Why housing-specific technology needs the right partners
Written in collaboration with MRI
ERP systems are essential to the digital infrastructure of housing providers supporting everything from finance to asset management. But to stay ahead of growing regulatory demands and complex supply chains, many organisations are now extending their ERPs with specialist platforms that deliver deeper capability in areas like procurement and spend control.
While traditional ERP systems, even those designed for housing, aren't always built to manage the full spectrum of end-to-end spend control, they remain a strong foundation. That’s why many housing providers are embracing a best-of-both-worlds approach: retaining their trusted ERP at the core while integrating specialist platforms that enhance capability and flexibility without adding unnecessary complexity.
Why generalist ERPs fall short on spend control
ERPs are excellent for financial reporting, asset registers and core accounting, but they tend to fall short when it comes to managing purchasing, procurement and invoicing at scale. These processes demand specialist features like supplier onboarding, compliance-driven approvals, contract alignment, PO-matching and real-time spend visibility – all areas where generic ERP modules often feel like a compromise.
This is especially true for housing organisations managing high volumes of property-related spend across dispersed teams, complex service charge arrangements and regulated environments. Without a dedicated spend control platform, these organisations often end up working around the ERP’s limitations, using manual checks or disparate bolt-ons.
A smarter alternative: enhance, don’t replace
Rather than undertaking a costly overhaul or stretching a system beyond its intended use, the smarter move is to extend your ERP with specialist solutions designed for purpose. That’s where the partnership between Proactis and MRI Software delivers real value.
As a certified MRI Platinum Solution Partner, Proactis integrates seamlessly with MRI’s housing-specific ERP to give housing providers a full end-to-end solution across the Source-to-Pay cycle. The result is a powerful combination: MRI continues to deliver housing management excellence, while Proactis adds deep procurement and spend control capabilities, all within a unified, interoperable system.
Together, Proactis and MRI enable housing organisations to:
- Control and optimise spend across multiple teams and locations.
- Streamline procurement and AP processes, reducing delays and manual work.
- Strengthen supplier management and mitigate risk.
- Gain full visibility of spend from initial request to payment, including accurate allocation to service charges.
- Ensure policy compliance and automate approvals to reduce overspending.
Designed for housing, built for flexibility
Whether you manage your own portfolio or act on behalf of clients, cost-efficiency and compliance are paramount. By combining MRI’s housing system with Proactis’ modular spend management solutions, you gain the flexibility to start where you need most –sourcing, procurement or accounts payable automation – and scale as your requirements evolve.
ERP systems will always have a vital role to play in the housing sector. But they can’t do everything, and they don’t need to. With the right partnerships, like Proactis and MRI Software, housing providers can future-proof their operations without compromise.
Getting horizontal doesn’t mean going generic. It means building a technology ecosystem that plays to the strengths of each platform, and delivers tangible outcomes: better compliance, greater control and measurable cost savings.