Affordability must go hand in hand with housing quality and how to make social housing a tenure of choice. Read PlaceShapers response to Affordable Housing Commission
5 April 2019 more...
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Incommunities, Yorkshire
Green Lane, Bradford
This is a great example of
How an innovative approach to in-house contracting can reduce reliance on external contractors, save on build costs, increase control over the development process and create a successful new business stream.
Incommunities, Yorkshire
What we did
Incommunities development arm - Lumia Homes - has taken an innovative approach to procurement. Acting as principal contractor and working directly with sub-contractors, Lumia has built 65 new homes and established a model for in-house contracting.
How we did it
Faced with a rundown 1950’s estate, blighted by anti-social behaviour, Incommunities wanted to regenerate the area with new family-sized housing. However, having cleared the site, interest from developers was limited. Incommunities therefore decided to deliver the scheme via ‘Direct Procurement’, building on the success of their first Direct Procurement scheme in Ilkley, West Yorkshire.
Incommunities’ Lumia Homes brand acted as main contractor for the development, sub-contracting the works packages and managing operations on site. Some sub-contracting packages were delivered by in-house teams too. Lumia Homes provided a high quality construction management service, with a smooth-running site and the flexibility to cope with changes that arose during the development period. An additional house was added to the scheme without the penalties or time delays imposed by an external contactor.
The impact we’ve had
- 65 new family-sized homes for rent and sale, saving over £800,000 on a traditional Design & Build Contracts
- proof that the Direct Procurement model works, and with another 87 homes in the pipeline, creates a viable new business stream
- established a genuine partnership with the local supply chain (subcontractors, labour and material suppliers).
- realising the opportunity to add value to projects, in terms of innovation, high quality design and construction techniques (including MMC)
- creating new opportunities for local employment and training, as well as helping the recruitment and retention of staff in a competitive market
