Client  First Choice Homes Oldham

Dates  June 2006 to April 07

Period  40 weeks

Value  £1,420,562

Contract  Overall Framework Agreement

Scope of works

137 properties

External: Roofing works 30 houses, replacement of gutters and downspouts 137 properties, replacements of facias and soffits 137 properties, cavity wall insulation 137 properties, window replacements 79 properties.
Internal: Full electrical rewire to 99 upgrade to 38, installation of mains fed smoke alarms, fans to both kitchen and bathrooms 137 properties, design and installation of gas central heating system including domestic hot water to 137 properties. Loft insulation to all properties.

Innovations

Birchenleee estate formed part of our decent homes partnership with First Choice Homes Oldham. Under this framework we have undertaken between £6 and £8 million per annum of decent homes work over a 5 year period. The individual schemes have varied in size from £250,00 to £1.6 million. Birchinlee was one of the more complex schemes although it did not include kitchen and bathrooms it did incorporate full heating replacement and rewiring for the majority of properties along with all the external works. The First Choice Homes contract has enabled us to undertake thousands of full house refurbishments encapsulating the full range of works to meet the safe warm and dry decent homes standards.

First Choice launched into partnering relatively early on compared to many and as a result completed their decent homes programme 2 years ahead of the 2010 original government target. Many of the innovations of partnering undertaken during this period are now accepted as the norm. The 5 years works programme was managed in true partnership with contractors working closely to deliver and share best practice between each other. Supply chain management, value engineering and full open book arrangements with the client were innovative five years ago and First Choice Homes was our first real encounter with such an open partnering environment.

For 5 years Kinetics utilised the same team of management, employees and partnered supply chain to deliver a large volume of works with extremely high KPI’s throughout.  The challenges created by the complex scope of works on full house refurbishments were always dominated by ensuring top quality customer care. The majority of our resident liaison offices were from a qualified trade background. This provided them with a more in depth understanding of the works process which they were able to explain and support the residents through the necessary works. This multi skilling of our workforce has also enabled us to have a more fluid team to cope with programme demands. Site agents and T.L.O.’s train together and can therefore provide better cover for each other and work extremely closely as a team.

Our approach to supply chain partnering in Oldham allowed us to foster long term relationships with small local subcontractors. Several two to three employee companies with work security and good cash flow, have been able to grow and develop alongside us during the 5 year period. Trainees and apprentices were also supported and employed by the supply chain as they grew and improved their services with us. We have since bid for other works and secured the Manchester Frameworks jointly with some of our supply chain companies. We recognise the importance of cash flow to very small firms in particular as they grow and throughout the five years we held no retentions and paid within 14 days. These good terms ensured that we could rely on a commitment and loyalty from our supply chain and that we could work closely together to deliver the best service solutions possible.