Amey reflects on the National Housing Prime contract

25 Jul 2022

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Over the last seven years, prior to the expiry of the National Housing Prime (NHP) contract in March 2022, Amey made a commitment to increase all levels of performance across NHP, particularly in the areas of response maintenance, customer satisfaction and investment in the UK’s MOD estate. 

In 2016, in partnership with the Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO), we began to identify properties that were in a poor state of repair and needed to be brought up to the Government’s Decent Homes Standards. 

Project delivery 
Between 2016 and 2022, we delivered over 1,299 refurbishment projects (which include asset replacements in multiple properties) in more than 33,000 Service family homes across the UK: turning aged, damp, and draughty properties into light, bright and energy efficient homes that families can be proud of. 

Across the UK, 1,114 brand new kitchens and 2,068 modern bathroom suites were fitted; 1,823 reliable and fuel-efficient heating systems were installed; 5,184 properties were insulated and 7,308 roofs were replaced. The issue of damp and mould was tackled in 721 homes and new doors and windows installed in 7,650 properties. 

Many properties also benefited from a full-scope internal refurbishment, alongside new bathrooms, kitchens, boilers, electrical rewires, plastering, doors, curtains, carpets and redecoration. 

We also focused on the MOD’s stock of void properties: those that have stood empty for some time, supporting the DIO’s commitment to reduce the number of vacant properties by Autumn 2021. In November 2018, there were just over 11,000 properties standing empty. Using a combination of targeted hand-backs and allocation to surplus applications, this number was reduced to 9,250, equating to a void rate reduction of 23% to 19.29%.  

In addition, 71 estate roads and pathways were resurfaced and 235 tired and uninspiring play parks were given a full facelift with brand new equipment, safety flooring and fencing -- providing local children with a safe and creative space where they can let off steam. 

Customer service 
Our customer service centre -- manned by more than 200 dedicated advisors -- provided a 24/7 helpline for families to report maintenance and repair issues, along with an occupancy services team who provided an end-to-end housing service to around 39,000 Service families.   

Each month, our customer service advisors answered an average of 21,000 response calls, resulting in around 4000 maintenance tasks being delivered monthly.  

An ongoing programme of customer service training and the introduction of multiple digital channels to provide more flexibility to our customers’ needs saw customer satisfaction increase from 30 to 70 NPS (a customer satisfaction measurement) and a reduction in the complaint rate from 3.1% to 1.2% per month. 

Our occupancy services team supported around 1,200 Move Ins every month and organised the delivery of 5,500 items of furniture, ensuring families were moved into their new homes with minimal disruption. 

Over the last seven years, more than £712m has been invested by DIO in Service Family Accommodation, providing service families with good quality, flexible and energy efficient homes that they are happy to spend time in. 

Looking ahead 
We are proud to be a key supplier to the MOD and have a long history of supporting military personnel and their families so they can live, work and train in a safe and compliant environment. Earlier this year, we were awarded two Regional Accommodation Maintenance Services (RAMS) contracts and we’re excited to be able to continue our support to Service families as we continue to work closely with DIO to deliver core housing maintenance services alongside improvement projects and refurbishment work to approximately 25,000 properties. 

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