As one of the largest housing associations in the UK , procurement is a crucial part of the day-to-day business at Clarion Housing Group . With a CIPS accreditation under its belt and top industry expertise , it is overcoming industry-wide challenges with only the best of procurement standards
The slogan for Clarion Housing Group is ‘ Building Homes . Developing Futures ’. It ’ s a bold concept which perfectly encapsulates the company ’ s vision : to develop largescale housing projects whilst creating a meaningful impact on residents ’ lives .
Today , the company has set itself the immense challenge of building 50,000 high-quality homes over the next 10 years . For Head of Procurement , Kirsty Bower , this is not only an impressive feat from a procurement point of view – “ we ’ re expecting to procure over a million windows over the next 10 years ,” she says - but it also demonstrates the company ’ s social purpose , as the Group will offer two thirds of these homes as affordable housing .
“ Ultimately , we want to provide homes and improve our residents ’ lives so that they can put down roots ,” says Bower . “ At Clarion , we see ourselves as a business with a social purpose . We have the ability to be very commercial but at the same time we ’ re not doing that to deliver profits into shareholders pockets ; we ’ re doing that to see a bigger benefit in terms of social value and social impact .”
Shining a light on procurement The largest housing association in the UK , Clarion Housing Group was created in 2016 following a merger between Affinity Sutton and Circle Housing Group . Bower has held the position of Head of Procurement for over nine years , remaining loyal to the company throughout the
94 November 2017