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NewswireTODAY - /newswire/ -
London, United Kingdom, 2008/11/21 - The new tool, available in the UK, makes calculating true lifetime costings of housing association projects, from a bolt to a building, easy. It gives cost/time savings for the social housing sector and is an important contribution to sustainability.
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BLP, the technical buildings and insurance specialist, have just announced they are rolling out their Life Cycle Costing Tool. Developed in conjunction with The Housing Corporation and provided free to eligible Housing Corporation Investment Partners, it is available online now. It has been designed to simplify and streamline applications for Housing Corporation funding.
The BLP Life Cycle Costing Tool is a fast, accurate and automated software programme that replaces complex time consuming, manual and spreadsheet-based processes. It helps social housing development officers and accountants calculate the true lifetime cost of a housing project – from a bolt to a building – by working out each component’s life expectancy as well as its lifetime maintenance and replacement costs.
“BLP’s new tool helps make accurate Life Cycle Costing assessments easy. We believe there are real benefits to be had from its use in terms of cost savings and improving the sustainability of schemes,” says Tom Lloyd-Smith, Senior Design and Quality Officer, of The Housing Corporation. “It’s in all our interests that this complex process should be made as efficient and as effective as possible.”
“This genuinely innovative tool is a breakthrough in the sector as it saves time and money and is easy to use”, says BLP’s Managing Director, Simon Main. “This tool allows Housing Associations to assess the impact on a development’s life cycle cost when selecting one component over another; improving their investment decision-making and control over the quality, sustainability and ecological soundness of the materials they choose.
“And the Life Cycle Costing Tool helps the Housing Corporation ensure its investments are going to best value and most sustainable schemes,” he continues. “It chose BLP to develop this new tool because of our technical expertise in component durability testing gained in the insurance and housing market places,” Main concludes.
To register/learn more about the Life Cycle Costing Tool visit BLP's website or call +44 (0)20 7204 2476
About The Housing Corporation
The Housing Corporation is the Government's national affordable homes agency.
The Housing Corporation is responsible for regulating Housing Associations, which provide some two million homes across England, and is responsible for investing in new affordable homes. The Corporation's £8.4 billion investment programme for 2008-11 is its biggest ever. Its previous investment programme of £3.9 billion for 2006-08 funded 92,752 homes; 52,929 of these for affordable rent, and 39,823 for affordable sale through the Government's HomeBuy initiatives, helping people to get a foot on the property ladder.
About BLP – the construction defects insurance specialists
BLP (blpinsurance.com) are the standard setter in the UK market place for new building and refurbishment defects insurance and technical expertise for residential, commercial and mixed use schemes.
Unlike other insurers, BLP arrange cover from day one with no financial restrictions and offers simple, easy to use and flexible building defects insurance.
Founded in 1984 and headquartered in the City of London, BLP are a subsidiary of Thomas Miller. BLP is regulated by the FSA and is backed by Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty AG, with an insurer financial strength rating of AA.
Known for their quality products, professionalism and technical expertise, BLP have established strong and long-standing relationships with a wide range of customers which include: Architects, Designers, Contractors, Builders, Housing Associations, Landlords, Tenants, Property Developers, Property Consultants, Property Lawyers, Investment Bankers and Pension Fund Managers.
Their customer list includes the following organisations: Catalyst Housing Group, Newlon Housing Trust, McCabe Builders (UK) Ltd, Highgrange Homes Ltd, JLP Homes, Oakdene Homes plc and The Elegant Group Ltd.
About Simon Main, Managing Director, BLP
Simon comes from a solid background in international project management and insurance. He was appointed Managing Director of BLP in 2003. Prior to this he worked for Thomas Miller, BLP’s parent company, which he joined in 1984. Simon has an MA in Economics from the University of Edinburgh and an MSc in Organisational Consulting from Ashridge.
Media contacts:
Tom Lloyd-Smith at The Housing Corporation
E: tom.lloyd-smith[.]housingcorp.gsx.gov.uk.
T: +44 (0) 20 7393 2072
or
Adrian Stahl at BLP
E: adrian.Stahl[.]blpinsurance.com.
T: +44 (0) 20 7204 2476
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mikegleeson[.]archangelcomms.com 
