The group, which oversees tens of thousands of houses from Northumberland to the Isle of Wight, plans to build 1000 homes this year. The two main elements within the group are North British Housing, the largest registered landlord in England with 47,000 homes, and Bristol Churches Housing Association, which manages 3400 houses in the South-west.
Paul Willis, head of construction, said the group had turned to partnering as it saved time and money. Willis said the deal would expand on pilot partnering schemes begun last year.
Willis said: “We tried partnering last year on individual projects and generally the results have been successful. They have delivered on time and budget. But we could never have achieved Egan-like savings through single project partnering. We had to make it strategic partnering.”
Willis said the firm expected 80% of its workload to be built through the partnering deals.
Provided the partnering provides benefits, there is no reason not to continue with the arrangement
Paul Willis, head of construction, Places for People
The group had already produced outline costs with contractors on projects. He added: “We have a cost base to work from. We will now be sharing out work geographically with the contractors, based on their current workload.”
The partnering arrangements will be open-ended. Willis said: “There is no finishing date to the arrangement. Provided the partnering provides benefits for them and us and achieves the targets we set, there is no reason not to continue with the arrangement.”
The group has also selected a number of regional contractors to carry out smaller works, including refurbishment. The group intends to set aside £20m this year on refurbishing 3800 properties.
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