Housing repairs and maintenance contract
Information for tenants on why we are procuring a new contract for maintaining our properties and when this will be happening.
Where are we now
We are evaluating the tender responses we have received from potential bidders who are interested in taking on the contract. As part of this process we will be carrying out interviews with bidders. The interviews will be completed by 16 October.
We have a partnership with the Norse Group (a company owned by Norfolk County Council) to manage and maintain the 3,000 homes in our housing stock. This includes carrying out repairs and maintenance to your home.
What is happening
We started a contract to work with Norse in 2020. This contract is due to end on 31 March 2025.
We will not be renewing the contract. Instead we will be procuring a new property maintenance service to replace the current partnership with Uttlesford Norse. To do this we will shortly be putting out a tender for the new contract.
Until 31 March 2025 Norse will still be carrying out works and you can report a repair in the usual way.
The new contact will include:
- responsive repairs and refurbishment of homes after a tenant has moved out
- planned capital investment
- maintenance programme
- works to deal with damp, condensation and mould
- works to make homes more energy efficient
How it will work
From 1 April 2025 we will have a new contractor carrying out responsive repairs and refurbishment of homes after a tenant has moved out, planned works and energy efficiency improvements. Other contractors will be responsible for compliance.
We'll also have a:
- new in-house customer team
- way of allocating works based on the risk
- way of monitoring performance
Details
What will be in the new contract.
Repairs
All repairs will be assessed by how urgent they are. Response times will be:
- 4 hours
- 24 hours
- 5 days
- 20 days
Capital investment programme
We'll be starting a 30 year programme of capital investment to improve all of our housing stock.
Decarbonisation and energy efficiency programme
We'll be carrying out a programme of whole house retrofits to make homes warmer and more energy efficient. This could include:
- improvements to insulation, glazing or airtightness
- installation of new low-carbon heating systems, hot water and ventilation
- installation of PV panels, battery storage and low-carbon technology
Damp, condensation and mould
We take all cases of damp, condensation and mould very seriously. To deal with any problems we will be looking at a number of options including:
- investigation and diagnosis
- moisture extraction, insulation and ventilation
- tenant advice, relocation and aftercare
- pre and post-treatment monitoring
Timetable
We published the tender for potential contractors on 22 July.
Contractors have until 2 September to respond. We will then hope to be able to appoint new contractors in January 2025 for them to start work from 1 April 2025.
Published tender
Find details of the tender on the government Contracts Finder portal.
You will need to search for "Uttlesford" and order your results by the latest publication date.
Detailed timeline
Publish Contract Notice: 22 July 2024
Tender return deadline: 9 September 2024
Evaluation of tender responses: September to November 2024
Interviews with bidders: By 16 October 2024
Preferred bidders notified and feedback: November to December 2024
Enter into contract: January 2025
Mobilisation of new contract teams: January to March 2025
New contract starts: 1 April 2025
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