This case study explores the process of Wiltshire Council finding the required expertise and relationships to meet the commitment of the new build team
to build 100 new council houses per year, for the next ten years. To meet this commitment while ensuring quality, reducing maintenance costs, and
importantly improving the sustainability of the new homes being built, Wiltshire Council were keen to explore the possibility of using MMC.

Christine Brown, Residential Development Project Manager, for Wiltshire Council outlines the main barriers the council faced as:

• Being new to MMC, we had no established relationships in the sector
• Wiltshire Council had our own standard house types; did we want these translated into MMC accruing significant design costs, or would we buy designs “off the peg”?
• The volume required and the price of MMC meant a potentially lengthy and complex local government procurement process

After researching several MMC manufacturers, Wiltshire Council were drawn to a local provider with a track record of working successfully with the MOD
– Rollalong. The proximity of their factory meant lower “lorry miles”, reducing the carbon footprint of the delivery.

Rollalong were already working with Magna Housing Association to design and manufacture a suite of house types, like Wiltshire Councils own house types.
Several factors played a role in choosing the SWPA Offsite Construction of New Homes (NH2), and Offsite Project Integrator (OPI1) frameworks as the procurement route to access Rollalong and Taylor Lewis.
Wiltshire Council cited the main reasons as:

• The ease of access to manufacturers of offsite solutions, with proven and demonstrable project delivery
• The opportunity to procure Rollalong by means of a direct award based on designs and solutions already developed by another client, meaning that Wiltshire Council could learn from others
• Using an established portfolio of designs to deliver an initial project to get buy in internally to use offsite solutions and the opportunity to develop the bungalows.
• A collaborative approach with support from an experienced client and appointed company
• Access to the OPI1 consultancy framework (Taylor Lewis was appointed through a mini-competition) has been useful in assisting delivery of the project with access to experience and knowledge

Key to the success, of these relationships and projects, has been the involvement of the South West Procurement Alliance (SWPA), who were the procurement route for the existing relationship between Magna Housing and Rollalong.
Wiltshire Council was provided a simplified route to market; enabling a call off from the Offsite Construction of New Homes (NH2) framework for compliant access to Rollalong and the Offsite Project Integrator (OPI1) framework, for the expert MMC consultants Taylor Lewis.
In 18 months (via Zoom, throughout multiple lock downs!), Wiltshire Council have agreed shared house types that are now 100% of NDSS and, with the addition of PV, are effectively carbon neutral in operation.

Wiltshire Council are now in contract with Rollalong, who are manufacturing the units for the first 19 homes, five of which will be wheelchair-accessible bungalows, to be transported and completed on three pilot sites. The decision-making process, and the timescales for making key decisions with MMC, are very different
from traditional building as all decisions must be made before production commences. Delays in decision making can cause major implications for production and delivery, including the possibility of losing factory slots on the factory production line.

COMMUNITY BENEFITS
This project shows just how much social value can be incorporated through all stages of the procurement process, not just in achieving value for money through
the SWPA frameworks and the low carbon objectives but also in the local employment, within a nearby factory. The local supply chain has been used to subcontract m&e contractors, roofing contractors and groundworkers.
As a member of SWPA, Wiltshire Council have also been able to access the South West Community Benefit fund. This grant programme is run by SWPA and delivered in partnership with South West Community Matters, delivering grants to small community groups in each clients area.

We are delighted to be finalists in two categories at the Exeter Property Awards.

Civic Development Award, showcasing our Fire Safety Work. Following catastrophic failures within the industry we have created a highly experienced passive fire measures inspection team to audit the cavity barriers and fire stopping that is crucial to building safety. All our inspectors and Clerk of Works are qualified and hold the designation FSIDip.

Consultancy Award – With a long history of administering Design and Build Contracts, the Taylor Lewis team are passionate about leading successful projects and bring with them a wealth of experience and the ability to negotiate, persuade and create a team based approach for all our clients projects.

These nominations are a great testament to what we do, and how we do it.

Our Team of 15 wonderful colleagues are fundraising in aid of Hospiscare. We have decided to get out of our comfort zone, overcome our fears and take part in a tandem skydive from Dunkeswell Airfield on 7 May 2022.

We are helping to raise vital funds for Hospiscare, supporting people with a life-limiting illness for almost 40 years. They cover Exeter, Mid and East Devon. If you’ve been diagnosed with any type of terminal illness, their expert doctors and nurses are here to help. The services include support at home, a specialist palliative care ward, day hospices and end-of-life care. As a local charity they support over 2,000 people each year, in some of the hardest times possible

Leading regeneration specialists Vistry Partnerships and Coastline Housing celebrate the completion of Boundary Road in Bodmin. The affordable scheme has delivered 71 new, high quality affordable homes to this part of Bodmin including Affordable Rent, Shared Ownership and Rent to Buy, with funding secured from Homes England as well as Coastline’s own resources.

As a long term delivery partner of Coastline, Vistry Partnerships were delighted to secure the contract via competitive tender in Spring 2019 and started work on site in November 2019, with locally based Taylor Lewis acting as Employers Agent throughout the project.

The new homes in the historic town of Bodmin, mid Cornwall offer much needed housing in the county. The scheme comprises one, two, three and four-bedroom homes close to the nearby amenities and public transport links to the centre of Bodmin making this a really sustainable development.

Kathryn Pennington, Regional Development Director at Vistry Partnerships, said: “We are delighted to have completed the scheme in Bodmin for Coastline Housing. The Scheme not only provides much needed affordable homes for Bodmin but has created a vibrant and sustainable place to live that will be a long term home to local families .”