A total of 17 construction suppliers have won spots on a framework that helps councils and housing associations procure “non-traditional solutions”, mostly from small businesses.
Procurement for Housing (PFH) said its Social Housing Emerging Disruptors 4 (SHED4) framework, worth upto £100m over three years, offers “innovative” solutions including 3D concrete printing, thermal inspection drones and eco-friendly subsidence solutions.
Other services offered by companies that landed slots on SHED4 include renewable-energy smart mobile towers, video repairs reporting for tenants, robotic underfloor insulation and real-time data collection to tackle damp and mould.
A statement from PFH said it set up the framework in response to feedback about how difficult it was to procure emerging services from innovative startups.
“Many fledgling firms with fresh ways to tackle old issues such as damp and mould, net zero and building safety couldn’t break into the market because of tender bureaucracy. They didn’t have the resources to commit to the lengthy public procurement application process,” PFH said.
Even when SMEs were able to bid, procurement managers did not have the specialist knowledge to specify niche services and companies could not scale their solutions because landlords were unable to procure them compliantly, the provider added.
Suppliers appointed to SHED4 include 3D-printed concrete firm Harcourt Technologies; drone-based property inspection provider Vantage UAV; eco-friendly subsidence solutions firm Geobear Residential; and robotic underfloor insulation firm Q-Bot.
PFH head of procurement Neil Butters said: “We had a range of firms bidding for the SHED this year and the 17 winners offer a wide variety of services. That’s a sign of where the social housing sector is right now and the myriad of problems and competing priorities it faces.
“The market is responding to those challenges and our job with the SHED is to nurture both the SME supply chain and innovative procurement in the sector – both key goals of the new Procurement Act.”
The full list of suppliers and their offerings:
- Alator Data Services – data-driven ESG insights
- Autonomous IoT – renewable energy security and lighting towers
- Bimsense (Operance) – AI-powered BIM consultancy
- Chameleon Digitization – IT solutions
- Confurr – a real-time video platform that helps tenants report repairs
- Crystal Clear Windows Works – double-glazing restorers
- Enevate Homes – modular construction manufacturer
- Geobear Residential – eco-friendly subsidence solutions
- Harcourt Technologies – 3D printed concrete
- Mackwell Health – infection control technology
- ODCGIS – data capture for tasks like grounds maintenance
- Power Circle Projects – smart local energy systems
- Q-Bot – robotic underfloor insulation
- Rubixx – cloud-based property management
- Secure Sensor Innovation Design – monitoring systems for temperature, noise et al
- Switchee – real-time data through a thermostat
- Vantage UAV – drone-based property inspections
