Procurement

Gateway Works with SSfH for Procurement Support

Gateway Housing Association is a member of SSfH (Shared Services for Housing), a collaborative shared service that helps members with all of their procurement support needs. This helps to secure high-quality goods, works and services, ensures compliance, and delivers value for money for Gateway and our residents.

How Procurement at Gateway Works

When Gateway requires a contract for goods, works or services (for example, repairs, maintenance, or major works), we work with SSfH to define our requirements.

This includes:

  • Scope of work (specification detailing what we want, how we want it and when we need it by)
  • Quality standards (based on either stakeholder and resident needs, compliance requirements, or legislative requirements)
  • Social value considerations (added positive impact that our suppliers deliver to for us, such as creating local jobs, supporting sustainability, or improving wellbeing. This is about delivery beyond just the core service or contract)
  • Budget and timelines

For the majority of procurement projects, suppliers are invited to bid through fair and open processes. Depending on the value and nature of the contract, this may include:

  • Mini competitions within frameworks or other similar mechanisms (a framework is a pre-approved list of suppliers established through a compliant tender process, allowing Gateway to quickly and fairly award contracts without running a full formal tender exercise each time)
  • Requests for quotations
  • Formal tender exercises

All bids are evaluated against clear criteria, typically including:

  • Price
  • Quality and service delivery approach
  • Resident experience and customer care
  • Contract specific risks and considerations
  • Environmental and social impact

SSfH ensures that all procurement activities follow UK procurement regulations and best practice. This provides reassurance that:

  • Processes are transparent and auditable
  • Contracts are awarded fairly
  • Risks are effectively managed

Gateway is committed to securing value for money and good customer service from its suppliers. We will continue to review supplier performance and compliance as part of our ongoing approach to procurement oversight.