Launch of £2bn off-site national construction framework

Manchester-based housing association, Great Places Housing Group, will administer a £2bn off-site national construction framework on behalf of an alliance of 23 housing providers.

The Off-Site Homes Alliance (OSHA) is launching a national construction framework for volumetric (CAT 1) and panelised (CAT 2) Modern Methods of Construction (MMC).

This will support housing associations and local authorities to deliver off-site homes, with the objective of developing 10,000 homes per year by upgrading to MMC technology.

The OSHA framework is seeking bids from volumetric and panelised manufacturers interested in supplying homes initially to its 23 members and to future new members of the alliance.

The framework will provide ongoing expert support to clients through a focused MMC Project Management Office (PMO). This will drive continuous improvement and supply chain partnerships, as well as assist framework clients to navigate and de-risk this largely new world.

The PMO service will be the subject of a separate but concurrent procurement exercise.

Matthew Harrison, Great Places chief executive, said: “We’re delighted to see the launch of the OSHA framework, which has been scoped following extensive feedback from our alliance partners and existing suppliers.

“Great Places alone has an ambition to deliver 9,000 new homes by 2028, and the OSHA framework will ensure that a significant proportion of these new homes are built off-site, driving better quality, value for money and decarbonisation through partnerships and aggregation of volume.”

He added: “We look forward to hearing from potential framework suppliers and manufacturing partners who want to work with us to realise our development ambitions of delivering much needed affordable homes.”

The closing date for submission of tenders is October 12, with the framework expected to go live in December.