Stabilising the First Domino: Repairs, Maintenance, and Open Frameworks

For those working within social housing, it has always been clear that when a provider can meet its repairs and maintenance obligations, it sets the tone for everything else. When this function performs well, complaints are resolved in full and on time, resident confidence is stronger, and leadership attention can remain focused on longer-term priorities. When it underperforms, the consequences are almost equally predictable: complaint volumes increase, regulatory scrutiny intensifies, while fines and reputational damage follow. The cost is financial, certainly, but it is also organisational and it’s very, very public.

It is against this backdrop that the Procurement Act 2023 must be understood. Since coming into force in February 2025, the Act has reshaped public procurement across the UK. One of its most important structural changes is the introduction of the Open Framework: a model that allows a framework to operate over successive terms for up to eight years, with defined reopening points so that new suppliers can join over time. The intention is to balance stability with market access, avoiding the rigidity of closed frameworks while retaining clear governance.

For housing providers, the opportunity presented by Open Frameworks is clear in principle. In practice, however, establishing and administering one independently requires procurement capacity, supplier vetting processes, documentation controls and ongoing oversight. That administrative load sits alongside existing pressures: fluctuating repair volumes, skills shortages, financial constraints and heightened regulatory demands. The Open Framework sponsored by CDS and managed by Plentific addresses this gap in a practical way.

Rather than building and governing their own framework, providers can access a statutory route that is already established.

Supplier onboarding, accreditation checks and commercial evaluations are embedded within the framework structure, and reopening cycles are scheduled at regular intervals. The legal architecture required under the Procurement Act is therefore already in place.

This has direct implications for both operational and regulatory exposure. Demand for repairs and maintenance does not move in straight lines. Seasonal variation, emergency works and disrepair claims can all place sudden pressure on contractor capacity. A digitally managed Open Framework allows providers to scale capacity up or down in line with demand.

Because those call-offs take place within an existing statutory framework, the compliance position remains consistent as activity increases. Documentation, audit trails and agreed commercial terms sit within the framework itself, reducing the risk of uneven due diligence or last-minute evidence gathering.

In simple terms - providers are not required to expand their procurement infrastructure in order to expand delivery. And in a regulatory landscape that continues to evolve, this reduction in complexity is significant.

Repairs and maintenance are often the first area where systemic weaknesses become visible to residents, regulators and the media. Stabilising procurement and contractor capacity in this space does not remove every challenge facing housing providers, but it does strengthen a function that has disproportionate influence over complaints, scrutiny and financial resilience.

By establishing a statutory Open Framework that providers can access immediately, CDS and Plentific have created a route that combines flexibility with governance.

The result is not simply easier procurement, but a more controlled way to respond to changing resident needs – while remaining within the boundaries of the Procurement Act 2023.