NEW FRAMEWORK BRINGS MMCS TO THE FORE IN SOCIAL HOUSING

[A RAFT OF construction sector companies have been named for a £1.2bn public-sector framework to provide thousands of homes using modern methods of construction (MMCs).

The new modular and off-site homes will be delivered under the new Modern Methods of Construction (MMC) New Homes (NH3) Framework of the not-for-profit public sector construction framework provider LHC Procurement Group.

It is designed to help boost the speed and quantity of delivery of the homes required to fulfil housing needs across communities in England, Scotland and Wales.

Dean Fazackerley, head of technical procurement at LHC, explained: “NH3 is a vital addition to support more programmes to build low-carbon, modern homes from housing associations and local authorities across the country. It will adopt MMC and off-site techniques to produce energyefficient homes for the communities they serve.

“Now we are looking to build on the success of our previous framework, NH2, which has so far enabled £93.5m-worth of off-site homes projects with a total forecast value of £277m.

“NH3 has been developed to be a market-leading framework providing a wide range of systems and project delivery models to give public sector organisations the flexibility to deliver MMC projects the way they want. With the range of manufacturers and contractors appointed to this framework, NH3 provides an excellent choice for clients to access a range of MMC solutions and providers and is built to facilitate greater collaboration between suppliers and the public sector.”

NH3 replaces the previous NH2 framework and has been shaped by extensive engagement with housing contractors and manufacturers. It allows for a range of housing types, from low-rise and medium/high-rise through to specialist accommodation such as care homes. The framework also provides for delivery of ‘room in the roof’ projects and adaptive pods.

Dean Fazackerley added: “Through NH3, LHC is looking to support the public sector to increase the use of modern methods of construction and deliver low and net-zero carbon homes with high levels of premanufactured value. It will support social housing providers in addressing some of their new housing challenges around the need for sustainable methods of construction and a greater supply of housing stock that is environmentally fit for the future.

NH3 fulfils a key LHC guiding principle to increase the public sector’s access to regional and local supply chains, encouraging SME involvement and driving economic uplift to regional areas.

Covering the full range of MMC categories, the workstreams covered by NH3 are:

• Workstream 1 - Three-dimensional (3D) modular systems, category 1

• Workstream 2 – Two-dimensional (2D) panelised systems, category 2

• Workstream 3 – Main contractors delivering MMC solutions, all

• categories

• Workstream 4 – Groundworks and site preparation for MMC housing

• projects

The NH3 framework runs until 1 May 2027. q