Published November 2005

Several social housing providers with stock in Greater Manchester have teamed up to generate efficiencies across the North West region and impact the local labour market by working collaboratively to procure construction materials and installation services.

GM Procure is one of just five social housing consortia to be awarded �trailblazer� status by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, and a share of the �33m Efficiency Challenge Fund, which was established to encourage the efficiency in the social housing sector.

GM Procure includes leading social landlords across the region, together with recent local authority stock transfers, and has a planned expenditure level of �445m, in respect of replacement kitchens, bathrooms, heating systems, doors and windows, between now and 2010.

By working collaboratively and adopting partnering principles, GM Procure hopes to encourage involvement form SME businesses and to proactively address skills shortages in the construction industry.

GM Procure chairman and Harvest Housing Group chief executive Ian Perry said; "We are now in the process of establishing a team that will not only generate efficiencies, but will deliver significant benefits to tenants and the wider community".