CHIC has launched a new Merchants Framework and MKM Building Supplies has been appointed as a supplier. As a business backed by MKM, that appointment matters for Solvanta and for the CHIC members we can now work with through it.
The framework was designed specifically to address what social landlords have been dealing with for years: rising material costs, inconsistent pricing, supply chain challenges, and limited visibility over what’s actually being spent and why. These aren’t new problems, but they’re ones that demand a more structured response. The CHIC Merchants Framework is that response and Solvanta’s place within it means CHIC members can access something different.
Because Solvanta isn’t a general merchant with a housing team grafted on, we’re built specifically for social housing repairs and maintenance, designed from the ground up around the way housing providers actually operate. That means when a CHIC member engages us through the framework, they’re not getting an adapted service, they’re getting one built for exactly this.
The framework supports the separation of materials from labour - a procurement model that gives landlords greater control over product specification, quality and cost transparency. That aligns closely with how we work. We get involved early, design the supply model around your operation, and stay accountable for outcomes throughout. Not just orders placed and invoices raised, actual outcomes.
The framework covers a number of Lots across plumbing, electrical, general building materials and managed stores, with MKM being appointed to five of them.
For us, this is a straightforward opportunity to do the work we were built to do with a compliant, structured procurement route already in place.
Scott Cooper, Managing Director for Solvanta, said:
“Being backed by MKM means we come to the CHIC framework with real scale and supply chain depth behind us, but what makes this significant for CHIC members is that Solvanta brings something different to that appointment. We were built specifically for social housing repairs and maintenance, so when a member engages us through the framework, they’re getting a supply partner who understands their operation, stays accountable for outcomes, and doesn’t treat compliance as a box-ticking exercise. Social housing deserves a more consistent, transparent approach to materials supply. This is a practical route to delivering that.”
If you’re a CHIC member and want to understand what working with Solvanta through the framework could look like in practice, we’d welcome the conversation.