The Communities and Housing Investment Consortium (CHIC) has gone to market with a building materials framework worth up to £1.94bn, signalling major long-term demand from the social housing and public sectors. The eight-year agreement, scheduled to run from May 2026 to April 2034, is designed to give clients and suppliers price visibility and security over a full asset-management cycle.
The framework will support directly managed workforces and external contractors delivering responsive repairs, voids, planned works, retrofit and compliance programmes. It covers a broad range of categories including plumbing, electrical, retrofit, ironmongery, glazing, roofing, timber, flooring, painting and decorating, managed stores, tools, plant hire, waste management and van stock software.
Retrofit materials dominate the commercial profile of the deal, with a single lot valued at £984m – just over half the total framework value – underlining the scale of anticipated decarbonisation and energy-efficiency work. Other high-value lots include general building materials at £186m, specialist materials at £158.4m, plumbing at £166.8m and electrical goods at £152.4m, positioning the framework as a key route to market for major merchants and manufacturers.
A merchant consortia managed-store lot is forecast at £153.6m, with a further £12m for standalone managed stores, reflecting the push towards integrated logistics and just-in-time delivery models. Painting and decorating materials are valued at £72m, while tools, plant hire and waste management are each set at £12m-£30m, and van stock software at £4.8m, creating opportunities for both traditional suppliers and tech providers.
Suppliers may be required to service contracts via trade counters, delivery networks or bespoke managed stores, depending on the lot, and will need to submit core price lists and catalogues at tender stage. Prices will be reviewed quarterly to track market movements, while CHIC members will be able to run mini-competitions to secure project-specific rates and service levels.
A framework fee of up to 4 per cent may be levied on suppliers, which will need to be factored into bid pricing and margin strategies. CHIC has justified the extended eight-year term by pointing to the investment needed to integrate IT systems between suppliers and contracting authorities, suggesting a strong emphasis on digital ordering, stock management and data reporting.
The framework is being procured on behalf of CHIC members, Efficiency North and other public sector clients that may join over its lifetime, consolidating significant public housing and regeneration spend into a single route to market. Expressions of interest are due by 3 February 2026, with contract award targeted for 15 April 2026, giving suppliers a long runway to shape bids and partnership models.
