Progress Housing Group takes its responsibilities seriously under the Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012 and requires this legislation to be an integral part of any future services provided to the Group. Progress Housing Group will seek opportunities to maximise social, environmental and economic value in all of its contracting opportunities.
We spend around £90 million a year providing goods, services and works to our tenants across the UK
This money comes mainly from public funds, so we have a moral and legal duty to ensure that value for money is achieved.
This section details our procurement process and what you need to do if you want to work with us to deliver high-quality and good-value housing services.
Tender and supplier selection
Finding the right supplier means acquiring the best products and services whilst achieving value for money. This section explains what we look for in our suppliers and how we advertise our tenders.
What we look for in a supplier
- The supplier has the financial, commercial and technical capability to meet our requirements
- A commitment to equal opportunities, environmental issues, safe systems of working and corporate responsibility
- We require our contractor (building, grounds maintenance, cleaning) to be Constructionline accredited and CHAS compliant or similar Safety Systems in Procurement (SSIP) before we consider their service
- As a Living Wage Employer, we only work with organisations that comply with (at least) minimum wage legislation and employ employees on fair terms.
In addition, we expect our suppliers to be aligned with Progress Housing Group in the following ways:
As a registered housing authority we have a responsibly to deliver services which are responsive and effective. No person applying for housing, for a job or for contracts within Progress Housing Group will be treated less favourably than any other person or group of people because of their race, colour, ethnic or national origin or because of their religion, gender, sexuality, disability, appearance, age, HIV status or marital status.
All our contractors must either have their own equal opportunities policy, which is in line with our Group policy, or, if they do not have a policy themselves, uphold our Equal Opportunities Policy.
We aim to enhance everyone’s enjoyment of the environment by promoting sustainable communities and improving community cohesion, whilst making every effort to improve and protect the environment for current and future generations.
We expect our suppliers to have a similar vision to ourselves in terms of preventing pollution, using sustainable products and services and employing an environmental management strategy.
We source suppliers through a series of quotations and quality checks if the service or product we want to buy is below £30,000.
For everything over £30,000, we go through a formal tender process.
Payments and invoicing
We want to ensure that you are paid as quickly as possible for the goods and services that you provide.
Below we have outlined what you can do to ensure that we have everything we need to pay you on time.
When ordering goods or services, we create a purchase order (PO) with a unique number. You should be in receipt of a valid PO before providing the goods or services to us.
Your PO will automatically be sent to the email address provided at the time the order is raised. If you do not receive this, please contact the employee responsible for the order.
We have a 'no purchase, no pay' policy, which means if you cannot quote this number on an invoice it will delay your payment.
The Group consists of Progress Housing Group Ltd and its subsidiaries: Progress Housing Association Ltd, Concert Living Ltd as well as our charity Key Unlocking Futures Ltd.
Invoices should be sent to us addressed to:
Relevant Progress Housing Group company
Sumner House
21 King Street
Leyland
PR25 2LW
If you send a paper invoice, it will be scanned in for processing so it is important that the invoice is of good quality and easy to read. We recommend that the invoice be on white A4 paper, clearly printed in black and that highlighters should not be used. Handwritten invoices are not acceptable.
You can send us your invoice by post, or you can submit it electronically by email to PDFinvoices@progressgroup.org.uk
To avoid delay in payment, it is important that the invoice is legally compliant. A compliant invoice should:
- include a valid purchase order number
- be addressed to Progress Housing Group or relevant subsidiary. A department or employee name is not sufficient
- include the supplier's name and address in full
- include the word 'invoice' (or if a credit, the words 'credit note')
- include an invoice number (this should be unique for every invoice)
- include an invoice date
- include the value and currency
- include a description of the goods and services rendered
- include details of the Progress Housing Group contact
- include the VAT number, and the invoice should be split between the net value of goods and services, the rate and amount of VAT and the gross (total) value of the invoice
- if it is for works which fall under the construction industry tax legislation, a split of the labour and materials elements is required
- detail if you are a supplier who requires deductions of tax.
It is our policy that all sums owed to suppliers will be due for payment on the 30th day after the date of the invoice. However, where clauses are agreed which vary the terms of payment, these will be honoured.
The main way we pay our suppliers is through BACS (Bank Automated Clearing System). As we pay you we will email you the remittance advice. Supplier payments are processed every week by BACS and funds will be available in the suppliers’ bank account in three banking days.
Our terms of trade also include provision for late payment in accordance with the November 1998 Act of Parliament. Progress Housing Group reserves the right to withhold payment where the goods or services have not been provided in accordance with the contract. We expect our suppliers to pay any sums due to subcontractors promptly and within a period not exceeding that set out above.
Our preferred payment method is BACS. Over 90% of invoices are now paid via BACS and we expect all new suppliers to be paid by BACS.
Invoice submission: PDFinvoices@progressgroup.org.uk
Queries about invoices or POs: purchasingteam@progressgroup.org.uk
Updating the details that we hold about you: purchasingteam@progressgroup.org.uk
If you have a query regarding an outstanding payment then please email PurchasingTeam@progressgroup.org.uk; or call 0333 320 4555, asking for Purchase to Pay during office hours.
Tender FAQs
Below are a series of FAQs which will help explain the tender process in more detail.
As of 1 January 2024, the new level for Contracts Finder (external web link) is now £30,000 inc VAT.
The threshold for services or goods - £214,904 inc VAT
The threshold for works - £5,372,609 inc VAT
All thresholds now include VAT.
Responding to a contract notice
If your company is interested in tendering for a Progress Housing Group contract, you should lodge an official expression of interest. Details of how to do this will be given in the contract notice of the advert, usually via www.housingprocurement.com.
Your technical ability to meet our requirements; we will take note of your past performance and experience with contracts of a similar nature.
We may also look for a clear demonstration of commitment to equality opportunities, to the environment and to health and safety. We may ask for references from previous similar contracts.
All contractors are encouraged to use Constructionline or CHAS or an equivalent Safety Schemes in Procurement. This allows you to submit all your prequalification data at once for all procurements across common commodities. This saves time and reduces costs.
If you are a small business, we make sure that the procurement process is competitive and transparent so that you are not disadvantaged and precluded from tendering exercises.
For more information, please visit Constructionline (external web link)
You must return the tender by the date given. Any tenders received after the deadline will be returned to the sender and will not be considered.
All tender documents are opened at the same time in order to ensure a fair process.
This is undertaken consistently, without bias and objectively. Tenders are evaluated against a pre-determined set of criteria stated in the original tender
The award criteria vary depending on the type of contract. It may consist of:
- low total cost
- quality
- adherence to policies and procedures
- communication
- added social value.
An evaluation team of stakeholders, which may contain tenants, examines each tender and recommends which tender is the most economically advantageous.
All suppliers are legally entitled to request feedback on any unsuccessful bids they have made. Within the limits of confidentiality, unsuccessful suppliers can be told which aspects of their bid were strongest and which were weakest and may be advised on how to improve and develop for the future. Being unsuccessful in one bid does not mean you will be unsuccessful in the future. Feedback can be used to help improve any future bids you make.
If you are seeking information regarding a specific contract, please use the contact details provided in the advert/contract notice and tendering details. Alternatively, any questions can be posted on www.housingprocurement.com where a direct response will be given.
If you are successful and are chosen to supply goods or services to us, these will be bound by our general conditions of contract, available to view below.