What the new Social and Affordable Homes Programme means for procurement

From a procurement perspective, it lets us help you map out the right commercial strategies over several years, rather than reacting scheme by scheme.

Strong focus on social rent

At least 60% of homes delivered through this programme must be for social rent. This aligns closely with the needs we hear from members every day. The pressure on affordability is real and this programme gives providers a better chance to bring forward schemes that will have the greatest social impact.

Open to a wide range of organisations

The programme welcomes housing providers of all sizes along with local authorities, community groups and specialist organisations.

This matters for a consortium like CHIC because we work with a diverse group of members. Our role is to make sure every organisation, whatever its size or experience, can access the support needed to submit a strong and confident bid.

Choosing the right route to funding

There are two main ways to engage:

• Continuous Market Engagement for flexible, individual schemes;
• Strategic Partnerships for larger and more consistent programmes.

We will help members understand what each route demands and what it means for procurement, planning and risk management.

What Homes England will expect

Homes England will be looking for deliverable schemes, strong design standards and clear value for money. They want real confidence that providers can secure land, achieve planning consent and manage costs effectively. Through CHIC frameworks and our procurement expertise, we can help you assemble the right consultants, suppliers and contractors to evidence this.

How CHIC will support providers

We will translate the programme into practical steps. We have a comprehensive Newbuild Framework, proving a whole range of consultancy, contractor and MMC solutions.

We will guide members on procurement strategies, provide a compliant and competitive route to market, support partnership development and share insight across our membership. Most importantly, we will be a steady hand for providers who may not have the in-house capacity to navigate a programme of this scale.

Looking ahead

This programme is a chance to deliver more homes, better homes and homes that truly meet local needs.

As a procurement consortium we see our role as enabling members to focus on development while we take care of the commercial and compliance challenges. We are ready to help you turn this long-term funding into real delivery for your communities.

Stephen Sharman, director of member services, Communities and Housing Investment Consortium