Stonebond Properties refined subcontractor quality and scaled operations with Smas

It’s safe to say that a fair deal of organisation is needed when it comes to developing and building houses. From sourcing materials to collaborating with subcontractors, there’s an awful lot that goes in to making sure projects meet deadlines, people get paid, and everything stays compliant with Health & Safety legislation.

Without the right equipment, it can be a lot to juggle.

And, prior to 2021, this is just the issue Stonebond Properties was facing.

“Our business is a growing SME housebuilder, spanning six regions with over 300 people,” says Emily McCabe, Stonebond’s Commercial Administrator. “We predominantly partner alongside housing association clients to deliver a range of affordable housing, as well as private sale houses to the open market.”

“We partnered with Smas Worksafe four years ago, back in 2021. The portal was the main reason for the partnership – it’s user friendly, and we have regular updates and meetings with our account manager, Sarah Britton, to ensure we keep up to date. One of the components we value the most is the monthly meetings with Sarah – she’s been reliable and efficient in helping Stonebond keep on track with its compliancy.”

Emily goes on to say that, before Stonebond partnered with Smas, they didn’t have an organised system.

“Now, we use Smas reports each month to make sure that our subcontractors are compliant with our internal vetting processes. The Smas portal helps us keep track of compliance and helps us stay in line with legislation. It ensures we demonstrate robust and comprehensive vetting of contractors on our developments.

“It’s been a huge benefit to the company; as we have multiple regions, it helps us break down each site and clearly see what subcontractors we may need to liaise with to keep them compliant.”

One of the ways Stonebond keeps their contractors compliant with Health & Safety regulations is by mandating SSIP (Safety Schemes in Procurement) on their sites. This means that they know everyone will be working to a base standard, and it also helps streamline any future tendering.

“The portal is very user friendly – it’s been easy to set up all our individual sites and update them to reflect the progress of each one. We get monthly meetings for all our regions, and Sarah’s provided extra help by giving us data to help maintain a compliant supply chain.”