Client Homezone Dates 2002 Ongoing Period Ongoing Value £955,000 annual, £5,725,000 to date Contract Open Book Scope of works
The partnering agreement between Homezone and Walmotts commenced in December 2002 and has been developed to incorporate ‘Constructing Excellence’ principles over its origin lifetime of 3 years. However, due to a successful and rewarding relationship, the agreement has been consistently extended and is now due for review in 2009.
The project originally commenced as a conventional gas servicing and responsive repairs contract which was delivered through localised means within the Lichfield area. A small base was established to deal with site operational matters and a supervisor and team of engineers where mobilised accordingly. The success of working closely with the Homezone partnering team soon became apparent and customer satisfaction rose significantly.
Calls and appointments were handled through a centralised Customer Services Team, established in Birmingham and within 15 minutes drive of Lichfield and the Regional Manager, who was responsible for delivery of the agreement, established a regular routine to ensure communication between clients, operatives and supply chain partners remained robust. This was supported by remote worker PDA technology which was enabled to give instant access to records and to tie the Customer Services Team more closely with the site based Operations Team.
Performance and quality were managed through a shared approach whereby the conventional client and contractor demarcations were blended. Operatives became used to site visits by clients as well as supervision and given delegated authority to respond to requests to undertake work. The arrangement also included auditing of quality and customer satisfaction KPI’s that were then compared at Core Group meetings.
Consultation with tenants were tackled in a number of ways by the Customer Liaison Officer, through tenant representation at core group meetings, site visits to following completion of work and through regular bulletins, coordinated through Homezone’s own newsletter. To improve access to properties, tenants were offered entry into monthly prize draws.
All servicing was carried out in accordance with a set program to ensure that properties are attended on or before there service due date. This includes all properties owned by Homezone including no gas, all electric properties etc. The contract ensured that no ‘tenants own’ appliances would be missed on the VPN database, used to maintain shared centralised records. As ‘Added Value’ to the agreement, smoke alarms within properties were also inspected and tested 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
In September of 2003, Homezone extended to partnership to address their Decent Homes objectives by incorporating central heating installations and upgrades into the program. With the aid of a facilitator an additional partnership charter was created in support of the organisation’s mission statement. With continued successful completion of key performance targets, the contract has been perpetuated and has offered long term local opportunities for employees, contractors and suppliers. | 
