrical Systems – Boilers and heating systems, electrical equipment, photovoltaics, heat pumps, mechanical ventilation and heat recovery systems, battery storage, electric vehicle charging
• A wide range of contractors and installers, who can work on a supply and fit or fit only basis
• Specialist advisors and energy suppliers

CHIC is constantly updating its frameworks and Dynamic Purchasing System (DPS), to ensure that members can have easy access to the full range of solutions that they will need, to progressively improve assets and reduce carbon.

Members can access CHIC’s frameworks through direct call off or via a mini-competition. The DPS must select through a mini-competition, but includes the option for suppliers and contractors to join at any time.

CHIC continually manages the relationships with suppliers and contractors, to ensure that pricing remains competitive and that the expected quality of work is achieved, as well as securing added social value. CHIC does not only offer a compliant ‘route to market’ but provides ongoing contract management support.

CHIC’s members create a vibrant asset management community, where ideas, innovations, solutions, practical experience and lessons learned can all be shared to mutual benefit. This shared intelligence base will be increasingly important as CHIC supports its members to work towards a net zero carbon future.

• View our products for this service:

• Decent Homes
• New Build & Development
• Zero Carbon
• Minor Improvement Works

Smarter Asset Management Through Technology

CHIC recognises that there is an increasing range of smart technology solutions available to our members, to help them deliver great services for their customers. CHIC aims to provide a service that will enable members to access the technology products they need.

Technology covers many different aspects of how our members deliver their asset management services.

Smart Buildings

• Devices to help landlords monitor building performance and occupant lifestyles
• Energy generation and storage, to reduce carbon and fuel poverty
• Heat and water distribution and management

Asset Strategies

• Sophisticated modelling of data on assets, people, financial and market information to determine accurate asset performance
• Data and modelling on energy usage and efficiency, to profile decarbonisation

Building Safety

• Technology to capture design and construction details of existing assets, including all building services, to create digital records that are easily accessible
• Fire safety management and planning solutions, with tried and tested technologies to manage fire risks effectively
• Access and security technologies, to keep people safe and secure
• Added value technologies, that improve residents wellbeing, such as telecommunications, media access and smart lift technologies

Staff Support

• Devices that keep workers safe, such as lone worker tracking
• Mobile technologies, to manage customer services efficiently through the ability to maximise productivity

CHIC’s aim is to be able to provide access to the wide portfolio of technology solutions that our members may need. We are progressively identifying market products and establishing procurement solutions which will give members easy access to these.

Access will be via a framework or CHIC’s Dynamic Purchasing System (DPS).

CHIC’s members create a vibrant asset management community, where new technologies are created, tested and shared. CHIC works proactively with all members to encourage this collaboration, so that we can offer the range of technologies our members need to access for their asset management programmes.

• View our products for this service:

• New Build & Development
• Minor Improvement Works
• Telecoms
• Compliance
• Decent Homes
• Building Safety
• Planned Works
• Consultancy

Facilities Management (FM) is an essential part of ensuring the upkeep of homes, buildings and neighbourhoods.

CHIC’s frameworks and DPS allow our members to effectively manage their assets and estates, ensuring functionality, comfort, safety and efficiency of the built environment.

CHIC’s FM services include:

Hard Facilities Management

Hard FM deals with physical assets such as mechanical and electrical services along with the fabric of the building. These services ensure that the health, safety and welfare of residents and employees are optimised by providing a compliant, safe and enjoyable environment for people to live and work in.

Soft Facilities Management

Soft FM helps to support the health, safety and appearance of buildings and estates. CHIC’s solutions are available to help members deliver innovative cleaning, grounds maintenance and waste management services across your corporate and housing assets. The focus is on promoting the wellbeing of people by making the workplace or home a better place to be.

• View our products for this service:

• Decent Homes
• Fire Safety
• Planned Works
• Building Safety
• Minor Improvement Works
• Telecoms
• Facilities Management
• Compliance

Enabling Wales to improve the safety and energy efficiency of residential buildings

CHIC has developed a Dynamic Purchasing System (DPS) to procure Bidders of Domestic Energy Efficiency Retrofit Installation Services. Working in partnership with CHIC and its Welsh Clients to develop Energy efficiency solutions to homes within the Welsh geographical regions, the Optimised Retrofit project will see homes across Wales made more energy-efficient. The process will deliver a solution that does not presently exist in the market and provide an effective route to market for pipeline projects from Housing Providers and foster a robust supply chain to deliver net zero energy (NZE) solutions.

The process of retrofitting pathway homes will enable the trial and refinement of the digital and technological tools required to enable the decarbonisation of homes across Wales, as well as help build the skills and training needed to underpin this.

The Dynamic Purchasing System (DPS) also allows for Bidders of Building Safety Upgrade Works and Services for residential buildings. This include upgrades for building safety requirements in respect of fire and structural risk, which may become relevant in the overall inspection and evaluation of the property. A range of complementary measures can therefore be employed to increase both the efficiency and overall safety of buildings. 

Optimised Retrofit Project (ORP)

A collaboration of 68 partners, including 26 social housing providers that have been awarded funding by Welsh Government and will initially see more than 1,700 homes across Wales become more energy efficient. This is achieved through a combination of building fabric improvements, low and zero-carbon technologies (such as solar panels, battery storage and heat pumps), and intelligent ongoing operational controls.

Welsh Building Safety Fund

In early 2021, the Minister for Climate Change announced the launch of the Welsh Building Safety Fund (WBSF), which is focused on the identification of, and addressing of fire safety issues in residential, or mixed-use residential buildings, over 11m, in Wales.

Welsh Government’s Building Safety team through the CHIC DPS are now in a position to request applications for specialist contractors to deliver a programme of works to achieve this. Part of the programme delivery requires the engagement of a range of agencies to provide specified works, goods, and services, across Wales.

The Welsh Government are a member of CHIC via Pathfinder.

• View our products for this service:

• Optimised Retrofit Project (Wales)
• Building Safety (Wales)