Decision details

1.     Appendix 1 and Appendix 2 are not for publication on the basis that they contain information relating to the financial or business affairs of any particular person (including the authority holding that information) as set out in paragraph 3 of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972 (as amended).

2.     To approve a contract award to the Preferred Supplier (Works) for the works element of the requirement, for a contract period of 24 months, for the Contract Value (Works) using Lot 1a of the Framework. We aim to incept the contract as soon as allowable.

3.     To approve a contract award to the Preferred Supplier (Professional Services) for the professional services element of the requirement to provide principal designer services at preconstruction stage, for the Contract Award Value (Professional Services), using Lot 1 of H&F Framework.

To ensure the Council has compliant contracts in place to deliver aids and adaptation works to our most vulnerable residents so that they can enjoy their homes and reduce the pressure on existing National Health Service (NHS) and care services.

Option 1: Decommission the service or requirement – Not recommended

1. This option is not recommended as the Council has a legal obligation to ensure it has compliant arrangements in place to deliver these works and services and procure this requirement.

Option 2: Deliver the supplies, services, and/or works in-house (make/buy decision) – Not recommended

2. The Council does have a Direct Labour Organisation (DLO). However, consultation will need to be undertaken to change terms and conditions for working out of hours and outside the borough. At this stage the Council will need to review the works for at least 12 months before considering the operational needs to prepare a sustainable business plan, if this is appropriate.

Option 3: Undertake a fully regulated competitive and compliant procurement process, advertised to the market – Not recommended

3. This is a potential viable option and would obtain competitive bids. However, the procurement pipeline for housing is extensive and would require additional resources for initial compliance checks and assessing bids received. Tendering each piece of work will also place pressure on procurement resources. Therefore, this option is not recommended.

Option 4: Procure using a compliant framework, Dynamic Purchasing System (DPS), or Dynamic Market, either by way of a mini competition or direct award – Recommended

4. Similar to the full regulated procurement process, advertised to the market, the timescales associated with running a successful mini competition for these works are estimated between 12 and 18 months to complete, which is a not a timeframe we have available to us on this occasion. It is for this reason that a compliant direct award from a suitable and compliant framework is proposed to be the best option for the Council and its tenants.

5. In this instance, the Housing Repairs service urgently requires compliant specialist capacity for aids and adaptation works to ensure it is compliant with CSOs and CDM. The first three options, as well as the mini competition have been precluded as a procurement strategy for the long-term solution is being prepared.

6. The preferred option therefore is to award from a suitable framework. In this case the proposal is to award to the Preferred Supplier using the Framework. This is a compliant procurement route in line with the Council’s CSOs, and which adheres to the requirements of the framework provider.

Please refer to the report for further details.