Meet the Supplier: Travis Perkins Managed Services

For our latest Meet the Supplier feature, we spoke with the team at Travis Perkins Managed Services, supplier on our Materials Supply and Managed Services framework, developed with Contracting Authority The Hyde Group. From its passion for social value to its commitment to sustainability, learn more about the business’s commitments to customer satisfaction and community and resident support.  

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

Travis Perkins Managed Services helps customers to build and repair safe, sustainable homes, create better communities, and maintain the vital infrastructure we all rely on. Established in 2004, Travis Perkins Managed Services utilises the scale and breadth of offers across the Travis Perkins plc business units, including Toolstation, Keyline, Benchmarx and CCF. Social value underpins our commitment to build better communities and enrich lives, and we deliver social value in collaboration across our contracts.  

Can you give us a brief history of your company?  

Established in 2004, Travis Perkins Managed Services provided solutions for local authorities and housing associations maintaining social housing, as purchasing at scale means that the customers in this sector require an enhanced level of account management and customer care. The first contract it secured was with Wrekin Housing Trust, which remains a customer to this day. Since 2004 the business has gone on to develop an array of solutions to service modular construction, national housebuilders and FM contractors as well as social housing customers.  

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

The PCR 2015-compliant framework provides a personal service offering early engagement with customers and ongoing facilitation of a direct relationship between supplier and customer. Pretium supports Travis Perkins Managed Services to tailor its myriad of solutions to create an offer suited to the customer’s requirements, with a focus on value for money and operational efficiency. Customers can tailor solutions from our extensive range of operational and digital offerings to maximise efficiency and create lasting social impact.  

What specific products or services does your company deliver through the framework (s)? 

Materials supply – providing the materials the customer requires from across the Travis Perkins branch network, with over 540 outlets and over 100,000 product lines. This can be serviced via: 

• A dedicated branch  

• Dedicated branch colleagues within a TP branch  

• A fulfilment centre, which provides click-and-collect and delivery services to a cluster of customers from one single location 

• TPgo Self-Serve – An unmanned container offering an out-of-hours solution and access to materials in locations where a branch is unavailable. 

TP’s digital solutions  provide actionable insights and efficiencies to support a better tenant experience at a lower cost and include: 

• TPgo Data – next-day purchasing information supporting decision-making and providing actionable insights. 

•  TPgo Order – Giving operatives visibility of stock levels and allowing the ordering of materials for collection or delivery from wherever they are.  

• TPgo Van Stock – provides the materials operatives need, when they need them, digitally replenished.  

What sets your business apart from its competitors? 

Travis Perkins strives to provide a great service and cares deeply about getting it right. Its dedicated account management team provides a single point of contact, and they work to understand customers’ requirements and provide solutions. Being able to call upon the expertise of the business units from across TP plc means that customers are guaranteed a best-in-class offer, an unrivalled supply chain, and quality products which are sustainably sourced.  

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

 Travis Perkins Managed Services offers its customers a social value legacy fund. This is used to fund social value projects across the country which benefit different communities, and in 2023, TP provided £1.3 million to projects across the UK! TP works closely with its charity partner Centrepoint to raise funds to tackle youth homelessness and provide skills and resources to the young people the charity supports.  

How important is social value to TPMS as a business and how do you support the communities in which you work? 

Social value is integral to the business and it’s why TP is proud to offer the Travis Perkins Managed Services Legacy Fund. Projects are passed for approval against one of its four pillars of social value: Economy, Community, People and Environment. Working with its customers, it has been able to deliver skills training and apprenticeships, offer mental health support to residents, improve park and community spaces, and set up not-for-profit organisations, which have transformed lives and provided livelihoods for many. Its team can provide volunteer days to share their experience and knowledge across career events and refurbishment projects.  

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

• Digital: Investing in digital technology to enhance its service and provide real-time insights for customers.  
• Sustainability: Reducing waste, improving energy efficiency and providing sustainably sourced materials.  
• Customer Experience: Continue to deliver the high standards its customers expect by being responsive, reliable and proactive in communicating improvement opportunities.  
• Strategic Partnerships: Develop strong supplier and client relationships to create mutually beneficial collaborations, offering innovative solutions and driving even greater value for our customers.  

What are the biggest challenges currently facing the housing sector?  

A lack of quality affordable housing and a pressing skills shortage. 

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

 WholeHouse –  It’s a first for the sector which means SME housebuilders can plan and design a bespoke digital model of a house before physically constructing it. It ensures detailed and accurate design, plans and material pricing of developments from the first day. From start to finish, the process can be completed in under an hour, saving weeks of work. 

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

Travis Perkins Managed Services would do everything it could to help close the skills gap. Construction makes a significant contribution to the UK’s economy (just under 9% of GDP), so addressing this and developing a more diverse and skilled workforce is vital. We would create more entry routes for highly skilled, well-paid jobs, encouraging businesses to invest in their workforce and to adopt modern methods of construction, particularly on the transition to net zero. 

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