Member Article

How to disarm the IT procurement minefield

From cybersecurity to business intelligence, IT is a hot topic in Social Housing at the moment.

One key area is IT procurement. Housing associations are bound by a complex public procurement regime and with budgets ever tighter and high-profile public sector IT disasters providing a backdrop, those in the housing sector are keen to get it right.

At the recent IT in Housing conference held by the National Housing Federation, industry experts came together to discuss how to disarm the IT procurement minefield.

From the tender process to final delivery, procuring the right partners in the housing world is essential. Using tried and tested mechanisms for effective monitoring of KPIs and getting the most out of relationships with suppliers can be the difference between successful working or not.

Susan Hall, a Partner in intellectual property and head of technology at national law firm Clarke Willmott LLP, spoke at the conference.

She said: “IT is hugely important in any business, including social housing. IT should be used to complement a business model – there is no point buying a new system to fix underlying business issues.

“Procurement is key and ensuring the contract negotiations and delivery work for you from the outset can save headaches later down the line.

“My advice is to get the right people in the room from the beginning to the end of the process. Make potential bidders aware of your contract terms as early as you can and keep your options open as long as possible. Be sure that the ‘how’ is understood, not just the ‘what’ of the contract.”

Also speaking on the subject was Chris Cliffe, director of CJC Procurement, who discussed finding the right business partner and Dave Loudon, founder of DtL Creative on being a customer of choice.

Susan concluded: “When it comes to IT procurement, one of the most valuable things you can give yourself is time.”

Clarke Willmott LLP is a national law firm with seven offices across the country, including Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, London, Manchester, Southampton and Taunton.

For more information visit https://www.clarkewillmott.com/our-people/susan-hall/

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Clarke Willmott .