1. Social Housing Provider Mergers and Strategic Alliances – a European Comparative Project
Gerard van Bortel
Anita Blessing
David Mullins

2. European social housing providers: (conflicting
European social housing providers: (conflicting?) developmental challenges
Stanton, 2015
Growing, complex housing needs
State austerity: pressure to scale up
Pressure to be locally accountable

3. Two projects: social housing providers’ developmental strategies
Partnerships
Contracts
Strategic Alliances
Group Structures
Mergers: amalgamations or transfers of engagements
Project Two
RELATIONSHIPS
2008 Guardian article on HA mergers
There are several structures to seal a union. Associations amalgamate by forming a merged body, or undertake a transfer of engagements, where one is subsumed by the other. Both throw up human resources and employment law problems. The amalgamations model was produced partly so associations could avoid the multi-million pound pension liabilities associated with a transfer of engagements. But under both arrangements, staff may need to transfer to the new organisation using Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) regulations.
Other definitions
A merger is where two or more business entities combine to create a new entity or company. An amalgamation is where one business entity acquires one or more business entities.
An amalgamation is the merger of one society with another society or company, to form a new legal entity. A transfer of engagements involves the transfer of a society’s business to another society, or to a company. Read more: Difference between Merger and Amalgamation | Difference Between 
A merger may be a transfer of engagements or an amalgamation. The difference between the two is outlined below, and explained in more detail on page 3. Transfer of engagements This involves the transfer of membership, property etc, from one employers' association (the "transferring") to another (the "receiving"). Amalgamation This involves a simultaneous merging by two or more employers' associations of all their membership, property etc. creating a new amalgamated association
An amalgamation is the merger of one society with another society or company, to form a new legal entity. A transfer of engagements involves the transfer of a society's business to another society, or to a company.
Project One

4. Strategic alliances: examples
Alliances between small and/or medium providers to build development capacity and achieve efficiencies of scale: G320 (UK), Canopée Network, (FR), MKW (NL), Joint Ownership Entity, NYC (US)
Alliances that mobilize the resources of large providers in order to help build the capacities of smaller providers and support organisational diversity: L and Q Housing Group’s initiatives to provide sites and transfer stock to small housing associations, Aster Group’s Partnerships with Community Land Trusts (UK)
Large and medium providers’ alliances that share learning and best practices, benchmark, and influence policy: G15, London, De Vernieuwde Stad, NL, AFWC Amsterdam, NL, Matrix Housing Partnership, UK, the Housing Alliance, UK, Housing Partnership Network (US)
Alliances between small and/or medium providers to build development capacity and achieve efficiencies of scale in procurement, IT and other areas: G320 (UK), Sozialebau (AT), Canopée Network (FR), MKW (NL), Joint Ownership Entity (NYC, US case of asset pooling), Housing Partnership Network (US-wide shared green procurement, shared insurance and shared equity trust), the Association of Flemish Housing Companies (VVH) and AENergie (purchasing collectives for sustainable energy) 2. Alliances that mobilize the resources of large providers in order to help build the capacities of smaller providers and support organisational diversity: L and Q Housing Group’s initiatives to provide sites and transfer stock to small housing associations, Aster Group’s Partnerships with Community Land Trusts (UK) 3. Large and medium providers’ alliances that share learning and best practices, benchmark, and influence policy: G15, London, De Vernieuwde Stad, NL, AFWC Amsterdam, NL, Matrix Housing Partnership, West Midlands, UK, The Housing Alliance, Ireland

5. Key Issues and Objectives
Mergers and centrally controlled group structures
Post-merger integration
Organisational structures and strategies
Avoiding performance dips
Local/regional governance
Maintaining / improving services to tenants and local communities
Measuring outcomes (economies of scale and scope + accountability to tenants/local communities)
Strategic alliances:
ongoing collaboration outside official trade bodies
Shared research and learning
Shared (green) procurement
Pooling assets / expertise
Win-win partnerships: e.g. large and small providers
Governance (avoiding instability)
Measuring impacts (economies of scale and scope)
Build on 20 years of ‘merger watching’ and research in UK HA sector!
Connect with existing research in NL, FR, DE (other EU countries)
Learning amongst social/affordable housing providers across national boundaries using EFL network power
Evidence the benefits and risks of HA mergers and group structures
Identify strategies and models for successful post-merger integration, governance and tenant participation
Pilot new forms of collaboration between EFL members

6. How? Learn from other cases
Literature review and review of national policy drivers
Consultation and identification of international cases of interest
Learn from each other
Group 1: 8-12 social housing providers planning or undergoing mergers and post- merger integration
Group 2: 6-10 members of different strategic alliances
Similar learning partners
3 workshops over an 18 month timeline and final master class for each group
Collaborative Project Management Structure: internal data collection, intelligence sharing, interpretation of results, realism & ownership
Options for follow ups to facilitate longer-term learning

7. Role of (Pr)academics and EFL
Critical analysis and conceptualisation
Facilitate action learning and professional development
International knowledge sharing
4. Support dissemination of best practices
context
Path dependency
transferability
5. Be a critical friend
6. Seek external funding to match modest industry contributions
Alliances between small and/or medium providers to build development capacity and achieve efficiencies of scale in procurement, IT and other areas: G320 (UK), Sozialebau (AT), Canopée Network (FR), MKW (NL), Joint Ownership Entity (NYC, US case of asset pooling), Housing Partnership Network (US-wide shared green procurement, shared insurance and shared equity trust), the Association of Flemish Housing Companies (VVH) and AENergie (purchasing collectives for sustainable energy) 2. Alliances that mobilize the resources of large providers in order to help build the capacities of smaller providers and support organisational diversity: L and Q Housing Group’s initiatives to provide sites and transfer stock to small housing associations, Aster Group’s Partnerships with Community Land Trusts (UK) 3. Large and medium providers’ alliances that share learning and best practices, benchmark, and influence policy: G15, London, De Vernieuwde Stad, NL, AFWC Amsterdam, NL, Matrix Housing Partnership, West Midlands, UK, The Housing Alliance, Ireland

8. Which types of alliances are most interesting?
Shared green energy purchase (Vereniging van Vlaamse Huisvestingsmaatschappijen, and AENergie, NL) 
Shared green procurement (Housing Partnership Network, US)
Shared insurance schemes (Housing Partnership Network, US)
Shared ‘affordable’ homeownership platform (HPN, US)
Land transferscheme to help small, specialised HAs build (L and Q, UK)
Shared development programming to access larger scale funding (Matrix Housing Partnership, UK)
Shared strategic planning (De Vernieuwde Stad, NL)
Partnership with Community Land Trusts (Aster Group, UK)
Shared platforms to combat fuel poverty and homelessness (Fife Housing Association Alliance Scotland)
Shared development/purchase of IT systems
AENergie

9. Next steps… Gather more interested participants
Seek feedback further develop and resource proposal with external funding and modest participant contributions
18 month timeline from May 2019
(Anita) (Joost) (David) (Gerard)
Joost Nieuwenhuijzen
David Mullins