A Smarter Way to Procure

LAPN highlighted in latest edition of Southern Housing

Peter Wooliscroft MD of LAPN used the May issue of Southern Housing magazine to draw together the dramatic changes that have taken place over the last few months in LAPN and to reflect upon the changing face of procurement. As well as explaining why LAPN has put a new board in Place he took the opportunity to explain how LAPN are using its leading market position to add value to procurement, so that it sits at the heart of the strategic cycle.

LAPN is overhauling its contract arrangements and developing new contract models to provide greater transparency and value to all residents including leaseholders, in the article Peter suggests how they can radically improve procurement for the housing sector and beyond.

Southern Housing's Website can be found here

The text of Peter's article can be found here

Added 14 May 2009

 Adrian does it!

 Adrian Lampard Exceeds Target for Marie Curie Swimathon

Adrian Lampard, LAPN's finance manager exceeded his target for Marie Curie in BT's Swimathon. Despite battling with a cold the week before, and having to lay off the training, Adrian Completed 1500 m 1 hour 10 minutes 36 seconds. Adrian said "Swim was hard, having a cold knocked me out last week of training. After swimming first 10 lengths too fast, decided just slow down and complete it rather than beat the clock."  LAPNs MD, Peter Woollisroft said "We are all proud of Adrian, his attitude towards helping others and doing the job whatever the obstacle illustrates the difference between LAPNs values and those of some private sector consultancies."

MD of LAPN, Professor Peter Woolliscroft said: "When Adrian started with us we dropped him in the deep end. It really was Sink or Swim. Over the last two years he has done a marvellous job for us and everyone at LAPN is proud that he is now supporting this worthwhile cause"

You can still sponsor Adrian click on the link below.

Sponsor Adrian

You can contact him directly through his email.

alampard@lapn.org.uk

Added 21 April 2009

 Massive interest in Board Positions

 Nearly 200 apply to Join LAPNs Board

LAPN was overwhelmed by the response to its advert for a Chair and three Non Executive Directors.

Peter Woolliscroft, MD thanked everyone for their interest and applicants will be hearing by the end of the week. Appointments will be made by the end of March.

To read more about LAPN download our latest brochure:

Progress Report

Any questions? Contact Alex Kumar akumar@lapn.org.uk

Added 1st March 2009

 NEW USER MEMBERS AND CONTRACTS

Three new social landlords elect to use LAPN's gas servicing framework

Three new user members have signed up to LAPN's highly successful gas servicing framework contract.

In addition to the four LAPN founder member ALMOs already using the framework, three other social housing landlords will now draw down contracts from the framework.

Lewisham Homes, Lewisham Council's ALMO, will use the framework to service all of its properties. It has selected T Brown and Quality Heating as its contractors.

Registered social landlord Circle Anglia will use Village Heating as its contractor to undertake gas servicing work on one of its inner London contracts.

The work involves undertaking annual inspections for smooth running of gas systems and for health and safety compliance. The contractors will provide a maintenance services, a 24-hour call out service and a boiler replacement service.

 - Octavia Housing & Care and Shepherds Bush HA sign up to use LAPN lift framework

More exciting growth news for LAPN. Two social housing landlords have signed up to use LAPN's lifts framework. Octavia Housing & Care and Shepherd Bush Housing Association have signed a user member agreement allowing them to employ contractors on LAPN's lift maintenance framework.

A user member agreement allows organisations outside of LAPN's existing full membership of 10 London ALMOs to use elements of the services LAPN provides.

Under the agreement Octavia and Shepherds Bush HA can call on the lift contractors to undertake surveys, carry out maintenance or replace lifts, as necessary. If your are interested in becoming a user member and gaining access to LAPNS best value frameworks then contact us now.

For more information see the latest news section.

 LAPN A Busy Summer turns into a busy Autumn!

Summer saw lots of change and challenge for LAPN.

Summer saw LAPN change up a gear with the company adding new clients, staff and products.

Highlights  included:

The appointment of two new members of staff to cope with LAPNs growing workload

The replacement of LAPNs admin support person with a new PA

The revision of the companys Business Plan for 2008/9, including ambitious plans to save yet more money for residents and leaseholders

Issuing of LAPNs Invitation to Tender for its Database

Confirmation of new members from the RSL and local government sector wanting to take advantage of LAPNs cost busting frameworks

And on top of all this we moved offices and set up a completely new IT infrastructure that will facilitate total mobile working

Peter Woolliscroft, Managing Director, said:

"It has been a busy few months for LAPN. They show that we are moving forward and providing ever better value for money to our members. Recent meetings with our Members show that they support our growth plans and that they recognise LAPN is not only benefiting their residents and leaseholders but it is now taking centre stage in thought leadership, providing other social landlords with good practice and models that are proven to reduce costs. That is why we are attracting new members from beyond our founder members, members including local councils and housing associations. We will soon publish our savings report which we expect to have ratified by the Audit Commission. The new appointments I am able to announce today will mean we are well placed to cope with the renewed interest in our products that we anticipate that ratification will bring."

Peter Woolliscroft LAPNs Managing Director

Added 16 July

 LAPN Issues advice on spotting Bid Rigging

Following the OFTs investigation into bid rigging all contractors on the LAPN frameworks have been contacted to confirm that their bids to obtain a place on the framework contracts were genuine and non-collusive and LAPN have received assurances to this effect. LAPN members are also taking action regarding contractors appointed outside the LAPN frameworks. LAPNs Managing Director, Peter Woolliscroft, is confident that both the procurement and the contractual provisions fro LAPN framework contractors will protect LAPN members from unfair practices.

However, as a further measure, LAPN has written to its advisors to draw their attention to this issue and the OFTs guidance on this matter and to ask that they ensure that they do everything possible to prevent and report any suspicious behaviour on the part of the contractors working for LAPN members.

Full details of this can be found in Latest News or click on the link below

Advice on spotting Bid Rigging

Added 19 May

 LAPN Receive Reassurance from Framework Contractors

LAPN Chief Executive Peter Woolliscroft has sought and received reassurance from the contractors on LAPNs main frameworks that they will not engage in "Cover pricing".   

Peter Woolliscroft, Managing Director of LAPN said "I am saddened at the need to request such a commitment however the industry as a whole has been the cause of concern for many public sector clients and for my part as MD of LAPN I need to reassure my members that the firms we have on our frameworks are dedicated to the client integration programme and would not find it necessary to stoop to such practices. "

Full details of this can be found in Latest News or click on the link below

:image=bulletpanel.gif: Press Release no collusion - promise

Added 9 May

 Smarter Procurement team

LAPN today issues updated contact details for its Smarter Procurement team. The newest member, Sharai Manyande

 (front second from left) is a qualified QS. The new contact details can be found by clicking on the Our Staff link on the left.

 Construction Bid Rigging Allegations

LAPN condemns the alleged price-rigging by builders revealed by the OFT report.

The allegations concern "Cover pricing" which involves contractors colluding together to ensure one contractor wins the contract. The others submit tenders to keep in with the client but put in over-inflated prices to ensure their bids are rejected.

The winning contractor is then able to submit a higher than usual bid, thereby artificially pushing up the price of the contract for the client. The OFT report says that in some cases the winning contractor uses the extra money to pay a sweetener to the other contractors.

The report will naturally worry public sector clients, but LAPN believes it can reassure members that they are much better protected from exposure to price-rigging by contractors thanks to the collaborative framework agreement it uses to procure contracts.

Responding to calls for a full public enquiry (see press article) Peter Woolliscroft, managing director of the London Area Procurement Network said "I fully subscribe to any initiative that restores confidence in the industry."

Full details can be found under Latest News or click on the link below

  Construction Bid Rigging Allegations

Added 23 April

Smarter Procurement

The London Area Procurement Network (LAPN) is a limited liability company owned by ten founder members. Click on the links below to go to our members' websites.

Our mission is to ensure members get the best possible value for money from their construction projects. These range from building new properties to regular painting and decorating of residents' homes. But value for money does not mean cheap & nasty; LAPN work with contractors, using inspection and performance indicators, to ensure residents get a quality home.

The LAPN Frameworks

As part of the initiation phase LAPN created a series of frameworks. Each framework covers a particular aspect of construction works and includes one or more firms.

Our members can select which firm they want to do the work, avoiding an expensive and drawn out contracting process. Even though they avoid the need to tender the original exhaustive selection process (carried out in accordance with European Union legislation) ensures that they will get best value from the contractor and satisfy the complex requirements of the European Union public procurement process.

More and more landlords use our contracting framework they are finding that the savings increase the more work they put through. One ALMO has reduced the cost of new kitchens and bathrooms by almost half by using LAPN to buy the work. That translates into real money - on a 9M  contract they will save 2.5M pounds this year. That means more money to spend on better homes, and the lowest possible he rent for residents. Another ALMO has saved over 4M pounds as a result of converting contracts to the LAPN approach.

Business Plan

The LAPN business plan was approved in 2006, both by LAPN Board and the CLG.

Overall it targets efficiency gains of some 6-12 for every 1 invested in LAPN by its members during the first five years. However, the first years of the business plan (2006/07 and 2007/08) showed the need for concerted investment to develop the LAPN infrastructure, with a progressive increase in efficiencies in subsequent years.

LAPN  5 Year Business Plan

 Added 08.08.07

LAPN appoints first Managing Director

Peter Woolliscroft from the Office for Government Commerce has been appointed as LAPN's first permanent interim manager.

Peter Woolliscroft has started work as the new, permanent Managing Director of the London Area Procurement Network (LAPN), the procurement consortium established by 10 London ALMOs to deliver their maintenance and improvement programmes.

Added 02.03.08

Peter joins LAPN with fantastic credentials. He has a powerful career track record of developing and implementing major procurement initiatives. Working at the Department for Health, he was responsible for setting up Procure 21, the National Health Service national procurement system, and he comes to LAPN from the Office of Government Commerce, the HM Treasury backed agency responsible for improving value for money through better procurement.

The appointment of its first full-time Managing Director marks a new phase in LAPN's development. Within two years of start-up, LAPN has built up a works programme of over 200 million pounds for next year and has already generated savings exceeding 10 million pounds for its ALMO members. In addition to a new MD, the LAPN Board has decided to recruit permanent staff to a number of key positions, including an Operations Director and Finance Manager, with further appointments expected to follow.

Significant interest in joining the LAPN consortium is now being expressed by several housing associations and further ALMOs.

Peter Woolliscroft said "LAPN has shown it has huge potential to deliver much greater efficiency in procurement for housing organisations, with real and substantial cost savings already being achieved. I believe we can make LAPN a national example of effective and efficient housing maintenance procurement and I'm delighted to be joining at this exciting moment in LAPN's development."

Brian Johnson and Tim Price, the Joint Chairs of LAPN, said "It is a real coup for LAPN that we have attracted someone of Peter Woolliscroft's calibre to lead us into the next stage of our development. This is a clear indication of the potential and quality of the procurement model we have established and we are looking forward hugely to the positive impact we know Peter can have on the LAPN business for the future."

Added 22.03.08

Our Products

Would you like to know more about our Products? You can down-load a product sheet by clicking on the link below.

Focus on LAPN

Focus on: Digital  

Focus on: Gas  

Focus on: Convergence

Focus on: Learning.  

Update Items

New product Sheets Launched see box above.

Read all about our new Board. here 

MD Article in Southern Housing here

The Framework Contractors

The Principal Framework Partners

For a full set of contact details go to Approved Contractors

Apollo Group

Eurolag Group

Forest Environmental

Rhodar

Silverdell (UK) Ltd

White Young Green

Amber Construction Services Ltd

RR Richardson Limited

DW Contractors

CJ Bartely

Thomas Sinden

EGA

Balfour Beatty

Lakehouse Contracts Ltd

Wates Construction Limited

Mullaley & Co Ltd

Breyer Group Plc

RA Phillips Contractors Limited

Mitie Property Services (UK) Ltd

Apex Lifts and Escalator Engineers Ltd

Independent Lift Services Ltd

T.Brown Heating Ltd

Quality Heating Services Ltd

TSG Building Services Ltd

Village Heating Ltd

PH Jones Ltd

:lapn-

United House Ltd

PH Jones Ltd

Contacts

LAPN Team

Contact List