Continuous Improvement Programme brings real opportunity for housing sector procurement

Scotland Excel is delighted to announce the launch of a Continuous Improvement Programme for Procurement (CIPP) to help housing associations meet the new requirements for grant funding through the Scottish Government, Affordable Housing Supply Programme.

The recently published update to the programme’s process and procedures (MHDGN 2022/02) outlines the core requirements that will be assessed as part of a procurement improvement programme that is now a condition of grant funding.

Scotland Excel has more than ten years’ experience of providing procurement assessments and improvement programmes for Scotland’s local authorities and housing associations.

The CIPP assessment builds on the success of a previous Procurement & Commercial Improvement Programme (PCIP) delivered for housing associations between 2017 and 2019.  It uses an evidence-based assessment tool that develops procurement capability, identifies financial savings opportunities, and focuses in on the additional social, economic and environmental benefits that can be delivered for communities through procurement projects.

How it works

The assessment focuses on the policies and procedures driving procurement performance and the results they deliver. Scotland Excel will conduct a review using a standard set of questions that meet the Scottish Government requirements.   The assessment creates a benchmark of current performance which are contained within a bespoke improvement report.

This report can be used by each organisation to plan a continuous procurement journey and achieve best practice. It allows housing associations to set objectives for improving procurement capability, determine the priorities for the coming year, and allocate resources to deliver these.

What happens next

The programme is managed by Colin Taylor, Housing Services Manager in the housing team at Scotland Excel. He explains: “The service has become a well-honed programme that has continuously evolved since first being adopted by housing associations in 2015.

“When the whole organisation embraces the benefits from procurement improvement, it can make a significant contribution to the way it operates and enables clear insight for decision making.

“The previous programme highlighted areas where housing associations deliver real benefit back to their communities and showcased a lot of the good work within the sector.”

Many housing associations are already members of Scotland Excel and can access 70+ collaborative procurement frameworks, including its construction portfolio.  Using these frameworks can help housing associations to demonstrate best value from procurement across a range of project areas including new build, housing refit, tenancy repairs or other building work.

For more information on the Continuous Improvement Programme for Procurement, or to arrange a session for your organisation, please contact housing@scotland-excel.org.uk