Partners’ contract boost

Apr 11 2008 by Paul Gannon, Evening Gazette

A NEW regional consortium of social housing landlords with a combined spending power of £700m has pledged to create “significant volumes” of work for local contractors and “sustainable” jobs for apprentices on Teesside.

ne procurement - which includes Tees Valley Housing, Coast & Country, Housing Hartlepool and Erimus Housing - will use the collective purchasing power of its ten member companies to make anticipated cost savings of 10% and offer “larger value” contracts to contractors. In return, for every £1m of business gained, suppliers are being encouraged to take on two apprentices and help them into full-time employment.

Coast & Country’s Steve O’Leary, who is project manager of the consortium, said: “We are working with agencies such as Jobcentre Plus to source local joiners and kitchen fitters, who would be trained to NVQ Level 2 under the scheme.”