Procurement strategy

Purpose of the Strategy

This strategy aims to establish the Cross Keys Homes (CKH) framework for delivering compliant and sustainable procurement activities in accordance with the Procurement Act 2023 (the Act) and relevant National Policy Statements/Directives. The strategy's objectives are to:

• Improve efficiency across all procurement areas.
• Enhance knowledge and awareness of good procurement practices within the organisation.
• Align all procurement activities with CKH's broader vision and strategic objectives.

Introduction

This procurement strategy outlines Cross Keys Homes' (CKH) approach to acquiring goods and services in compliance with the Procurement Act 2023. For the purposes of this strategy, procurement is defined as:

“The acquisition of goods or services at the best possible total cost of ownership, in the right quantity and quality, at the right time, in the right place, and from the right source, for the direct benefit or use of organisations or individuals."

Objectives of the Procurement Strategy

This strategy aims to align CKH's obligations under the Act with our Corporate Objectives, which are:

Residents first

At CKH, it is our aim that all residents should feel confident to talk to us about their lives. To achieve that, we deliver reliable services that provide safe homes and create opportunities for personal growth and development.

Good Homes

CKH services are built upon the quality of our homes and how it feels to live in them. Effective asset management is the prerequisite of our existence as a social landlord. Nothing is more important than ensuring the health and safety of all who live in our properties.

Creating communities

Over 20 years, CKH has grown from a stock transfer association of under 8,000 properties in Peterborough to a provider of 13,000 homes throughout the region. Our development programme, to deliver homes for both affordable rent and home ownership has helped thousands more families find a home. With demand for affordable housing as high as ever, we will continue to purse land led development opportunities within our core operating area.

Our team

In a business all about people, the people you choose for your team are the difference between good and excellence. We seek to recruit and invest in colleagues that share our values and dedication to getting it right for the people who live in our homes and communities.

Good governance

Our corporate performance is underpinned by sound business planning, excellent financial management and effective governance channels that ensure CKH is performing in line with the expectations of the Regulator and our residents.

Procurement will provide a high-quality service, bringing commercial advice and market insight to help deliver to corporate objectives as set out above. CKH has identified six procurement objectives to ensure we are able to achieve sustainable and compliant procurement:

1. Procurement success: Ensure best whole-life value, not just the lowest price, supporting CKH long term sustainability.
2. Ensure legal compliance and strong governance: Includes compliance with the Procurement Act 2023. Clear Audit trail on decision making. Proportionate, risk-based controls and approvals.
3. Support safe, high-quality homes and services: Use procurement to support residents' safety, service quality, and asset compliance, particularly for high r-risk and statutory services.
4. Enable social value and responsible procurement: Leverage procurement spend to deliver wider social, economic, and environmental benefits for residents and communities.
5. Strengthen commercial capability and contract management: Build organisational capability to maximise the value and performance of contracts over their full lifecycle.
6. Drive sustainability and net zero objectives: Use procurement as a lever to support CKH's environmental and sustainability ambitions.

Scope of the Strategy

This strategy will cover all activities, whilst recognising that the Development, Treasury and Asset Management functions have strategies which guide their procurement. It will apply to all employees, Board members and involved residents.

Procurement Drivers within CKH

Efficient and effective procurement directly supports objective 1 and influences all other objectives due to its impact across all business services. Failure to consider the full implications of a procurement decision throughout its lifecycle can adversely affect any or all corporate objectives. Conversely, positive consideration can enhance the achievement of these objectives.

CKH's VFM strategy recognises the need to achieve the best possible balance between cost and strategic objective in all that it does. Similarly, procurement decisions need to recognise this balance, which will vary according to the goods or services being procured. The following illustration shows how goods and services may have differing cost and quality priorities. Identifying a position on this scale at the outset of any procurement process will in turn help to define the procurement route taken.

Objective 1 -Procurement Success: Driving Value for Money

CKH will always seek to maximise Value for Money in its procurement activities. The procurement decision should start with an assessment of what is the most economic, efficient and effective route to procure. This will include an assessment of whether the goods and services should be procured in the first place. This should involve an assessment of whole life cost and the contribution to the delivery of the corporate objectives. This may mean that the cheapest option is not necessarily the best option.
The option appraisal should consider the organisation's obligations to deliver service, quality, social value and the management of risk and health and safety.

Service Plans for each department shall include an assessment of key areas of spend and opportunities to review the procurement options in each department. These plans will be reviewed and monitored by the Directors team Change and Continuous improvement (DTCCI) group. Similarly, individual objectives should also include a requirement to review main areas of spend with a view to identifying savings or service improvements through changes to procurement routes.

There is also an expectation that all main contracts will be reviewed throughout their period of operation to ensure that they are delivering the objectives that were agreed at the outset. This may involve regular supplier meetings, review of KPIs within the contracts and customer feedback. Renewal dates within contracts should also be monitored to ensure that any opportunity to renegotiate terms or price are considered and that contracts are not allowed to “roll over” without review. A contracts register will be maintained to allow review dates to be easily identified. This will be reviewed at the DTCCI meetings.
The opportunities to realise increased efficiencies through procurement frameworks, should be kept under regular review.

Progress:

Procurement activity has shifted from lowest price to whole-life value, balancing cost, quality, risk, and sustainability. A strategic review of utilities has delivered forecast savings of £403,300 by October 2026 through improved contracting and market engagement, impact of these savings on residents without compromising service delivery.

2026/27 focus:

Embed whole-value assessments across key spending areas and track delivery of savings to support reinvestment in services.

Objective 2 - Ensure Legal Compliance and Strong Governance:

CKH employees will always operate with honesty, integrity and transparency, to protect the reputation and assets of CKH. CKH has adopted the NHF Code of Conduct 2022 - which all employees read and agree to adhere to as part of their induction and ongoing refresher training. This gives clear guidance that no employee, Board member or involved tenant may participate in a procurement decision where they have a personal interest and/or a person of close connection has a personal interest.

CKH has specific policies/guidance in place to ensure that all employees, Board members and involved tenants are aware of their responsibilities in respect of:

• Conflict of Interest - Full disclosure of personal Interests prior to tender evaluation stage
• Bribery and money Laundering
• Gifts and hospitality (giving and receiving)
• Maintaining appropriate professional boundaries and conduct

There are also controls and procedures in place to ensure that employees and Board members are aware of what is expected of them and adhere to these requirements. The Standing Orders and Financial Regulations (SOFR) outline the main delegations which authorise employees to make procurement decisions. These controls are reviewed regularly and subject to independent audit.

Training will be provided to all employees who have a procurement responsibility to ensure that not only do they understand their delegated authorities but can also improve VFM from their procurement choices.

Progress:

Procurement governance has been strengthened to ensure compliance with PCR 2015 and clear readiness for the Procurement Act 2023. Tender processes, approvals, and statutory notices are now consistently managed and auditable.

2026/27 focus:

Implement PA2023-aligned policies, procedures, and training, supported by ongoing compliance monitoring.

Objective 3 - Support Safe, High-Quality Homes and Services:

Use procurement to support residents' safety, service quality, and asset compliance, particularly for high r-risk and statutory services.

Procurement will support the delivery of safe, high‑quality homes and services by:

• Ensuring safety-critical and statutory contracts are robustly specified and competitively procured.
• Embedding clear requirements for regulatory compliance, competence and performance within contracts.
• Applying proportionate due diligence to suppliers to manage risk and provide assurance.
• Actively managing contracts throughout their lifecycle to support service quality and continuity.
• Working collaboratively with operational teams to support resident safety, regulatory compliance and continuous improvement.

Progress:

2026/27 focus:

Objective 5 - Strengthen Commercial Capability and Contract Management:

Build organisational capability to maximise the value and performance of contracts over their full lifecycle.

CKH is committed to continuous improvement in our procurement activity and the management of contracts and will ensure we establish clear ownership and responsibility for day-to-day management of contracts. To ensure we are securing best value for money and the best possible standard of service or works we will:

• Establish and maintain strong relationships with our contractors and suppliers and develop procedures for monitoring performance and reporting to Board and stakeholders.
• Record and monitor compliance with procurement legislation and CKH's own procedures via Delta Portal.
• Develop Key Performance Indicators for all contracts, as appropriate, to help audit performance.
• Use post completion audits and satisfaction surveys to gain feedback on performance and quality of work or goods.
• Ensure lessons learned are fed back to suppliers and communicated to staff within the organisation.
• Monitor the delivery and quality of community benefits where these are a requirement of a contract and report progress on these to our stakeholders on an annual basis.
• Ensure appropriate training for staff on contract and procurement management and seek assistance from external specialists where required.
• Ensure roles and responsibilities in relation to procurement and contract management are clearly defined and understood.

Progress:

A review of Delta modules has improved the accuracy and consistency of procurement and contract data. A structured approach to supplier performance management is currently being introduced, with scope for automation. Progress has been made towards a centralised contract repository.

2026/27 focus:

Complete system enhancements, embed automated supplier performance reviews, and strengthen organisation-wide contract management capability.

Objective 6 - Drive Sustainability and Net Zero Objectives:

Use procurement as a lever to support CKH's environmental and sustainability ambitions.

Procurement will deliver this objective by embedding consistent commercial standards across the organisation, supporting teams to develop stronger specifications, evaluation criteria, and contract management arrangements. This will include setting clear expectations for supplier performance through KPIs and service levels, providing guidance and assurance throughout the contract lifecycle, and using management information to proactively manage risk, performance, and value from contracts.

Progress:

Sustainability considerations are increasingly integrated into procurement decisions, particularly within utilities and energy-related contracts, supporting CKH's environmental objectives.

2026/27 focus:

Align procurement more explicitly with Net Zero ambitions and improve reporting on sustainability outcomes delivered through procurement activity.

Equity, diversity and inclusion implications

When consulting on changes to service delivery and the procurement of goods and services, CKH will ensure that all tender processes allow participation from organisations that represent all parts of the community. Tenders will also be assessed on objective criteria which does not unfairly discriminate. This is captured in our Equity diversity and inclusion strategy.

Risk Management

To ensure compliance with procurement legislation and CKH's Standing Orders and Financial Regulations, and to mitigate the risk of inconsistency or non‑compliance, procurement activity will operate within a defined framework of internal controls and assurance. This will include the:

• Maintenance of central records of all procurement activity and contracts.
• Undertaking of an annual review of procurement activity to assess compliance with our strategy, procedures and best practice.
• Undertaking of a Procurement and Commercial Improvement Programme (PCIP) assessment of our procedures and develop and implement an action plan to address any recommendations arising from this. This is now a requirement for organisations receiving grant funding.
• Continuing development of staff skills and training in procurement.
• Continuing reduction in the reliance on external consultants for procurement activity and seeking to use in house resources and established frameworks, where appropriate.

Responsibilities

The Director of Finance has overall responsibility for the delivery of the Procurement Strategy.

Implementation, monitoring and review

Procurement at CKH will be monitored to ensure delivery of the strategy's six objectives, compliance with legislative and internal governance requirements, and effective adoption of the Procurement Act 2023. Monitoring will be undertaken through established financial controls, procurement governance arrangements, and periodic compliance reviews, with detailed delivery and assurance activity managed outside of this strategy.

Operational procurement performance will be monitored through a defined set of key performance indicators to provide management and governance assurance on activity levels, efficiency, compliance and forward planning. Reporting will support oversight by senior management, with detailed measures, data capture and dashboards maintained outside of this strategy.

To achieve our procurement objectives for 2026-2027, we will implement the following market strategies and actions:

Route to market (WIP)

Related documentation/references

• Standing Orders and Financial Regulations
• Development and Growth Strategy
• Asset Management Strategy
• Value for Money Strategy
• Environmental, Social and Governance Strategy
• Code of Conduct
• Fraud Prevention and Anti-bribery and Money Laundering Policy
• Equity, diversity and inclusion strategy
• United Kingdom's Procurement Act 2023

Conclusion

In conclusion, this Procurement Strategy sets the framework for delivering compliant, value‑focused and sustainable procurement that supports CKH's corporate objectives and statutory obligations. By strengthening governance, embedding best practice and focusing on whole‑life value, procurement will contribute to improved services, safe homes and long‑term organisational resilience. Ongoing monitoring and continuous improvement will ensure the Strategy remains effective, proportionate and responsive to change.