LOCARLA

Social Housing RMI Business Intelligence & other stuff

It’s getting hot in here, so take off all your clothes. Phew what a scorcher!
As you’re all probably off on your holidays, or on WFH from the sun lounger, I’ll make this brief.

With Christmas just around the corner, why not treat your loved ones to a Locarla licence. They might look a little disappointed at first, thinking you’ve gifted socks again, but once they unwrap it, I have no doubt they will be taken aback – shocked even.

With the addition of our ‘AI Bid Assistant’ included in the price of the licence, now is the time to buy. Clients, if you haven’t tried it yet why not give it a go. It’s simple to use and will free up so much of your time you’ll be back doing whatever it was you were doing before you started doing it.

May the road rise up to meet you all.

‘Blue links‘ for all and ‘green links‘ are behind login so dependent on your licence.

Welcome, welcome, one and all.

Locarla: AI Bid Assistant ‐ The Movie

To show you how easy this is to use we made a video. Thank you to Ving Rhames for doing the voice over ‐ you do an amazing impression of Gaz; we can hardly tell the difference.

Think of it as an ideas factory or as a learning aid for budding bid writers. It is certainly not a substitute for a professional bid writer ‐ that would be bonkers.

–	Upload the tender pack
–	Add your own documentation as resource material
–	Add Locarla contract and client data exports
–	Click on a question to build the answer.

That’s it.

The output is your starting point. Learn from it, refine it, then show off at how great you are at integrating AI tools into your bid processing.

PS. I wasn’t trying to confuse when I say I’m on the Isle of Isla, it’s definitely Arran. I went out with a girl from Isla. I picked her up hitchhiking, 500 miles from Perth, in the middle of nowhere. Her and a friend saw the state of our car and pretended that they were just hanging out and didn’t need a ride.

Watch the video.

It’s all News to me!

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Settle and Paradigm Housing Group are merging to form a new organisation across Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire, and Bedfordshire. Source: Settle. Places for People will merge with Bristol-based Elim Housing, which will become a subsidiary managing 900 homes. Source: Bristol Live

Liverpool City Council and housing association Torus have announced a new partnership to accelerate housebuilding. Source: Torus

Cheshire West and Chester Council’s Cabinet approved bringing Council Housing management in‐house from April 2026, over a year earlier than planned, with services currently run by ForHousing transferred to the Council. Source: Cheshire West and Chester Council

Bromford Flagship has completed a 25-year, £300m sustainable bond and secured an extended term loan from NatWest to fund its strategic goals. Source: Bromford Flagship Ltd. Wythenshawe Community Housing Group (WCHG) received £127.5m funding from NatWest, including an £87.5m loan and a £40m revolving credit facility, to boost Manchester social housing. Source: Property Week. VIVID secured £125m from NatWest to build 400 affordable sustainable homes in the South. Source: NatWest. Aster Group is investing £2.8m to improve homes in Hampshire. Source: Hampshire Chronicle

Five landlords ‐ East Suffolk Council, Ipswich Borough Council, Leicester City Council, North Kesteven District Council, and Redditch Borough Council ‐ have received C3 gradings from the RHS, signalling serious failings and urgent need for improvements under the new consumer standards effective from 1 April 2024. Source: GOV.UK

First‐time buyers will benefit from up to 40,000 new homes on surplus brownfield railway land, backed by a £1bn development programme over the next decade. Source: GOV.UK

Weybridge-based Daikin Airconditioning UK has acquired Glasgow-based Saltire Facilities Management Ltd, a heating services company operating across Scotland and the West Midlands. Source: Facilitate Magazine

Hull‐based Kingston Modular Systems has filed a notice of intention to appoint an administrator. Source: Construction Enquirer. Construction firms accounted for 17.2% of all insolvencies in England and Wales in May 2025, with 385 registered businesses becoming insolvent. Source: BCIS. Begbies Traynor’s latest ‘Red Flag Alert’ report found 102,285 construction companies are in significant distress, a 13.9% rise since Q2 2024. Source: PBC Today

Strict deadlines have been set for landlords to remove unsafe cladding, supported by over £1bn allocated to make social tenants safe through faster remediation of thousands of affected buildings. Source: GOV.UK

By June 2025, 87,379 Boiler Upgrade Scheme vouchers were applied for, with 97% supporting air source heat pumps. Source: GOV.UK. From April to June 2025, 495,000 domestic Energy Performance Certificates were lodged, a 21% increase from the same period in 2024. Source: GOV.UK. By the end of May 2025, around 83,000 measures were installed across 41,500 households under the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund. Source: GOV.UK. The Green Homes Grant Local Authority Delivery and Home Upgrade Grant schemes have installed about 21,900 measures in 11,800 households to date. Source: GOV.UK. The Great British Insulation Scheme recorded 85,600 measures installed in 67,100 households by May 2025. Source: GOV.UK. Up to May 2025, around 4.3m energy efficiency measures were installed in 2.6m households under ECO. Source: GOV.UK. A record number of solar panels, batteries, and heat pumps have been installed in UK homes in the first half of 2025. Source: ITV News

The government and social landlords pledged to speed up remediation of unsafe social housing, with over 1,500 buildings still awaiting work as of June 2025. Source: GOV.UK. There are 5,190 buildings with unsafe cladding being monitored for remediation progress. Source: GOV.UK. UK construction output is forecast to grow by 1.9% in 2025 and 3.7% in 2026 despite economic risks. Source: Construction Products Association. Planning approvals and contract awards fell, but project starts rose slightly in June 2025. Source: Construction News. New home completions fell 8% in the year to June 2025, while applications increased. Source: BBC. An extra 140,000 construction workers per year will be needed for five years to meet retrofit targets. Source: BBC

Vacant homes are more likely to be non‐decent, with older and poorly rated properties at higher risk. Source: GOV.UK. Strategic partnerships are vital for large-scale housing delivery. Source: Housing Executive. Delayed legislation has denied up to 885,000 people accessible homes. Source: Centre for Ageing Better. Low-income and minority ethnic families face the highest risks from dangerously hot homes. Source: The Guardian

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TSM Survey Company Analysis

Our team has compiled, analysed, and databased 312 TSM reports to deliver clear, data‑driven insights. This year’s analysis reveals how leading survey companies compare ‑ from organisation reach to respondent share and stock coverage ‑ capturing shifts in performance and market standing.

Statistics are drawn from 213 housing organisations that engaged a survey company for TSM data in both 2024 and 2025, ensuring a robust year-on-year comparison.

Show me the money!

A PDF guide to contract management on Locarla.

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A new phase of procurement activity brings a powerhouse line‐up of UK tenders: From regeneration and vital repairs to cutting-edge decarbonisation and fire safety works, opening the door for ambitious contractors to make their mark.

Landmark regeneration opportunity emerges as the Greater London Authority announces a £3bn procurement for the Royal Albert Dock Master Development Partner to transform one of London’s largest mixed-use redevelopment sites.

Regional construction set for expansion with Leeds City Council preparing the £1.5bn YORBuild Major Works 2 framework, aimed at delivering high-value general building works, new-build housing, and civil engineering projects for public and third sector bodies across the Yorkshire and the Humber, North East, and East Midlands.

Fire safety opportunities ignite across the UK with Provision of Active Fire Framework 2025 by Northern Housing Consortium Ltd worth £575m for 48 months covering fire products ‑ supply and installation, consultancy, servicing, and fully managed service.

Driving a greener and better‐supplied future, Places for People Group and Procurement Hub unveil the £400m Decarbonisation Framework to deliver insulation upgrades, heat pumps, ventilation systems, solar PV, battery storage, and PAS 2035‑compliant retrofit services. Complementing this, its £400m Building Materials Framework seeks suppliers of building, plumbing, heating, and electrical materials, as well as one‑stop‑shop solutions across four lots to strengthen construction supply chains.

Lift and accessibility upgrades rise to new heights as Efficiency East Midlands Ltd (EEM) introduces the PIN – Lifts and Mobility Lift Solutions Framework – EEM0075, worth £250m over 48 months. This covers lift installations, refurbishments, servicing, and mobility solutions such as stairlifts, hoists, and platform lifts.

Building remediation projects intensify for safety with The Guinness Partnership in partnership with its appointed managing agent ProcurePublic Ltd, commissioning the Buildings Remediation Framework, valued at £250m over 48 months. Works include fire safety and prevention works, structural remediation, envelope and external works, internal building safety works, and compliance and specialist surveys.

Repairs and maintenance programmes expand in scope through Thurrock Borough Council’s Repairs, Planned Maintenance and General Build contract, worth £240m. The deal covers reactive repairs, planned works, void refurbishments, and general building services.

Compliance works expand UK-wide as Eastern Procurement Ltd launches the Compliance Framework 2025 – EPCOMP25, a £148m, 4-year framework covering fire safety, gas and electrical audits, damp and mould inspections, lifts, security, and hygiene services across all public sector bodies.

Revival begins in the Welsh Valleys as Trivallis has announced the PIN – Penrhys Regeneration Programme, a £125m project to deliver 800–900 new and replacement affordable homes, commercial space, a school, and green public realm in Rhondda Cynon Taff.

Decoration works reinvigorate housing assets via CHIC Limited’s Decoration Works Framework 2025–2029, valued at £100.4m over 47 months. The framework delivers planned and cyclical decoration and refurbishment across a wide range of assets.

Housing interiors get a national refresh as PfH – Procurement for Housing announces the Interior Decorating and Furnishing Solutions framework, a £90m, 4-year contract covering decorative products, furniture, flooring, and recycled paint supply across all public sectors.

Fire safety frameworks gain strength with Peabody Trust launching the Framework Panel for the Delivery of Passive Fire Works – PA0001, valued at £66.7m over 48 months. The framework will support fire door upgrades, compartmentation, and certification works across 108,000 homes in London and surrounding regions.

Supply chain upgrade powers housing delivery as Aster Group launches the PIN – Building Materials 2026, a £51m contract covering building and M&E materials, logistics, and real-time stock integration to support responsive repairs, maintenance, and energy efficiency across London and the South.

Fast-track repair solutions take centre stage through VIVID’s Responsive Repairs, Minor Works and Voids Refurbishment Works, worth £23.3m. Services include carpentry, plumbing, plastering, damp prevention, adaptations, and refurbishments with a 14‑day repair target.

Heating system maintenance safeguards warmth for thousands with Town & Country Housing Group rolling out the Heating Service and Maintenance Contract, valued at £20m. This covers domestic gas, renewable, commercial, and oil heating systems.

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The Other League Tables

Along with our main monthly league tables, ❲see below❳, we also produce tables based on the following trades: Retrofit, Asbestos Survey, Fire Risk Assessment, Water/Legionella & Stock Condition Survey. ❲Premium Clients, click here for the PDF❳

Top of the league in each table are ….

Retrofit:

Mears Group

Asbestos Survey:

Tersus Consultancy

Fire Risk Assessment:

IFI Group

Stock Condition Surveys:

Property Tectonics

Water / Legionella:

Aquatrust Water & Ventilation

July League Tables

Built Environment Contracts

The trades we cover; Responsive Repair, Planned Works (Kitchen/Bathrooms & Doors/Windows), Gas Servicing/Central Heating, Voids, Fire Safety & Roofing.