Meet the Supplier: City Plumbing

In our latest Meet the Supplier feature, we caught up with Claire Baron, National Business Development and Social Value Manager at Integrated Solutions at City Plumbing, a supplier on the Greener Futures Partnership Decarbonisation Delivery Dynamic Purchasing System (DPS).

 Claire talks about the company’s commitment to innovation and focus on the continuous evolution of technological developments, shining a spotlight on how it is effectively de-escalating 85% of emergency repairs. She also outlines how its partnership with the UK’s leading renewables training provider, GTEC Training is championing education, innovation, and sustainability to help shape the future of the industry.

 

What is your company’s mission statement/aims/objectives? 

We focus on material supply solutions to the public sector, which increase first-time-fix, so more jobs can be completed each day, reducing repeat visits and disruption to resident’s daily lives. Our focus on quality, sustainability and the product lifecycle means residents are receiving high quality, long-lasting repairs and maintenance materials into their properties.

We work with hundreds of housing associations, local authorities, and other public sector organisations and their contractors providing plumbing, heating, electrical and renewable materials to their repairs and maintenance teams. Our focus is on how we can provide the best service to our clients so they can support their customers efficiently and effectively, putting residents/end users at the heart of everything we do.

Can you give us a brief history of your company?  

In September 2021 City Plumbing became a standalone company, part of Highbourne Group, having been sold to HIG Capital. Highbourne Group consists of:

• City Plumbing.
• Plumbing Trade Supplies (PTS).
• The Bathroom Showroom.
• The Underfloor Heating Store.
• Direct Heating Spares (DHS).
• National Shower Spares (NSS).

We’re one of the UK’s leading national plumbing and heating merchants as evidenced by our 2021-2025 inclusive Builders Merchant Journal (BMJ)/Builders Merchant News Heating & Plumbing Merchant of the Year awards. We support our clients with their domestic and commercial plumbing, heating, spares, electrical and renewables product requirements from our 355-strong branch network.

Within City Plumbing we have a specialist team called Integrated Solutions at City Plumbing, who work in partnership with public sector organisations supplying materials and digital solutions for the repair and maintenance of their properties. This team has been operating since 2004 and holds a wealth of knowledge and experience of public sector contracts, challenges, and suitable supply chain solutions; this is the team I’m part of.

What are the benefits of being a supplier on this DPS?  

Being a material supplier on the Greener Futures Partnership (GFP) Dynamic Purchasing System (DPS) provides a straightforward way to work with housing associations, local authorities, and other public sector organisations. It offers a compliant route to market that reduces procurement burdens, making it easier for suppliers to be considered for relevant opportunities as they arise. It offers flexibility where categories can adapt over time to reflect market and product changes. The DPS helps simplify procurement for both buyers and suppliers, improves visibility to potential clients, and supports more consistent engagement based on capability, service levels, and value.

What specific products or services does your company deliver through the framework DPS? 

We’re a supplier on the Greener Futures Partnership (GFP) Dynamic Purchasing System (DPS), featuring on the following supply lots:

• Lot 2 Water Saving Products.
• Lot 4a Heating Solutions.
• Lt 6a Ventilation Solutions.
• Lot 7a Lighting Solutions.
• Lot 10a Energy Storage Solutions.
• Lot 12a Systems, IT Products and Services.
• Lot 14a Emerging Products.

These lots are supported by our specialist Plumbing, Heating, Commercial, Spares, Electrical, and Renewables teams. All providing expert customer service, product support, and competitive pricing. An additional benefit which supports several of these lots is access to our Energy Savings Trust-endorsed Renewables team. Within this team we have a professionally indemnified design team who can assist with design and advice regarding the latest renewable technologies including:

• Air, and ground source heat pumps.
• Solar PV and battery storage.
• Solar thermal.
• Underfloor heating.

Can you share some key achievements or successful projects completed through the DPS? 

Although we have not yet secured any projects through the GFP DPS, we are actively engaging and working closely with relevant parties to achieve opportunities going forward. We have completed the necessary onboarding and compliance requirements and are positioned to respond to suitable mini competitions as they arise. Our focus is on building the right relationships, understanding buyer needs, and ensuring we are well prepared to deliver when opportunities become available.

What sets your business apart from its competitors? 

Our commitment to innovation is reflected in the significant advancements we’ve made across key operational and client-facing systems. Our client-driven roadmap specifically addresses crucial developments within the social housing sector, where we aim to significantly improve the daily lives of residents. Our focus is on the continuous evolution of technological developments, especially advanced system integration. This allows us to offer enhanced efficiencies, transparency, control, and flexibility, making a positive difference to client’s daily operations.

How does your company contribute positively to the communities it operates in? 

I’ve recently taken on the role as social value manager and I’m keen to get more involved with our clients to make a real difference in the communities we serve. Social value has become an increasingly critical factor in public sector procurement. It goes beyond traditional considerations of price and quality to encompass the broader benefits that can be delivered to communities through public spending. We believe in making a real difference in the lives of all the people we meet, helping to support local communities through social, economic, and environmental benefits. We understand that our clients have different areas of focus, and social value aspirations, we align our involvement to work with these for maximum benefits. This results in a strengthened partnership, and the collaboration improves the lives and wellbeing of individuals, meaning communities can thrive.

What will be the key areas of focus for your business over the next 12 months?

Over the next 12 months our Integrated Solutions at City Plumbing division will focus on strengthening our role as a strategic repair and maintenance partner within the social housing sector. Key efforts will be centred on digital supply chain efficiency, decarbonisation and net-zero retrofits, and resident-centric service delivery.

Our primary focus is how we can support our clients to deliver great service to their residents. We’ll continue to invest in our systems and processes, developing them alongside our knowledge of sector pain points with a focus on increased productivity and efficiency. Examples of these systems include our in-house developed remote stock management application, StockStar. And our boiler fault identification system FaultFinder. Both developed in response to the wants and needs of our clients.

We know the landscape is changing for our clients and we’ll continue to support them using platforms such as the GFP DPS to assist them on their net zero journeys. Our Renewables team provide expert guidance and access to suitable materials, ensuring our clients are at the forefront of sustainable housing solutions. Backed by 15 years’ experience, this team provides expert product and installation guidance, design solutions, insights into innovations, legislation, and available funding streams.

What are the biggest challenges currently facing the housing sector?

There are several challenges currently facing the housing sector including funding/budget constraints, an affordable housing shortage, housing quality and safety/regulatory compliance and governance under the new Decent Homes Standard. There are pressures to increase energy efficiency and retrofitting to achieve net zero targets and linked to this is a national skills gap to support the transition to the electrification of heat. We work directly with our social housing clients to assist in overcoming these challenges through our supply chain solutions, which go well beyond the traditional role of a merchant supplying products alone. We work with our manufacturer and system partners to provide products, services and systems which allow our clients to meet key aspects of the Social Housing (Regulation) Act, Awaab’s Law, and the new Decent Homes Standard. And we work with training partners to provide access to accredited renewables training to upskill direct labour organisations allowing them to meet energy efficiency and retrofit demands using in-house resources.

What are the biggest challenges currently facing your company and your supply chain partners? 

The biggest challenges that we and our supply chain partners are facing are those of rising materials costs. We’ll continue to navigate ongoing economic challenges, including inflation and potential supply chain disruptions, to provide cost-effective material distribution to our clients. We’ve invested heavily in our warehouse management, transport, and stock systems to ensure we’re optimising our stock holding, buying patterns and distribution methods to provide the most effective and efficient approach to save not only cost but carbon emissions.

Are there any recent innovations or developments in your business that excite you?  

We are always looking for ways to improve our systems and processes to provide additional benefits and savings to our clients. A notable example of this is through our partnership with Help me Fix, which integrates with our FaultFinder system.

FaultFinder is our boiler fault diagnosis system that provides a breakdown of the parts needed following the issue of a boiler fault code. The system enables call centre colleagues to identify if a fault requires a soft repair or identify and locate the parts needed for a hard repair. This system prevents operatives from making wasted trips, reduces resident waiting times and increases jobs per day. Partnered with Help me Fix an AI-led diagnostic and video triage solution designed specifically for the social housing sector, repairs are further optimised. Using this system effectively de-escalates 85% of emergency repairs and remotely resolves 20% of issues, reducing callouts and improving response times.

If you were Housing Minister for the day, what would you change? 

I would focus on practical changes to create long-term value by supporting skills and supply chains by investing in training and accreditation. This would address skills shortages and ensure housing providers can rely on competent, local suppliers, and prioritise retrofit over short-term fixes. This would shift funding towards whole house retrofit and energy efficiency, rather than repetitive expenditure on temporary repairs and excessive energy costs delivering homes that are safe, fit for purpose and affordable for the resident.

Can you tell us an interesting fact about your organisation? 

Through our partnership with the UK’s leading renewables training provider, GTEC Training (GTEC), we’re championing education, innovation, and sustainability to help shape the future of the industry. GTEC delivers industry-recognised qualifications from awarding organisations LCL Awards, City & Guilds and OFTEC, covering renewables and supporting electrical, plumbing and oil qualifications. So far through our partnership with GTEC we’ve supported the upskilling of 650+ installers with renewables training, reducing external work force costs. This specialised training empowers and upskills operatives developing internal talent, while significantly contributing towards net-zero goals, whilst residents benefit from future-proofed homes with more efficient, cost-saving technologies.