Collaborating Housing Association Programme

Help shape a practical and affordable treasury platform for smaller London housing associations

Housing Treasury Services is inviting expressions of interest from London housing associations that would like to improve the way they manage treasury cashflow, liquidity, loans, facilities and reporting.

We are developing a Housing Treasury Operations Platform for organisations that need stronger treasury controls but may not require—or be able to justify—the cost and complexity of a large enterprise Treasury Management System.

Rather than developing the platform around assumptions, we want to work closely with a housing association to understand its genuine operational requirements and build a system that is practical, proportionate and good value for money.

We expect to select one London housing association for the initial controlled pilot. Several organisations may register interest.

Who the programme is for

A focused pilot for smaller London housing associations.

The programme is intended for a London-based housing association that:

Manages up to approximately 10,000 homes
Has a small finance or treasury team
Relies substantially on spreadsheets for treasury activities
Manages several loans, facilities or lender relationships
Produces regular cash, liquidity, lender or board reports
Wants stronger treasury controls without implementing a large enterprise Treasury Management System
Is willing to contribute practical feedback during a controlled pilot

Housing Treasury Services is initially focusing on London organisations that can be supported through a combination of remote working and practical in-person meetings.

Expressions of interest are therefore currently limited to housing associations based in London.

Initial areas of collaboration

Two connected areas for the controlled pilot.

The detailed pilot scope will be agreed with the selected housing association.

Treasury Cashflow and Liquidity

Bank and deposit balances
Expected receipts and payments
Loan interest and fee payments
Planned loan drawdowns and repayments
Available revolving credit facilities
Short-term liquidity monitoring
Forecast-versus-actual reporting
Identification of unexpected or unreconciled movements
Management commentary and reporting

The objective is to provide a clearer and more controlled view of the association’s current and forecast treasury position while reducing repeated spreadsheet updates and manual reconciliation.

Loan and Facility Register

Lenders, facilities and individual loans
Committed, drawn and undrawn balances
Fixed and floating interest terms
Margins and commitment fees
Payment, availability and maturity dates
Repayment profiles
Fixed and floating debt analysis
Lender concentration
Refinancing exposure
Key contractual and reporting dates
Supporting documents and amendments

Creating a controlled loan and facility record will provide the foundation for later capabilities such as:

Interest and fee schedules
Covenant monitoring
Internal Golden Rules
Compliance reporting
Treasury-to-accounting reconciliation
Board and lender reporting

What the housing association receives

A controlled pilot with practical implementation support.

A clearly defined treasury pilot based on agreed operational requirements
Direct involvement in the design of relevant workflows and reports
Controlled preparation and import of agreed data
Configuration around the association’s approved processes
Parallel testing against existing spreadsheets and records
Reconciliation and investigation of material differences
Practical implementation and testing support
Ownership of its data
Access to standard data exports
A reduced pilot implementation fee
A reduced first-year licence fee if the completed platform is adopted

The association will continue using its existing systems and spreadsheets during the pilot.

The new platform will not replace an existing control until its outputs have been tested, reconciled and accepted by authorised users.

What Housing Treasury Services receives

Evidence grounded in genuine operational requirements.

Understanding of current housing-association treasury workflows
Insight into practical problems that may be missed by generic software designs
Understanding of how cashflow information is collected, updated and reported
The ability to test loan, facility and interest data structures against genuine operational requirements
Better understanding of differences between lender agreements and covenant definitions
Improvements to data-import and reconciliation processes
Structured feedback from finance and treasury users
Evidence of whether the system saves time and strengthens control
Implementation experience in a controlled housing-association environment
Evidence that future development reflects the needs of smaller housing associations

Any customer reference, testimonial or case study would require the housing association’s separate written approval.

Information will not be published merely because an organisation participates in the programme.

Working closely to create value

Complementary contributions, clearly understood.

The aim is to work closely together to develop a system that addresses genuine treasury needs, provides value for money and can be used confidently by smaller housing associations.

The collaborating housing association contributes

Staff time
Knowledge of its existing processes
Practical operational requirements
Structured feedback
Participation in testing and reconciliation

Housing Treasury Services contributes

Treasury and system-design expertise
Configuration and development work
Data preparation and controlled migration
Testing and reconciliation support
Implementation guidance
Preferential pilot and first-year licence terms

Supporting treasury governance and compliance

Designed to support existing responsibilities.

The platform will be designed to support the housing association’s existing governance, contractual and regulatory responsibilities.

Depending on the agreed pilot scope, this may include support for:

Financial viability and liquidity monitoring
Lender-covenant headroom
Loan agreement obligations
Lender reporting dates
Internal Treasury Management Policy limits
Internal Golden Rules
Board and management reporting
Interest and fee schedules
Accounting reconciliation
Accurate and controlled management information
User permissions and separation of duties
Audit history and supporting evidence
Data security and access control

Professional judgement remains essential

The platform will support—not replace—the professional judgement, governance and regulatory responsibilities of the housing association.

It will not guarantee compliance, approve treasury decisions or interpret legal agreements without authorised human review.

How the pilot will work

Five controlled stages from discussion to review.

Registering interest creates no obligation, and the association will not be obliged to proceed beyond the pilot.

01
Introductory discussion

The initial conversation and suitability assessment will be free of charge.

We will discuss:
- Current treasury processes
- Main operational challenge
- Existing spreadsheets and systems
- Potential pilot areas
- Whether there is a suitable basis for collaboration
Registering interest creates no obligation.
02
Pilot definition

We will agree:
- Process to be addressed
- Information and data required
- Expected outputs
- Responsibilities of each party
- Pilot timetable
- Implementation fee
- Data-protection and confidentiality arrangements
- Testing and acceptance criteria
- Exit arrangements
No customer data will be provided until appropriate agreements and controls are in place.
03

Configuration and controlled development

The agreed workflow will be configured and developed using controlled or anonymised information wherever practical.

Regular demonstrations will allow the association to review progress and provide feedback.
04

Data import and parallel testing

Agreed data will be imported and checked.

Outputs will be compared with existing spreadsheets, accounting records and reports.

Material differences will be identified, investigated and resolved before the pilot is considered complete.
05
Pilot review

We will review:
- Whether the requirements were met
- Accuracy and usability of outputs
- Time saved
- Improvements in control and visibility
- Outstanding development requirements
- Whether the association wishes to adopt the platform
The association will not be obliged to proceed beyond the pilot.

Commercial approach

Preferential terms with no unexpected commitment.

There will be no charge for the initial discussion and suitability assessment.

The selected housing association will pay a reduced pilot implementation fee for the agreed configuration and development, data preparation, controlled data import, testing, reconciliation, training and support.

The reduced charge recognises the association’s contribution of staff time, practical feedback and operational knowledge.

If the association adopts the completed platform following a successful pilot, it will also receive a reduced first-year licence fee.

Agreed before work begins

The pilot implementation fee
What is included
Work charged separately
The reduced first-year licence fee
The standard licence fee applying after the introductory period
Support and service arrangements

There will be no unexpected obligation to purchase the completed platform.

Clear customer relationship

A customer and programme participant.

A collaborating housing association will remain a customer and programme participant.

The arrangement will not give either party:

Ownership or equity in the other organisation
A share of profits
Authority to act on behalf of the other
Responsibility for the other party’s debts or obligations
The ability to bind the other party contractually

The written pilot agreement will state that the arrangement does not create a legal partnership, joint venture or agency relationship.

Tell us about the treasury challenge you want to address.

We would welcome an initial confidential discussion with London housing associations experiencing challenges such as:

Treasury information spread across several spreadsheets
Repeated manual updating and reconciliation
Limited visibility of short-term liquidity
Difficulty maintaining a controlled loan portfolio
Time-consuming interest and fee calculations
Repeated board or lender reporting
Dependence on knowledge held by one member of staff
Enterprise treasury systems that are disproportionate to the organisation’s needs

Registering interest does not create any commitment.

Housing association name Approximate number of homes London borough or operating area Contact name Job title Work email address Telephone number Optional Preferred method of contact Current treasury systems or spreadsheets Main treasury challenge Preferred initial area

Data-use statement: this static prototype does not transmit or store the information entered. Please do not include confidential documents or sensitive customer data. The live form will require an approved privacy notice and secure processing method before publication.