Scheme  Security Systems and Electrical Installation / Refurbishment to Fusion21 Partners throughout the UK

Client  Various, procured via Fusion21

Dates  2002

Period  Ongoing

Value  £1,000,000 annual, £8,000,000 to date

Contract  Direct Schedule of Rates with end user client following framework accreditation

Scope of works

Fusion21, a partnership of eight housing associations which was established in 2002, has developed the National Procurement Solution to enable any organisation within the social housing sector, and the public sector as a whole, to access the frameworks to meet their housing stock and planned maintenance commitments.

Fusion21’s approach harnesses sophisticated procurement and cost management techniques to manage costs.

Through our community local employment, apprenticeship, women-in-construction and staff development initiatives Kinetics Group provides to clients a team of directly employed team of multi-skilled specialists and support technicians to deliver a 24/7 response, 365 days a year to deliver cost- and time-efficient capital and cyclical works programmes for Fusion 21’s partner housing associations nationwide.
 

Key performance indicators

                                                                                            Dec 07        June 08    
1. Customer Satisfaction with Product                          90%        100%
2. Customer Satisfaction with Service                           90%        100%
3. Contractor Satisfaction with Landlord                        98%        100%
4. Resident Satisfaction with Product                             95%         98%
5. Resident Satisfaction with Landlord service             95%         98%
6. Resident Satisfaction with Contractor Service          95%         98%
7. Snagging at handover                                                    90%         95%
8. Defects Period defects                                                Not yet available
9. Questionnaires returned                                               90%        100%
10. Waste recycled                                                              82%        89%
11. AIR                                                                                       0             0            (no accidents)

 

Innovations

Merseyside is one location where we are delivering homes refurbishment programmes for a number of housing associations and local authorities.

We are currently working in over 3,000 residential properties which are a mix of highrise blocks, sheltered housing, two- and three-bedroom maisonettes, and semi-detached and terraced houses ranging in size from two- to eight-bedroom homes across the north west of England.

We have been commissioned to install new windows and doors, electrical and security systems, kitchen, bathrooms and boilers, fit new tiles and carry out landscaping and grounds maintenance works as part of a of Decent Homes Programme contracts for a number of housing associations. The specification varies according to the contract and the property and is client-led but we are proud that our quality of work and commitment to providing the highest level of service is consistent. We offer a whole-service approach for our clients and are flexible when asked to programme additional work or amend a programme to suit the client’s needs.

This project is delivered by a team of highly-experienced operatives, each of whom are multi-skilled to a high level and are therefore able to complete any job of work within a project, maximising the cost and time efficiencies of the programme, minimising downtime and eliminating delays in meeting our targets.

We directly employ our operatives, and actively recruit from the community in which we work so are reducing worklessness and increasing training, while enhancing our level of local knowledge to ensure we fully understand the challenges and needs of the community.

Our practices ensure we are able to provide our clients with a consistency in quality and standard of work, and minimize inter-contract delays.

We operate a stores system to ensure that each project has a range of products and materials which can be used to ensure operatives’ vehicles are stocked, thus ensuring our first-fix rate is consistently high.

Through the Fusion21 programme, we have mentored over 60 operatives through our apprenticeship programmes, and have developed opportunities for site and office staff.

Our work within our apprenticeship programmes complements our work to reduce worklessness and increase skills knowledge within the area. We are acutely aware that our ability to continue to deliver our high standards relies on our investment in our people.

We know that training and development of our staff plays an important part in how well we continue to service clients’ needs, and provide a comprehensive training programme satisfying the needs of our employees and apprentices. We are proud of our apprentice-to-qualified operative or employee rate.

We are an equal opportunities employer and are actively encouraging an increase in the number of women we employ within the operations side of the business. We have embraced a self-imposed local employment principal and are proud to be playing a fundamental part in the sustainability of the communities in which we are working.

We work closely with our client to maximise our efficiency and effectiveness. We have a team of dedicated Tenant Liaison Officers (TLOs) who work closely with our client and their tenants to ensure any issues or concerns are dealt with swiftly. We have aligned our systems to our clients’ and pro-actively build flexibility into our programmes, and update our records about a property, its maintenance and occupants to ensure they are kept up to date. Operatives are directly linked to the head-office to ensure that realtime information is relayed from site.

We have embraced the Egan partnering principles and through closer relationships with clients and suppliers are able to offer efficiencies in programme-delivery and problem solving. We have worked with the Fusion/Value Works procurement methods and have retained our ownership of the contract to ensure high quality goods are supplied. The project is micro-managed to ensure that we are as flexible as our clients’ residents require.

We are the preferred partner/installer on windows and door schemes and are proud to be able to provide our client whole-service capability which includes all trade disciplines. We operate a self-auditing programme and monitoring programme, and are proud of our KPI records which are consistently scoring in excess of 90 per cent. We also audit our vehicles, uniforms and PPE, height and lifting equipment, and all of these processes are audited by our own QHSE Manager as we deliver on our commitment to best practice and continuous improvement by leading Toolbox Talks, as well as health and safety, manual handling, good housekeeping and legislative updates to our operatives.