The government’s £39 billion Affordable Homes Programme (AHP) for 2026–2036 marks the most significant public investment in affordable housing in over a decade. It offers a generational opportunity – but only if those in the sector are equipped to deliver at scale, with precision, and under greater scrutiny than ever before.
From the vantage point of 30 years in viability and housing delivery – advising local authorities, registered providers, and developers – We can say this with confidence: if we continue with legacy processes, we will fall short.
The sector cannot afford to treat this as “just another funding round.” This programme demands transformation. And digital enablement is not a nice-to-have – it’s a necessity.
AHP 2026–2036 won’t be judged on ambition alone. Success will be measured in delivery outcomes, financial stewardship, and the sector’s ability to adapt to a complex operating environment: rising build costs, uncertain grant levels, net-zero expectations, and heightened regulatory oversight.
This funding window will reward providers who are operationally fit, commercially agile, and digitally prepared.
Over the next decade, securing viable sites early – and stress-testing them accurately – will separate the proactive from the reactive. Platforms like SDS ProVal aren’t just financial modelling tools; they’re strategic decision engines.
From tenure mix and section 106 impacts to NPV, IRR and grant sensitivity, the ability to scenario-plan at pace will determine who gets shovels in the ground first.
Managing dozens of schemes across a 10-year cycle requires more than a spreadsheet. Systems like SDS Sequel offer a single source of truth – capturing milestones, spend profiles, grant allocations, and delivery risks in real time.
This is exactly the kind of integrated governance the Regulator of Social Housing, Homes England, and institutional funders will be looking for.
Bid success will increasingly hinge on the credibility of your appraisals and audit trail. ProVal gives development teams the ability to model transparently, with assumptions clearly evidenced and outputs tailored for funder requirements. Meanwhile, Sequel tracks actuals against forecast, ensuring compliance with grant conditions and simplifying year-end reporting.
Over ten years, what distinguishes high-performing providers won’t be one-off wins – it’ll be their ability to learn and optimise. Digital platforms that consolidate data across schemes, regions, and time will reveal patterns in delivery efficiency, cost inflation, and social value.
This insight is what enables long-term planning, continuous improvement, and board-level assurance.
The funding is welcome. But it’s the transformation opportunity that’s even more important.
The providers that embrace modern tools and agile decision-making now will not only maximise their share of the £39 billion – they’ll lay the foundations for faster, smarter, and more accountable development pipelines for the decade ahead.
At SDS, we’ve spent 30 years building technology that understands the realities of housing delivery – not just the theory. We know the data points that matter. We understand the funding rules. And we design tools that support your teams on the ground.
Whether you’re revisiting your bid strategy, overhauling internal governance, or identifying system gaps, now is the time to act.
📞 Let’s talk about how SDS’s digital solutions can help you deliver more homes, more effectively.