Press Release

HFI meets the buyer

6 July 2010

Staff from Homes for Islington (HFI)’s Procurement Team attended ICAM2‘s ‘Meet the Buyer’ event held at the German Gymnasium in Kings Cross. This event was run to encourage locally-based small and medium-sized businesses and minority ethnic groups (SMEs and BMEs) to bid for HFI contracts. Over 70 companies came to the event and were given information on current and forthcoming contracts and how to get details of firms working on our main contracts.

The Procurement Team took these companies through the procurement process and advised them how their individual specialisms could help them bid for sub-contracts or in some cases to apply as consortia bidders. For example, a scaffolding firm would not necessarily be able to take on external maintenance to blocks of flats, but they could approach the winning bidders of the external maintenance with the view to supplying scaffolding for the projects.

David McAlpine, the head of ICAM2, was impressed with the knowledge exhibited by the HFI staff at the event and how busy the HFI stand was with many companies vying for an appointment.

Stephen Kirrage, HFI’s Director of Property Services said, “We welcome the involvement of locally-based companies on our contracts, and events such as this put on by ICAM2 help us to show potential bidders opportunities to get involved.”

ICAM2 is a local business support project which is funded by the European Regional Development Fund and Camden Council and which is open to businesses based in Camden and Islington.

The aim of the initiative is to keep money in the local economy through forming local supply chains between major buyers and local small companies, and to maximise the benefits to local companies from major developments, in the area including:

• The £2 billion King’s Cross Central development
• The refurbishment of King’s Cross and St Pancras stations
• Decent Homes programme
• The London 2012 Games
• British Museum

ENDS

For media enquiries please contact Jaime Goumal in the HFI communications team on 020 7527 4370 or email jaime.goumal@homesforislington.org.uk

Notes to editors:

1. Homes for Islington, one of the UK’s largest arms length management organisations (ALMO), which began operations in April 2004, is charged with managing council housing stock throughout the borough. It is owned by Islington Council and managed by a Board of Directors, made up of Islington tenants and leaseholders, council representatives and independent members.

2. HFI was awarded the highest rating (3 stars with excellent prospects) from the Audit Commission in 2008, putting it in the top 4% of ALMOs in the country.