12th August 2021
Using modern methods of construction (MMC) to develop social housing really is as easy as 1, 2, 3!
The South West Procurement Alliance (SWPA) is encouraging smaller social landlords across the South and South West to take advantage of MMC to provide high-quality, energy-efficient homes for their residents.
Working in partnership with Dorchester-based Magna Housing and Wiltshire Council, SWPA has published a simple guide called Easy as 1, 2, 3.
The guide highlights the proven route to procurement and delivery via SWPA and explains how the Magna Housing portfolio of homes can be customised and adapted to meet the local context and the requirements of the people who will live in them.
It also sets out how clients can achieve efficient delivery and cost savings by placing a bulk order.
SWPA is an expert in public sector procurement and offers free-to-use frameworks.
Magna Housing has 100 modular homes manufactured for delivery by Rollalong across Dorset.
Wiltshire Council was the first to see the value in working in partnership and using a ready-made portfolio to prove the concept of offsite manufacture – which is why it was the first to join the cluster.
To download the guide visit https://www.swpa.org.uk/media/exvntkgj/swpa-easy_booklet-v5-1.pdf.
7th December 2020
We were delighted to win not one but two awards at the Constructing Excellence South West Awards 2020 on Friday.
Our innovative collaboration to demonstrate the effectiveness of using offsite manufacture to provide social housing won the Offsite Award and the Winner of Winners prize at the online awards ceremony.
We submitted our bid with our partners Magna Housing, the South West Procurement Alliance and Complex Asset Management Solutions (CAMS).
Our entry focused on making the business case for adopting modern methods of construction (MMC) via a strategic asset management approach, modelling comparative whole life costs and producing the modular units.
Magna Housing explored the business case for MMC as a tool for increasing the supply of new homes and developed a strategic Asset Management Plan.
A delivery partner was found by a collaborative process with the South West Procurement Alliance (part of procurement organisation LHC) and a formal tender was carried out to assess the ability and willingness of the potential supplier to collaborate.
LHC and Magna also commissioned CAMS to assess the business case for change from traditional construction to MMC. The results showed that MMC delivers consistency of quality and the best whole-life profile and allows for asset management and maintenance innovation in the future.
After a thorough selection process we were selected as the preferred provider, and we are now working with Magna to manufacture and install high-quality, precision-engineered, attractive, affordable and environmentally sustainable homes throughout Dorset and Somerset.
Steve Chivers, Managing Director of Rollalong, said: ‘Winning these two awards from Constructing Excellence South West is testament to the culture that exists within the partnership. Rollalong set out to innovate, and to achieve that common goal you must collaborate, drawing from the strengths of every alliance member – truly great collaborations push the boundaries of all partners.
“Aggregating demand through the engagement of new clients with our latest range of environmental upgrades and designs for 2021 will further strengthen the partnership, creating endless opportunities for superb collaboration and growth.”
Pictured below are Iain Steele, Rollalong MD Steve Chivers and Darren Moore celebrating Friday evening’s double award win!