Housing Association Procurement Guide
Whether you’re planning a new housing development or managing thousands of existing homes, getting procurement right isn’t just important - it’s essential. Done well, it improves quality, saves money, and helps deliver better services for your tenants.
Right now, housing associations are navigating increased demand, rising costs, and growing expectations around social value. Procurement can help balance all of these. It’s no longer just about picking the cheapest supplier. It’s about making smart, strategic choices that create long-term benefits.
In this guide, we’ll explore how to get procurement right across the full housing lifecycle -from development to maintenance -and how the new Procurement Act is changing things. You’ll also see how a trusted procurement framework can make things simpler, quicker and more cost-effective.
Jump to:
Why procurement is key for better homes and services
Plan across the whole housing cycle
How social housing procurement frameworks can help
What the Procurement Act means for you
The importance of contract management
Why procurement is key for better homes and services
Consider how vital procurement is for the country. All social housing is underpinned by procurement, especially in a country that has a shortage of housing, and every decision you make around contracts, suppliers, and delivery models has a direct impact on the communities you serve.
It influences how quickly homes are built, how efficiently repairs are carried out, and how well your contractors and suppliers deliver. Poor procurement leads to delays, overspending and a big missed opportunity to add social value. Effective housing association procurement can improve service standards, reduce turnaround times, and help avoid costly mistakes down the line. It ensures that you're working with trusted, competent suppliers who share your values and can deliver your organisation’s objectives.
Plan across the whole housing lifecycle
Great procurement doesn’t stop at development. It stretches right across the housing lifecycle - repairs, maintenance, refurbishments, retrofit programmes, and facilities management.
Start by building a clear, joined-up plan that looks at all these areas. The earlier you bring suppliers and stakeholders into the conversation, the better the outcomes. The new Procurement Act actually encourages this by pushing for early engagement and more collaboration across the supply chain.
By taking this big-picture approach, you’ll spot potential issues earlier, reduce risk, and open up new ways of working.
How social housing procurement frameworks can help
Running a full procurement exercise from scratch takes time, money and specialist knowledge, and that’s why many providers choose to utilise an existing social housing procurement framework instead to keep things simple, fast and compliant.
Frameworks give you access to an array of pre-approved suppliers, who’ve already been through quality control and compliance checks.
This allows you to get the project off the ground quickly, save on procurement admin, access specialist support, and reduce the legal risk to your organisation. Frameworks also often include built-in social value, sustainability standards, and pricing benchmarks - meaning you know you’re not just buying the most cost-effective option, but the best long-term fit.
It’s therefore beneficial for your organisation to work with an experienced framework provider, such as Procurement Hub, as this will help prevent any major procurement headaches from developing later down the line.
What the Procurement Act means for you
The Procurement Act came into force in October 2024 and applies to all contracting authorities, including housing associations. It’s built around four key principles:
- Value for money
- Transparency
- Fair treatment of suppliers
- Public benefit
You’ll now need to share more information across the lifecycle of your contracts, including things like contract notices, award notices, performance reports, and any major changes. The aim is to make public procurement more open, fair and efficient.
The Act also introduces Dynamic Markets - a more flexible approach than traditional frameworks. These allow a wider range of suppliers to compete and make it easier to award direct contracts where appropriate.
If you haven’t yet adapted your processes, now’s the time to do so. Find out more about how the 2025 changes are transforming public procurement.
The importance of contract management
Winning in procurement isn’t just about awarding a contract - it’s about what happens next. The real value lies in delivery, and that’s why good contract management is vital.
In housing, contracts often run for years and directly impact residents. That means you need clear standards, regular monitoring, and real accountability. Here's how to get it right:
- Start off with a strong specification - Set out clear deliverables, KPIs and reporting requirements from the outset.
- Use tenant feedback - Your tenants are the cornerstone to your organisation, so make sure you are feeding into their experiences and asking for regular feedback - especially on frontline services, like repairs or cleaning.
- Hold regular reviews - Make sure regular meetings are in place with suppliers. This will allow you to track progress, review data, and solve any problems together.
- Plan for flexibility - A good procurement contract will have provisions built in to deal with unexpected changes. Consider building in flexibility clauses, which will allow you to react appropriately to things like shifts in funding, regulation, or tenant needs.
At Procurement Hub, we specialise in making procurement easier for housing providers, offering a variety of solutions catering for your needs. Whether you’re building new homes, retrofitting existing ones, or just trying to deliver great services for your residents, we’ve got a solution for you.
We work with housing associations of all sizes and across the UK, helping you stay agile and efficient, and because we’re part of Places for People, we bring a social heart to everything we do.
Get in touch today.