EU Procurement For Housing Corporation Grant Funded Developments: Private Developers v RSLs

This article was first published in Building Magazine.

In 2006 the Housing Corporation permitted private firms to apply for affordable housing grants. So far so good. But the rules governing these companies and Registered Social Landlords are significantly different. Wait for the explosion.

An increasing number of private developers have started to develop affordable housing since the Housing Corporation extended its grant funding to the private sector in 2006. From next year there will be 31 firms that are not Registered Social Landlords (RSLs) receiving grants to build or refurbish housing.

While some RSLs were concerned at this development, others believed the red tape they had to comply with would deter many developers. One such thorny issue for RSLs is European Union procurement.

RSLs Carrying Out Development Work

The Housing Corporation and RSLs are considered "contracting authorities" for the purposes of The Public Contracts Regulations 2006. As such they must follow a prescriptive process before...