Unlocking procurement for net zero: Overcoming barriers in social housing retrofit

Retrofitting social housing is central to achieving the UK’s net zero ambitions, while improving living conditions and reducing fuel poverty. However, the systems used to procure retrofit programmes are often complex, fragmented, and not well aligned with the scale of delivery required. Our research examines how procurement is shaping the pace and effectiveness of retrofit delivery, and where change is needed to enable progress at scale.

About the research

Drawing on policy analysis and industry insight, this research explores how procurement is shaping retrofit delivery across the UK. It identifies where current approaches are falling short and highlights emerging models that offer a way forward.

The findings are presented through a main report, providing an overview of the procurement challenges affecting social housing retrofit, alongside real examples of how organisations are starting to overcome them.

This is supported by three focused briefs that explore specific challenges and how to address them:

Part 1: Financial constraints: overcoming financial barriers to scaling retrofit

Part 2: Quality assurance issues: strengthening data, skills, and supply chains for effective retrofit delivery

Part 3: Coordination conundrum: overcoming fragmentation to deliver retrofit at scale

Together, these reports provide a clear view of how procurement is shaping retrofit delivery today, alongside practical approaches that can support change.

Explore the full research series to understand how procurement can better enable large scale social housing retrofit, and what this means for policy, delivery and investment decisions.