Decision - Options for future delivery of housing repairs, planned maintenance and capital works

RESOLVED: That the Committee -

Customer service and quality assurance

(i)            Agreed that the customer service and quality assurance services are brought in-house and delivered by the council following the expiry of the current contractual arrangements;

Responsive repairs and empty property refurbishments

(ii)          Agreed that responsive repairs and empty property refurbishments works to council housing stock are brought in-house and delivered by the council following the expiry of the current contractual arrangements;

(iii)         Approved a ‘set-up and mobilisation’ budget of £0.112m for 2018/19 funded by an in-year virement transferring this budget from the capital financing costs budget in the Housing Revenue Account (HRA) and the creation of an earmarked ‘set up and mobilisation’ reserve of £0.982m for use in 2019/20 funded from HRA general reserves;

Planned maintenance and improvement programmes

(iv)         Approved the procurement of at least one contract for the provision of planned maintenance and improvement programmes to council housing stock with a term of five years with the option to extend for up to a further two years;

Major capital projects

(v)          Approved the procurement of a multi- contractor framework agreement for major capital projects with a term of four years;

Specialist works

(vi)         Noted that the specialist works will continue to be delivered through individual contracts, with reports coming back to committee for authority to procure and award such contracts if required in accordance with the council’s Constitution;

Delegation

(vii)        Granted delegated authority to the Executive Director Neighbourhoods, Communities & Housing to:

(1) Commence the procurements and award the contracts required to implement the recommendations;

(2) Use the ‘set-up and mobilisation’ budget to create and appoint to new roles to enable these recommendations to be delivered;

(3) Award call-off contracts under the major capital projects framework agreement;

(4) Take any other steps necessary to implement the recommendations in this report.

(viii)     Affirmed its intention to review whether further elements of the services and works may be brought in-house in such a way that any timescales would ensure thorough preparation and a smooth transition.