Five Scottish SME businesses have been awarded a place on a national furniture and furnishings contract, that’s expected to be worth around £180m over four years.
Scotland Excel’s fourth generation Domestic Furniture and Furnishings (DFF) Framework went live in June to help councils and housing associations source a range of furniture and furnishings for local households.
The framework gives social landlords a quick and efficient way to provide furniture and furnishings to people facing housing crisis or emergency, or who need support to establish a home in their communities.
It offers the choice of brand new or quality reuse goods – playing a positive part in Scotland’s reuse market. One of the successful bidders is a community-based network made up of social enterprises that provide reuse furniture.
Councillor John Shaw, Convener of Scotland Excel, said: “I welcome the launch of this framework which is good for business while having social value and sustainability at its core. It helps councils and other social landlords source furniture and furnishings for residents in need of support, from Scottish suppliers who have been through the tender process and are ready to do business.
“It also gives the option to source re-use items – a move that underpins Scotland’s circular economy drive to keep quality goods and materials in use, instead of sending to landfill.
“We anticipate the framework will see a spend of £180m over its four-year term and so the successful bidders who are all Scottish micro, small, or medium sizes companies, now have the opportunity to secure a share of the business.”
Previous generations of the multi award winning framework have delivered innovative community benefits and the new framework will build on that with a commitment from all five suppliers to deliver community benefits, against pre-agreed spend thresholds.
The new framework has 12 months fixed pricing and its structure has improved from the previous version; A ‘furniture kit-out’ lot has been added to make it easier for councils to source larger scale accommodation projects.
The five suppliers are:
-Circular Communities Scotland Ltd, Stirling, community-based network made up of social enterprises (reuse items).
-CF Services Limited, Glasgow, medium business (new items and furniture kit out).
-Spruce Carpets Ltd, Glasgow, micro business, (reuse items).
-The Furnishing Service, East Kilbride, medium business, (new items and furniture kit out).
-New Two Limited, Glasgow, micro business (new items and furniture kit out).
