Supply Chain Partnership within Housing Renovation – Approaches and Expectations in the Dutch Housing Association Sector

Supply chain partnerships within housing refurbishment have not been given much specific attention which may be found surprising because the refurbishment market is becoming of increasing importance compared to new construction and has specific characteristics that require adapted approaches to supply chain integration. In this paper approaches, expected benefits and challenges of supply chain partnerships within housing renovation are explored. From general literature on building process innovation, dimensions of supply chain integration and potential advantages and challenges of have been derived and employed in a preliminary inquiry among Dutch housing associations and their partners that are experimenting with supply chain partnering in housing refurbishment projects. The results indicate that approaches are in a relatively early stage of development towards ‘mature’ supply chain partnerships. Furthermore, many of the general expectations also apply to the Dutch housing refurbishment sector, but at a more detailed level, refurbishment may require specific attention for the division of tasks and risks between the partners, particularly regarding communication with tenants.