Fairhive manages approximately 9,000 homes across Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire, Berkshire and surrounding areas. As part of the Warm Homes: Social Housing Fund (WH:SHF) Wave 3 programme – previously known as the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund – Fairhive set out to deliver retrofit improvements to 550 properties across its housing stock, which later increased to 800 due to additional funding.
The programme included a range of measures designed to improve the energy efficiency of homes, including insulation, air source heat pumps (ASHPs), solar PV (Photo Voltaic) energy storage, high heat retention storage heaters, ventilation improvements and monitoring measures. Installations were planned across Aylesbury and several rural villages within Fairhive’s stock.
With the learnings from Wave 2 delivery, Fairhive entered the Wave 3 programme with a clear understanding of what they wanted to achieve and where investment would be targeted. This clarity helped shape both their delivery strategy and procurement approach from the outset.
Fairhive wanted to use the Retrofit DPS to give both national contractors and smaller regional installers the opportunity to bid for the work. However, they were mindful that, due to the size and location of the programme, it might not be the most attractive opportunity and could get lost amongst the large volume of retrofit tenders coming to market following the release of new funding.
To address this, Fairhive made the strategic decision to go out to market before exact funding had been confirmed. This gave bidders greater visibility of the opportunity and more time to prepare for delivery.
The tender documentation clearly set out Fairhive’s objectives and included:
This level of planning and information provided contractors with greater certainty around pricing and delivery, helping them understand exactly how they could resource and mobilise the programme.
Funding was confirmed midway through the tender process, allowing exact figures to be shared with bidders before submissions closed.
The result was a strong market response, with 14 bids received from a mix of national installers and local SMEs.
Alongside the installer procurement, separate tenders were run for a Retrofit Assessor, Retrofit Designer and health and safety consultant. Although slightly staggered, all tenders closed within a similar timeframe, allowing Fairhive and Procure Plus to assess, rank and appoint suppliers at largely the same time.
This meant the programme entered delivery in an ideal position, with:
The appointed Year 1 delivery team included:
Fairhive is currently considering its options for Year 2 retrofit assessment provision.
The Year 1 programme focused on rural locations and villages. This approach allowed the installer to efficiently programme works, establish a presence in each area, complete installations and move on to the next location.
Delivery was supported by weekly project meetings with a structured agenda, ensuring progress could be closely monitored and enabling all parties to plan and coordinate activities together.
Fairhive also committed significant internal resource to the programme, including:
A dedicated Retrofit Coordinator responsible for overseeing delivery
Dedicated Resident Liaison Officer resource
Contract Management Roles
Schemes Plus provided visibility of programme progress and spend throughout delivery, helping the team monitor performance and make informed decisions.
A number of factors have contributed to the success of the programme:
- Strategic thinking around delivery and procurement, including the decision to engage the market early
- A clear understanding of what needed to be delivered and where, despite the geographical challenges associated with rural properties
- Detailed upfront planning which gave contractors confidence in pricing and delivery
- The strength of the internal team we have put together to deliver the programme
- Effective collaboration between Fairhive and delivery partners
- The ability and willingness to pivot as project requirements evolved
- Weekly governance and communication through a structured meeting programme
- Real-time visibility of progress and spend through Schemes Plus
Together, these factors have enabled Fairhive to successfully deliver Year 1, establish a strong foundation for future work and expand the programme through the successful award of additional funding for Year 2.
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