HousingTeam is a specialist division of the UK's leading independent business services company, OfficeTeam Group. It provides a range of services to support social housing providers, including office supplies, print management, furniture, workwear, data storage, and supply chain management. HousingTeam aims to significantly reduce costs for clients while maintaining or improving service quality and business efficiency. It has extensive experience working with social housing organizations and understands their needs around cost control and value.
2. WHERE OURSTORYBEGAN
HousingTeamisaspecialistdivisionoftheOfficeTeamGroup, theUK’sleadingindependentbusiness
servicescompany.Withsubstantialcorporate andfinancial strength, wehaveover 12,000 customers
nationwideandaturnoverof£140m.
TheOfficeTeamoftodayhasastrongpedigreeandreputation. Foundedin1881asOyez, our business
hasgrownandevolvedthroughtheacquisitionofcomplementaryspecialist businessesandexpertise,
thusenablingustoprovideourcustomerswithasingletrustedsourcefor all their completebusiness
solutionsrequirements.
In 2010werebrandedfromnineindividualoperatingorganisationsintoasingleunified‘OfficeTeam’
brand,harnessingourexpertprofessionalteamstogether under oneumbrella.
Thebreadthofourproductportfolio,thedepthofour in-houseexpertiseandour strengthinthe
marketplacemeanHousingTeamiswellplacedtosupportyour supplychainconsolidationobjectives,
resultinginreducedprocurementspendwithout compromisingonquality. We’ll alsohelpyoureduce
consumption,improvebusinessefficiency,enhanceyour greencredentialsandsupport your social value
initiatives.
Single trusted source.
4. BEINGOODHANDS
HousingTeam is highly experienced in managing and supporting businesses in the public sector
and, from extensive knowledge of working with social housing providers, we understand the
need to have control and visibility of spend in management. Many providers utilise suppliers and
consortia at low cost, but fail to deliver on service. However, HousingTeam will provide a tailored
low cost range of products and services that ensures your organisation performs exactly when and
where you need them to.
Not achieving best value and supply chain efficiency?
Let HousingTeam help.
HousingTeam can reduce your overall procurement costs by:
UK Procurement Manager, ISS
‘‘
‘‘OfficeTeamprovidefarmorethanofficesuppliesandare
proactiveinfindingnewsolutionsasourrequirements
evolve.Withtheirhelpwe’vestreamlinedoursupplierbase
-savingtime,moneyandenergy.
Streamliningyourorderingand
deliveryprocess
Reducingthenumberof
suppliersyouneedtoutilise
Accuratelymonitoringyour
productusageandsuggesting
waystoreduceyourcosts
Detailingaccountexpenditure
byeachofyoursub-housing
organisations’costcentres
Monitoringyouraccountonaregularbasis
toensureyourcoreproductlistremains
up-to-date,whilstprovidingyouwith
futurecostsavings
6. ASINGLESOURCESOLUTION
YOU CAN RELY ON
From stationery to workwear, office interiors to supply chain management, HousingTeam has
everything your organisation needs in one place and we’re refreshingly energetic and innovative
in our mission and approach to cost reduction and time your organisation spends procuring office
products and services.
Each area of our business is supported by a specialist team of office services professionals who
are highly experienced in dealing with the needs of a range of businesses, complex organisational
structures and budgetary requirements including social housing providers; as you’d expect, we’ll
provide you with as much advice and guidance as you need but we won’t stop there. At HousingTeam
we’re always searching out products and technologies to help you do business better.
Expect more than you think is possible with HousingTeam.
Timeisavaluablecommodity,HousingTeamwillprovideyourorganisationwith
anExpectMore‘GoTo’serviceexperience.
Givingyougreaterchoice,wesupplymorethan35,000stockedproductsacross
ourproductsrange.
Reception Manager, EdenProject
WewouldcertainlyrecommendOfficeTeamtootherorganisations.They
areabletoprovideuswiththe‘wholepackage’;competitivepricing,good
qualityproductsandhighservicelevels.
‘‘
‘‘
7. Our exciting and varied range of office supplies has been designed to help businesses function
efficiently and successfully. Incorporating over 6,000 standard stock products, our range extends
from essential desktop stationery to innovative business machines and computer consumables.
In addition to our EcoTeam range, HousingTeam has more than 200 Original Equipment Manufacturer
(OEM) branded environmental products. All the products within this range have been assessed and
selected by us to ensure they come from manufacturing processes that have a low ecological impact
on the environment.
If you can’t find what you need, we have a dedicated sourcing team to help you source unusual, non-
standard, non-catalogue items – no matter how obscure. If there is sufficient annual demand for it,
we’ll allocate it a unique code and stock it in our warehouse so it’s available on a next day basis.
OFFICESUPPLIESANDASSOCIATED
PRODUCTS
Adedicatedgroupofprocurementspecialiststhatcansourceyouany
itemoutsideofourmaincatalogue,nomatterhowrareorobscure.
EXPECTMORE
8. PRINT MANAGEMENT
PrintTeam offers a highly flexible and professional service across multimedia channels, making the
management of your print requirements both cost efficient and easier to control.
PrintTeam works closely with you to design a tailor-made, end-to-end print service package to suit
your budget and business needs. An end-to-end solution will reduce the likelihood of mistakes and
cuts unnecessary costs.
There isn’t a document we can’t print for you; from rent statements, tenant handbooks and
magazines to templates you amend and print on demand. We can also manage your print stock for
you, reducing wastage, obsolescence and, ultimately, cost.
We offer core environmental print options, including FSC accredited and recycled paper and will
deliver your print in recycled and recyclable packaging.
Head of Sales Operations, NationalPharmacyAssociation
Wehadaclearideaofwhatwewerelookingfor,butthebrief
wasfairlycomplex.Thereweremanyconsiderationsthathadto
bemetinordertoprovideourmemberswiththebestsolution,
whilealsofittingwithourowninternalsystems.Further,asanon-
profitorganisation,itwasimperativethatthesolutionwascost
effective.SofarOfficeTeamhavedeliveredonallcounts.
Today we procure, manage and deliver over £26 million print
products and services for our customers.
‘‘ ‘‘
Wepick,packanddeliverthenextday–freeofchargeandweownourfleetof
vehiclessoyouwon’tpayanyunnecessarydistributioncharges.
EXPECTMORE
9. We offer customers access to among the largest choice of office
furniture and interiors ranges in the UK. The strength of our
market position and the leverage we have in our relationships
with suppliers means we can provide you with breadth of choice
and best value.
Our extensive range of well-designed furniture is both fully
compliant with the latest health and safety requirements for
housing schemes and supported living and includes day-to-
day items from well-known brands, specialist ranges such as
orthopaedic and posture chairs, plus our own range of high
quality own brand furniture.
We also offer exceptional advice and service. InteriorsTeam are
dedicated specialists, designers and installation professionals.
Passionate about what we do and with 250 years’ combined
experience, we will provide expertise across all your interior and
furniture requirements – from initial concept through to design
and installation.
We’ll even manage the removal and recycling of your old items
through our recycling programme. All furniture is either donated
to charity or recycled for further use.
OFFICEFURNITUREAND
INTERIORS
InteriorsTeam is a top five UK supplier of
office furniture, processing over 20,000
furniture orders per year.
InteriorsTeamismorethanjustafurnituresupplier.
We’llhelpyoucreateaworkingenvironmentthat
supportsyouroperationalrequirements,faithfully
reflectsyourbusinessethosandenhancesyour
corporateimage.
Wesaved31%inourfirstyearofcontract
withOfficeTeam,thisequatedto£10k.
Financial Controller, LighthouseHealthcare
‘‘
‘‘
10. WORKPLACESOLUTIONS
As well as office supplies, we offer a huge range of competitively priced own brand and branded
workplace products. These include everyday items like cleaning and catering products, first aid kits
and security devices; most of which can be delivered the next day alongside your usual office supplies
order.
Our specialist WorkplaceTeam combines a wealth of experience across many industry sectors so
we’re always able to help, whatever you need. We undertake extensive product research to ensure
our products compete in terms of price, value and quality and regularly review our range against the
leading retailers and online suppliers.
Our WorkplaceTeam has more than 100 years’ collective
experience and the buying power to make sure our products are
priced competitively.
EXPECTMORE
Case Study
The Challenge
Anationalcharityneededasupplierfortheirdiverseworkplacerequirementsrangingfromsnow
gripperstobusinesscards.Theyalsoneededthebestpriceandexcellentservice.
The WorkplaceTeam solution
Weprovidedasinglesourceforalltheirrequirements,streamlinedtheirorderingprocessand
consolidatedtheirsupplierbase.
The Benefits
OfficeTeamprovidesfarmorethansimpleofficesuppliesandisproactiveinfinding
newsolutionsasourrequirementsevolve.Wehavesavedtime,moneyandenergy.
Iwouldn’thesitatetorecommendthemtoanyorganisationlargeorsmall.
‘‘
‘‘
Head of Procurement,RoyalVoluntaryService
Our speed of response and truly “can do” attitude has won us many
new customers, often stepping in at the last moment to meet critical
business needs.
11. WORKWEAR
Whether you’re looking for a tabard, safety goggles or high visibility jacket, we stock an extensive
range of competitively priced work clothing, including branded and non-branded product options.
Our WorkwearTeam has an enormous amount of industry expertise, supplying garments across most
sectors including healthcare, catering and retail.
Plumbers, electricians, joiners – each member of your maintenance team needs different things to
carry out their roles. However, they all need to be safe, smart and easily recognised by residents.
WorkwearTeam has everything you need to equip your staff for the job, from basic branded polo
neck shirts, to Personal Protective Equipment specific to the requirements of their role.
We take seriously your responsibility to keep employees safe, so our team of experts are always
on hand to provide technical advice and assistance about which product options best cater for the
specific hazards in your workplace. We work with some of the most highly regulated sectors in the UK
including the pharmaceutical and food industries, so we really do know what we’re talking about.
Making sure you’re dressed to do business.
Personal protective equipment.
Housing maintenance teams.
We provide high
quality BS EN
standard garments
including jackets,
trousers, gloves,
hi-vis, safety helmets
and goggles and
anything else you
need to keep your
people safe.
12. TAILMANAGEMENT
Tail management is the strategy of consolidating suppliers who account for a small amount of your
procurement spend but who are large in number (frequently around 80%) and disproportionately
time-consuming to manage. This non-critical or ‘tail’ spend often goes overlooked. HousingTeam
provides a professional tail management service that will give you cost and process benefits across
your business.
Typically suited for housing associations looking to rationalise their supply base in a more efficient
way, HousingTeam has specific expertise in end-to-end supplier base consolidation. We work as an
extension of your procurement team to manage labour intensive tail supply chains on your behalf,
streamlining your supplier base across multiple products and services so your employees can focus
on the areas that really matter to you.
Less is more when it comes to your supply chain.
13. Senior Manager Support Services, SACCS
Weneededsomeguidanceincomplyingwithnew
regulations,andforthistoberectifiedquickly.OfficeTeam
wereverysupportivefromthestartandgaveusconfidence
thattheywouldimplementourbusinesssmoothly.
Information is your organisation’s lifeblood and it’s important to keep it safe and accessible when you
no longer need it on site. You may also be required by law, as well as professional bodies, to keep certain
documents and records for a specified period of time.
Our Data Archive team provide a reliable, single source solution to match your business’s specific data
storage needs. Our service standards lead the industry and we regularly provide cost savings of up to
35% compared to existing arrangements.
DATA ARCHIVE
We have over five million sq.ft. of highly secure, flood proof,
temperature and humidity monitored data storage space.
EXPECTMORE
‘‘
‘‘
Frombasicstoragetocomprehensive,compliance-baseddocumentmanagement
programmes,wecanhelp.
14. By combining your print suppliers, devices, support and document workflow requirements into a
single source solution, our DigitalTeam will significantly reduce your overall print costs by up to 40%
and demonstrate improved business efficiencies.
DigitalTeam are specialists in creating strategies for print usage across organisations of varying
size and complexity. We will work with you to analyse your existing print usage, select and install
the most suitable equipment for your needs, minimise print and copy costs, reduce the amount of
consumables you use, achieve significant costs savings and enhance efficiency.
MANAGEDPRINTSERVICES
Adopt a print managed service and achieve savings of up to 40%.
BusinesseswhoadoptamanagedprintapproachwithDigitalTeam
getoneconsolidatedinvoice,completevisibilityofspendandbetter
budgetarycontrol.
IT Manager, LastCawthraFeather
‘‘‘‘
DigitalTeam’shighlevelofprofessionalismacrosstheboard
isveryimpressive.Eachtimewedealwiththemit’sapparent
–andamuchhigherlevelthanwe’veexperiencedwithother
suppliers.Theyareextremelyknowledgeableandalways
resolveanyproblemsquickly.
15. At HousingTeam we’re passionate about making it as simple and easy as possible for our customers to
do business. So whatever you need, you can place your order with us by phone, email or online. Fast,
intuitive and available 24 hours a day, many of our customers prefer to place their orders via one of our
three dedicated e-Commerce platforms.
ORDERINGMADESIMPLE
Ordering office supplies shouldn’t be difficult – so we’ve made sure
it isn’t.
Market-leadingapproachtoaccountmanagement
CustomerServicesteamsdedicatedtoresolvingcustomerqueriesquicklyandprofessionally
“Noquestionsasked”returnpolicy
Ethosofcontinuousimprovement
Flexible,innovativeinvoicingprocessthatincreasestransparencyandhelpscontrolspend
Optiontohaveasinglemonthlyinvoiceforallproductsordered
Choice oforderingoptionstosuityourbusinessneedsincludingthreededicated
e-Commerceplatforms
Practice Manager, NorthParkVeterinaryGroup
SincemovingtoOfficeTeamwehaveactuallysavedover
40%onourofficesuppliesexpenditure,andaretherefore
workingcloselywithourAccountManagertoseehowwe
canbenefitfromotherproductsandservices.‘‘
‘‘
16. NATIONALDELIVERY.LOCALSERVICE
Ashford
Birmingham
Regional Distribution
Centre and Sales Office
Local Distribution Centre with
Sales Office
Sales Office
Bristol
Cornwall
Bury St Edmunds
Glasgow
Croydon
Leeds
Liverpool
London
Manchester
Milton Keynes
Hertford
Newcastle
Poole
Devon
Sutton Coldfield
Telford
Chertsey
Belfast
Dublin
Edinburgh
Southampton
Orders picked
everyday
Milliondeliveries
madeeveryyear
Pickingaccuracy Orderfulfilment
rate
6089 3 99% 99%
*BasedonOfficeTeamGroupStatistics:12monthsyeartodateasofApril2014
WehavelocalbranchesallovertheUKprovidingcustomerswithafast,
responsivedeliveryservice,nomatterwhereyouarelocated.
At HousingTeam we’re experts in coming up
with new and better ways to help our customers
and that philosophy is reflected in everything
we do. Because our delivery service is operated
in-house, we can offer a ‘direct-to-desk’ service,
whereby we will deliver to a highly specific
location, as stated by you.
As well as enabling us to give our customers a
fast, responsive service, our local branches allow
us to support the communities we serve by
providing local employment opportunities.
Later order cut-off times
A more local feel to our service
A more responsive approach by
holding fast moving lines and business-
critical items closer to your sites
Locally based account teams to deal
with queries quickly and efficiently
Why? Because it means we can offer:
Local offices provide local support and
local stocking points.
EXPECTMORE
Regional Distribution Centre and Sales Office
Local Distribution Centre with Sales Office
Sales Office
Localised Distribution Centres.
HousingTeam has moved away from the industry standard
of a centralised logistics infrastructure and established
three Regional Distribution Centres (RDCs) and 20 Local
Distribution Centres (LDCs).
Wehaveourownfleetof155lowemissions,
greenfuelvansanduseintelligentvehicle
managementsoftwaretoreducetimeonthe
road,cutCO2
emissionsandprovidereal-time
ordertrackingandaccuratedeliverytimes.
17. We employ reliable, locally-based delivery drivers who are cognisant of our customers’
needs. Upon delivery our uniformed drivers will obtain an electronic signature, providing a
full delivery audit trail.
Accurate ETAsFull time tracking
on all orders
TRACK ONTIME
Delivery (if required) Delivery for all orders
received by 6pm
SAMEDAY NEXTDAY
Regional
Delivery Centres
Local
Delivery Centres
Vans &
Uniformed Drivers
203155
EXPECT MOREFROMYOURDELIVERYSERVICE
18. DEDICATEDACCOUNTMANAGEMENT
Real people delivering real results.
Committed to reducing costs.
‘‘Teleperformance
WewouldcertainlyrecommendOfficeTeam-theirprofessionalism,
reliabilityandcostsdemonstratethattheyputtheircustomersfirst.
That,plusthefriendlinessthroughoutthebusinessmakesworking
withOfficeTeamarealpleasure.
‘‘
AtHousingTeamweproactivelyseekforandrecommendnewproductsto
improveyourbusinessorreduceyourcosts.
EXPECTMORE
Our objectives are simple but effective:
Cut your total cost of purchasingbymakingcorelistandmulti-categorysavings
Cut consumptionbyrestrictingtheproductsyouremployeescanorder,conductingregularreviewsof
yourspendingpatternsandrecommendingalternativeproductswhereappropriate
Give you greater controlwithoneconsolidatedmonthlyinvoiceandinsightfulmanagementinformation
A dedicated member of our housing account management team will be appointed to support your day-
to-day requirements, build long-term relationships at all levels and locations and ensure we exceed your
expectations from the outset of our working relationship.
Each of our personable account managers brings with them a wealth of experience in our marketplace
as well as in-depth knowledge of our products, services and the processes that support them. They will
work with you to analyse your expenditure and procurement patterns and identify potential cost saving
opportunities. This will continue throughout your relationship with HousingTeam with regular account
review meetings.
19. Day-to-day customer service is provided by your Account Manager, supported by a dedicated Customer
Services team. This incorporates our highly regarded Help Desk; customer services professionals with
more than 30 years’ collective experience dedicated to giving our customers the most responsive and
informed service and support they can.
CUSTOMER SERVICESUPPORT
Passionate about people.
HousingTeamdoeswhatitsaysitwilldo:reliably,consistentlyandethically.
Inover40yearsofbusinessIhavenever
experiencedsuchahighstandard
ofcustomerservice-OfficeTeamis
exceptional!OurAccountManager
isalwaysonhandtohelpwithany
questionswemayhaveandallqueries
areresolvedefficientlyandeffectively.
EXPECTMOREFROM
OURCUSTOMER
SERVICESTEAMS
Executive Assistant,Julia’sHouse
‘‘ ‘‘
Respondtoemailenquiries
within10minutes
Answeryourcallwithinthree
rings
Dowhattheysaytheywilldo
Areknowledgeableabout
youraccountandthesocial
housingsector
21. We are dedicated to helping our customers work more intelligently and, more often than not, the
changes they make have environmentally positive outcomes. Whether it’s consolidating a supply chain
and eliminating unnecessary consumption, providing a greener print solution or reducing the number of
deliveries you need, as an ISO 14001 accredited company, much of our expertise is both good for your
business and good for the environment.
HousingTeam is committed to working in partnership with our customers to build a sustainable future,
reducing the impact we all have on the environment and taking our corporate and social responsibilities
seriously. We provide customers with a range of innovative, manageable environmental initiatives and
recycling schemes, which we also practise ourselves.
Environmentally smart solutions – Making a difference every day.
Lending a helping hand.
AspartoftheTailManagementsolutionweprovidedforawell-knownleisure
chain,wereducedthenumberofdeliveriesto142sitesfrom20permonthtojust
one,whichnotonlysavedalmost2,700manhoursbutalsomeantasignificant
reductionintheircarbonfootprint.
‘‘IT Manager, LastCawthraFeather
Theenvironmentalcredentialsbuiltintooursolutionwereabigpart
ofourchoicebecausewearealwayslookingforwaystoreduceour
impactontheenvironment.OnceweheardaboutPrintEcology
devicesweknewthatwasourwayforward.
‘‘
22. AWARDWINNINGRANGEOFENVIRONMENTAL
INITIATIVESANDRECYCLINGSCHEMES
Close the
Loop
Customer places
order
Sorted paper is
collected by our
paper manufacturing
supplier
HousingTeam
deliver your order
to your premises
Recycling sacks are
collected in the local
HousingTeam unit for
recycling
Paper is used to produce
recycled paper products
including EcoTeam
copier paper
Our HousingTeam
drivers collect your
recycling sacks
HousingTeam provides
many recycling
solutions for your
business
Since the launch of our Close the Loop initiative, we have diverted over
250 tonnes of customer waste paper from going to landfill.
Close the Loop
Wecollectyourpaperrecyclingatthesametimeasdeliveringyourofficesupplies,minimising
yourcarbonemissions
WeconvertpaperusedbyourcustomersbackintoourEcoTeampapertouseoverand
overagain
23. HousingTeam is dedicated to reducing the packaging waste we use in our delivery service. Therefore,
instead of supplying products to our customers in cardboard boxes, which creates waste and cannot be
reused easily, we will, where possible, deliver supplies in 100% biodegradable recycled paper bags.
Sustainable packaging
Byintroducingsustainablepackagingintoourdeliveryprocess,wehavesaved
overone million boxes fromgoingtolandfilleachyear.
Everything we talk about and offer, we practise ourselves through
our own internal initiatives.
Toner cartridge collection and recycling
HousingTeam provides a convenient battery recycling service, collecting your batteries at the same
time as delivering to you. In turn, our battery provider collects the used batteries for recycling from our
warehouses when making their next delivery to us.
Battery collection and recycling
Upon delivery of new furniture purchased through us, we’ll manage the removal and recycling of your old
items. All furniture is either donated to charity or recycled for further use.
Furniture collection and recycling
The 2007 W.E.E.E. Regulations stipulate how you should dispose of your electrical equipment.
HousingTeam will collect and dispose of your equipment in accordance with the W.E.E.E. Directive and
ensure it is recycled fully and responsibly.
For your complete peace of mind, all company references and security markings can be removed and all
data is permanently deleted using the latest overwriting software.
Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (W.E.E.E.) product
collection and destruction
HousingTeam is licensed with the Environment Agency as a waste carrier and provides a free of charge
collection service for empty cartridges, allowing our customers to recycle empty cartridges using our free
of charge collection boxes. We provide all relevant documentation including a Waste Carrier License and
Annual Waste Transfer Notes upon collection.
Typically we will collect your waste at the same time as delivering your office supplies, providing you with a
convenient waste solution and reducing your carbon footprint.
24. All products within the EcoTeam range are produced from a minimum of 50% post-consumer waste to
help reduce the consumption of precious primary materials and turn material which would usually go to
landfill into new and exciting products for the future.
ECOTEAMPRODUCTS
Unique EcoTeam products.
Frompensandpapertostorageunitsand
tonercartridges,theEcoTeamrangeoffers
everythingyouneedforyouroffice.
EcoTeam products are made of 50%
post-consumer waste.