From April 2006, B4L will buy boilers from manufacturer Vaillant through PfH – the national purchasing organisation dedicated to the housing sector. The Buy4London consortium currently manages over 200,000 properties across the home counties and anticipates spending £20m on boilers by 2011.

Heating technology manufacturer Vaillant has been appointed by B4L to supply more than 30,000 boilers over the next five years. The first boilers have already been delivered, and it is expected that most of the B4L Members will have started trading under the contract before autumn 2006.

Vaillant was chosen because of its knowledge and insight into the RSL market and expertise in high efficiency condensing boiler technology. Vaillant’s long-term view of boiler replacement and the B4L analysis of life-time cost was also key.

B4L’s boiler deal will benefit the ten member RSLs as they will receive high-quality, highly reliable products backed up with a comprehensive service agreement that covers repair, training, delivery and a two-year warranty. Tenants will also benefit from reduced energy bills as Vaillant will mainly be supplying high efficiency boilers.

All of B4L’s Members have signed up to PfH and are already benefiting from savings made from other deals. As existing PfH Members they will be able to start trading on boilers straightaway. B4L and PfH can negotiate better terms because the consortium can commit such large volumes on long-term contracts.

Roy Lynch, Southern Divisional Sales & National Specification Director, Vaillant Ltd says, 'This is an extremely prestigious contract for Vaillant Ltd to have acquired and one that has taken several months and huge efforts to secure.'

Brian Hillman, Group Procurement Manager for Circle Anglia, a B4L Member says, 'We are very pleased to have Vaillant as a strategic partner to help B4L Members deliver to our Residents, the ‘decent homes standard’, and the ‘efficiency agenda’, that we are all striving to meet, We are very pleased to be working with PfH on this exciting change to the way that RSLs procure for their asset management functions'.

Julie Craig, PfH Director says, 'B4L and PfH have worked hard to negotiate this boiler contract and we’re now developing a Bathroom Components and Kitchen Units Agreement with B4L'.

See more information at:
http://www.procurementforhousing.co.uk/