A new procurement consortium in Scotland is helping social housing landlords in Scotland to generate extra savings while supporting local SMEs.

September will see the launch of Procurement for Housing (PfH) Scotland which will recruit 31 social landlords who manage 40 per cent of the housing stock in Scotland and spend £580 million on goods and services each year. Scottish social landlords have called “for a greater strategic focus on procurement as they grapple with the impact of welfare reforms and tightening budgets”.

A spokesman said: “In talking to sector stakeholders in Scotland PfH found there’s a growing appetite among procurement professionals to explore new approaches to driving efficiency and value and supporting Scottish businesses, labour and skills. Social landlords stated that collaboration was not used enough and that current procurement resources were stretched. “By engaging small and medium-sized businesses, PfH Scotland is working to maximise the impact social landlords can have on their local economies.”

Since it was launched in 2004 Procurement for Housing has acquired 864 members across the UK and claims to have saved more than £38 million for the social housing. Andrew Carlin, commercial director at PfH, said: “Landlords in Scotland are under enormous financial pressure at present. We can bring an in-depth knowledge of the sector and its supply chains gleaned from managing the direct and indirect spend of hundreds of landlords for almost a decade.”

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