Published
Since 2022 we have provided Managed Procurement Services to Ongo Homes, a Registered Provider that currently owns and maintains nearly 11,000 homes across the North Lincolnshire Region and neighbouring areas. One of CPC’s procurement consultants, from a remote base in County Durham, has led numerous procurement projects which have delivered quality products and services across a broad range of spend categories for Ongo.
Initially, Ongo appointed CPC on a one day per week basis and increased that to two days after the relationship quickly proved successful as projects and positive outcomes were delivered. From the start, CPC have been committed to delivering outstanding procurement support whilst producing outcomes that positively impact both Ongo and the communities it serves. The expansion of the contract and the effective working relationships our consultant has established across Ongo, despite their remote base, has further increased capacity for the relationship to deliver successful projects.
Previously, CPC’s procurement consultancy services had predominantly been delivered to the Education Sector. Our consultant's successful placement within the Ongo Procurement Team has demonstrated that CPC procurement consultants can transfer their skills to design procurement and sourcing strategies to meet the needs of registered providers of social housing.
Areas of spend that have been addressed by CPC for Ongo include: occupational health services, out of hours business support services, grounds maintenance services, interpretation and translation services, fire risk assessment services, PPE and workwear, staff health benefits and estate agent & surveying services to name a few, delivering quality products and services.
"The appointment of CPC has been a real success story. During a period when my team have not had the capacity to fully meet Ongo’s procurement needs, and now with the extra work involved in meeting the requirements of Procurement Act 2023, Pippa’s support has been invaluable. Her flexible approach and personable manner have helped Ongo colleagues to view Pippa as a trusted member of my team, something I have encouraged. Hybrid working is the norm at Ongo, so Pippa’s remote location is not an issue. In fact, the flexibility that remote working facilitates, has supported successful project outcomes. I would recommend other Procurement Managers in the social housing sector consider CPC’s Managed Procurement Services to help them deliver procurement projects for their organisation."
"After working in a procurement role within the education sector for over 15 years I thought the move to the housing sector might be quite challenging. In fact, the transition was seamless, and my procurement experience has served me well since working with Ongo. While I had to get up to speed with the requirements of the Housing Act and some other aspects which are unique to a registered provider, there is a lot of cross over in terms of spend categories. The level of spend can be larger at Ongo, than some of my previous educational clients but the principles of good procurement remain the same in all areas of the public sector and indeed even in the private sector. I feel confident my CPC colleagues have the capacity to quickly learn and adapt as I have done and that their procurement expertise would benefit other organisations outside of the education sector."
To find out how one of our procurement consultants can help your organisation by delivering outstanding contact us today.
The objectives of both organisations are well aligned. Ongo and CPC are charities placing social value at the heart of everything they do.
Ongo Homes is an exempt charitable Community Benefit Society and does not trade for profit. All the generated income is reinvested back into the organisation for the provision of homes maintenance, improvements in service and the financing of building new homes. Ongo is in business to create and sustain truly vibrant communities which is why they promise everything they do is put back into local communities.
Crescent Services is part of the registered charity Crescent Purchasing Consortium (CPC) which has a commitment to ‘Giving Back to the ‘Education Sector‘, setting us apart from our peers.
Since 2019, CPC’s ‘Giving Back’ initiative has committed grant funding to schools, academies, colleges and universities, UK wide. It has funded a wide range of projects all of which have been requested by educational establishments to assist them in enhancing teaching and learning within their organisation. This has seen a significant impact in a climate of economic decline across the sector.
As a registered charity, CPC works not for shareholders but for stakeholders, improving the quality of learning opportunities available to teachers, lecturers and learners of various ages and backgrounds.