A collaboration between eight Scottish housing associations has been described as providing a boost for communities and helping to deliver value for money for tenants.
i-Flair – as the consortium is known – operates across Inverclyde, East Renfrewshire and Renfrewshire and offers work to contractors under a framework agreement. Current members are Barrhead, Bridgewater, Cloch, Ferguslie Park, Linstone, Oak Tree, Paisley and Williamsburgh Housing Associations.
The concept is intended to deliver benefits including a faster tendering process and ensuring contractors deliver a ‘quality and customer-focused service’ with the incorporation of community benefits, such as creating local job opportunities. I-Flair contractors are required to deliver community benefits on work over £100,000 in value.
Now the framework – worth up to £68 million in work – will deliver kitchen, bathroom and heating replacement works, roofing and cladding, window and door replacement works on an ongoing basis. Also included is electrical maintenance, rewires, gas servicing, landscape maintenance and decoration works to existing properties.
Framework administrator Alan Shanks of A.D.A. Construction Consultants, said, “The new Framework Agreement will deliver up to £68 million of property maintenance works and services throughout East Renfrewshire, Inverclyde and Renfrewshire. I-Flair set out on a journey in 2019 to build on the success of the 2016-2020 Property Maintenance Framework agreement and provide greater opportunity for small and medium-sized enterprises to access the new framework agreement.
“Support was provided by i-Flair to bidding organisations during the tender process through procurement workshops and Meet the Buyer engagement events with 82% of the contractors appointed to the new framework agreement being small and medium-sized organisations. The opportunities which i-Flair will provide through the new framework agreement will offer invaluable support to i-Flair’s partners during the recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic.”
Paul McColgan, property services manager at Cloch Housing Association in Inverclyde, added, “I-Flair has underlined our  commitment and approach to providing apprenticeship and employment opportunities throughout East Renfrewshire, Inverclyde and Renfrewshire by ensuring that delivery of community benefits is a key requirement of the new framework agreement. I-Flair will seek to build upon the achievements of the 2016-2020 framework agreement and the apprenticeships that were created for young people in East Renfrewshire, Inverclyde and Renfrewshire through the community benefits requirements.”
