Our Development Alliance Network: key takeaways

Our latest Alliance Network brought the supply chain together at Friends House to explore two areas where there's real scope to speed up the delivery of new homes: navigating S106, and making confident decisions when costs are unpredictable.

The common thread across both workshops was time, and the opportunity that comes from using it well. The group shared plenty of practical ideas and this report summarises what we heard.

Workshop 1: Navigating S106

David Smith, our Director of Strategic Partnerships led this session, which began with the point that registered providers (RPs) and local authorities are strongly encouraged to engage in the development of local planning policy, so that S106 agreements reflect local need.

How well does engagement work in practice?

The room agreed that it does happen, and that there's room to make it land better. Retaining planning and case officers can be a challenge, particularly closer to London, so building strong relationships and sharing local knowledge matters. Participants wanted to make sure consultation reaches the right people, and that individual comments can shape the final policy.

 A 5-10 year engagement cycle is recommended, and the group felt it works best when it can flex as local need changes. Engagement is "strongly encouraged" rather than required, so the more value it delivers, the more likely people are to take part. 

More consistency between agreements would also help, as each S106 can feel like a fresh start…they can be broadly similar but never quite the same.

The case for packaging sites together

This is where the group saw a big opportunity. Small sites can be too small to interest contractors on their own, but bundled together they become a worthwhile package, with consistent programmes and greater capacity for those delivering. 

Councils are taking different approaches, from ad hoc arrangements to packaging infill and garage sites, and larger housebuilders are already doing this across different locations. 

We also heard that there’s a more joined-up approach to planning emerging, which helps policy and local need line up. One thing to plan for is that bidders may ask to remove sites from a garage package, so it helps to think about how to keep them together at bid stage.

Making variation and cascade work

There was support for the principle, with one consultancy having already used a cascade model on a site. The group's focus was on speed, as a deed of variation can take around six months even when it is uncontentious. A tiered approach would help, where simple changes move quickly through delegated authority, while larger ones still follow the full democratic process and have agreement from all parties.

Workshop 2: Decision-making around cost pressures

Paul Hann, Quantity Surveyor at SEC, opened the second session with the wider context. CPI was 3.1% in August and could approach 4% by early 2027. With the base rate held at 3.75%, and energy prices expected to remain volatile through the winter it’s clear that we can't control the market, but we can control how we respond to it.

Paul also shared an example from the Housing Forum report that shows how much decision-making time matters. A client received a fixed-price offer, then took three months to complete its governance process. The supply chain could not hold the price for that long, so additional funding was required. The good news is that faster, more standardised decision-making is within our gift.

Pre-market engagement that adds value

Pre-market engagement (PME) is a real opportunity, and the group had clear views on how to get the most from it. Asking the right questions helps contractors feel comfortable sharing their thinking. Clients get the best results when they are ready to act on what they hear, which means being flexible on timescales. 

Rather than treating PME as a box-ticking exercise, the best approach is to ask what the pain points actually are and to speak to those with the technical expertise, as this is where true costs emerge. PME takes time and effort from suppliers, so focused requests are appreciated, and being open to alternative programmes lets the market tell you what works.

Programmes the market can believe in

The strongest examples gave the market a deliverable programme, rather than the one the client hoped to hear. Participants pointed to: 

• master programmes with real visibility and float,
• published pipelines so suppliers can plan ahead, and 
• project teams that stay in place for a set term rather than being rebuilt for each small site. 

This approach can also bring in more local, resilient contractors, and it helps to share programmes early.

Achieving this at scale

Longevity and certainty were the main attractions, as they allow the best social value outcomes to be delivered at scale. That depends on an agreed vision, joined-up thinking and collaboration. 

A clear pipeline is ideal, but it is fine to start without one provided suppliers are brought in early to help shape it around market capacity, need and appetite. Consistent contracts also help, with alliancing frameworks and contracts highlighted as a good fit, as does applying lessons learnt to future procurements.

Things to try

1. Ask your planners whether a quicker route for simple S106 variations is possible
2. Consider bundling small sites into packages, and how to keep them together at bid stage
3. Run PME around the real pain points, and be ready to adjust your timescales
4. Share your pipeline early, even if it is still taking shape
5. Compare how long your governance takes with how long your supply chain can hold a price

Thank you to everyone who came along and contributed so openly. We'll continue these conversations at future Alliance Networks, and if you'd like to get involved or have thoughts on anything above, please get in touch.

In the meantime, you can check out our full frameworks list here: Our frameworks | South East Consortium