Decision details

This report seeks approval from the Cabinet Member for Housing to award a contract for the Sprinklers Installation at Edward Woods Estate and Drake & Shackleton Courts to Kier Services Limited.

Reasons for Urgency:

This decision is urgent because all the five (5) properties are in a state of high risk and the installation of the sprinklers will provide an additional layer of fire safety resilience and a much safer environment.

1             To note that the Appendices to this report are exempt from disclosure on the grounds that they contain information relating to the financial or business affairs of a particular person (including the authority holding that information) under Paragraph 3 of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972, and in all circumstances of the case, the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information.

2              That the Cabinet Member for Housing approves the award of contract to Kier Services Ltd., for the value of £2,125,078 to carry out the Sprinklers Installation at Edward Woods Estate and Drake & Shackleton Courts.

3              That the Cabinet Member for Housing approves the contingency set out in exempt Appendix 2 and authorises the Assistant Director of Property and Compliance to take decisions on expenditure against the approved contingency sum.

1.            The Council is the responsible landlord for the properties. The objectives set out in the Housing Asset and Compliance Strategy, agreed by Cabinet in December 2018, prioritises work in respect of the delivery of the Fire Safety Plus, other health and safety compliance works and pre-agreed works.

2.            The Cabinet Paper titled, ‘Asset Management Compliance Strategy and Compliance Programme’, dated 1^st July 2019, identified the need to undertake works on properties above 10-storeys using a risk based approach and authorised the ‘10+ Storey and High Risk Fire Safety Works Inc. Dry Risers’ and ‘Wet Risers, Sprinklers and associated Fire Protection Initiatives’ schemes as a priority category to deliver fire safety compliance works.

3.            The decision is urgent because all five (5) properties are in a state of high risk. The Council follows a best practice policy in respect of Health and Safety and in accordance with the Council’s Fire Safety Plus investment programme these works must be undertaken to provide an additional layer of fire safety resilience and a much safer environment.

As described in the report.