Meet our Annual Conference sponsors: AICO and SPA
AICO is the main event sponsor at this year's Annual Conference, taking place on 14 and 15 June, at the Radisson Blu Hotel in Glasgow. SPA is sponsoring the evening drinks at the conference.
AICO: Main sponsor
Aico, an Ei Company, is the European market leader in homelife safety, pioneering new technologies and offering high-quality alarms, developed and manufactured in Ireland.
All Aico alarms meet UK standards and offer a variety of sensor types to guarantee protection for every home, the cornerstone of which is delivering education, quality, service, and innovation.
Aico offers unparalleled support, from regional specification managers, covering the whole of the UK, and the expert in-house technical support team to their free of charge, CPD accredited training scheme, Expert Installer. Expert Installer provides electrical contractors with all the information that they require to select, site, install and maintain Aico alarms to the highest quality. It also ensures that attendees are up to date with the latest legislation and requirements.
Corporate social responsibility is a key focus for Aico; its ‘Aico in the Community’ initiative helps schools, colleges, charities, and community organisations to achieve their goals to help create safer communities and build sustainable futures. Aico does this through the core areas of education, business enterprise, volunteering, charity, and environmental impact.
Stemming from its ethos of innovation, Aico launched the SmartLINK Gateway to provide a ground-breaking solution for RSLs to have access to real-time data insight into the status of the smoke, heat and carbon monoxide alarm systems across their entire housing stock.
Using its built-in GSM data connection, the Ei1000G utilises Aico’s next generation of wireless technology to report events, including fire/carbon monoxide activations and alarm head removals, as they happen, to the SmartLINK cloud portal, for full visibility and remote monitoring. The Ei1000G SmartLINK Gateway aims to improve efficiency, reduce costs, aid with forecasting and compliance and enable smart asset management. The SmartLINK Gateway will revolutionise the way in which alarm systems are managed, paving the way to a solution-focused approach to asset management.
Aico has expanded its Connected Home offering through HomeLINK. HomeLINK is a multi-award-winning high-tech software team within Aico that leverages cutting-edge home integration and analytic technologies to address the needs of social landlords and their residents. HomeLINK has been recognised as one of the most innovative businesses in the region, and its team has industry-leading expertise in artificial intelligence and IoT as well as software development and integration. At the forefront of this rapidly emerging market, in the last 12 months, HomeLINK has grown significantly and accelerated the roll out of its products and services. By partnering with leading IoT providers and management systems, it has a track record of helping landlords reduce operating costs and carbon emissions whilst improving their residents' wellbeing and safety. Aico’s acquisition of HomeLINK will provide a complementary technology platform to present a synergistic approach to IoT, analytics and data management across the connected home arena.
“Aico is delighted to be the main sponsor of this year's SFHA Annual Conference, supporting the sector and building relationships with professionals working in housing.”
SPA: Evening drinks sponsor
The Scottish Procurement Alliance (SPA) is the largest, free-to-join procurement organisation, representing over 100 public sector organisations throughout Scotland, ranging from small co-operatives to regional and national housing associations, local authorities, and blue light services.
Formed in 2016, it has established itself as the leading procurement solutions provider in Scotland for the construction, maintenance and refurbishment of social housing and public buildings. Underpinned by over 55 years of technical procurement experience, through its parent organisation, LHC Group, one of the UK's most respected public sector procurement organisations.
Supporting its partners is at the forefront of the unique service it offers. Its aim is to simplify the procurement process by offering a quick and easy, compliant route to market. Its partners benefit from free professional guidance, support, and training. Unlike other providers there are no hidden charges, SPA doesn't charge for the added value services it offers. SPA provides bespoke, localised support at every step of your procurement and project journey.
The level of support SPA offers varies case by case and is tailored to meet the needs of each individual partner and their project-specific requirements. The team is formed of experienced procurement specialists, led by its CIPS fellow Lesley Anderson. Its technical support team can offer you guidance at every step of your project journey, offering feedback on specifications, and price validations as well as attending pre-start and progress meetings. This support is further strengthened by its client support managers who are there to support partners with any questions about the products or services SPA offers, ensuring they receive the highest level of service throughout the process.
Additionally, SPA offers a CallOff Service, designed to help partners procure smaller projects, freeing up some of their time and giving them an opportunity to focus on other key areas. Launched in December 2021, SPA already helped its partners procure over £3.3 million in projects. The Call Off Service has proven extremely popular and is available on selected frameworks.
Partners have full access to the Partnership Hub at SPA's Livingston office, a dedicated space for holding meetings, workshops, training and events. The hub is bright, spacious and includes state-of-the-art equipment and facilities with comfort and convenience being central to what the hub offers. Split into four main sections, at the heart is its largest meeting room, Jura, which can be configured to your requirements, it also has state-of-the-art presentation equipment and can comfortably accommodate up to 40 delegates. The room is flooded with natural daylight, making it a very welcoming, comfortable, and inviting space.
When appointing suppliers to frameworks, SPA has specific selection criteria around the quality of work, competitive pricing, financial stability, supply chain, social value, community benefit and sustainability of each supplier. It’s imperative that all suppliers bidding for its frameworks meet these conditions and continue to meet these factors throughout the lifecycle of its frameworks and individually in each of its projects. The rigorous selection process demonstrates its commitment to providing partners with best-in-class suppliers and instils a greater level of confidence from the offset.
Becoming a partner of SPA is free, it’s quick and simple to register – all you need to do is complete the form on its website. The team will review the application, and, if all requirements are met, membership will be granted. Being a partner of SPA has unrivalled privileges, including access to a range of industry-leading frameworks. As a non-speculative framework provider, you will be able to have your say on the development of its frameworks, receive social value advisory support to identify opportunities in the infrastructure, take advantage of its Call Off and Added Value Services, and gain access to SPA’s Partnership Hub. Utilising intelligent procurement solutions can offer more than just competitive pricing. SPA works with its partners and supply chain to promote the delivery of tangible benefits through all projects procured through its frameworks. This ensures that benefit is not only enjoyed by those directly involved but a positive impact is made on the wider community. The promotion of a positive social legacy is fundamental to everything SPA does.
The executive board comprises a mixture of housing associations, local authorities and housing co-operatives, all based in Scotland. Through partnership with Lintel Trust, SPA and its executive committee members have overseen the delivery of over £1 million of community projects since 2016, directly benefitting Scottish housing communities.
“We have worked closely with SFHA for several years and strengthened that relationship in 2018 by way of a strategic partnership. This has seen both organisations work together on a variety of projects, including sponsoring organised events, facilitating workshops and best practice procurement.
"Collectively, this partnership has resulted in improved public value through a better understanding and implementation of Scottish procurement regulations. We’re exceptionally proud of how far our strategic partnership has grown with SFHA.”
SFHA Annual Conference
14 and 15 June 2022, Radisson Blu Hotel, Glasgow
SFHA's Annual Conference, Housing Scotland, will take place on 14 and 15 June at the Radisson Blu Hotel in Glasgow.