2324-0028 Testing and Maintenance of Fire Protection, Fire Detection and Emergency Lighting

Islington Council invites suitable expressions of interest from suppliers for the above.


Background

The council is a landlord to around 35,000 council tenants and leaseholders living in homes located across the borough. As a landlord the council is responsible for ensuring the provision of safe and fully operational fire safety and firefighting equipment located on council housing estates and blocks.

The council is seeking to appoint two (2) specialist suppliers, one (1) supplier to cover the fire protection element of the contract, which entails firefighting equipment (Lot 1) and another to cover fire detection and emergency lighting (Lot 2), with multi-skilled electricians and engineers to support the in-house team in providing a high-quality service including the internal and external work carried out in residential properties and communal areas.


The requirement

Appointed suppliers will support the council’s in-house teams in providing efficient, effective, customer-focused fire protection, detection and emergency lighting services. They will maintain the fire installations and carry out all necessary testing, servicing and repairs in residential buildings (including estate blocks) and community and reception centres, ensuring all installations are efficient and in safe working conditions. The scope of this contract includes all types of servicing, testing and repair of the fire protection, detection and emergency lighting equipment, in line with a scheduled programme of works and the Cyclical Testing Maintenance Team’s guidance and recommendations.

For the fire protection contract (Lot 1), the examples of equipment included in the scope, (but not limited to, are:
• passenger lifts, which are designed for use by firefighters or for evacuation in the event of a fire
• portable firefighting equipment
• dry and wet rising mains, which are used by the fire service in the event of a fire in a building
• sprinkler systems

For the fire detection and emergency lighting contract (Lot 2), the examples of equipment included in the scope, but not limited to, are:
• fire alarm systems
• smoke control and venting systems
• emergency lighting systems

Suppliers are expected to respond and complete work orders to a satisfactory standard within specific timescales, provide efficient and accurate paperwork, promptly submit accounts and immediately respond to any complaints received, all to ensure the council remains compliant with all relevant statutory requirements.

Lots

This services contract is being divided in to two (2) lots. Lot 1 covers the fire protection, and Lot 2 the fire detection element of this contract.

Suppliers can apply for both lots but can be awarded only one (1) contract even if their tender is Most Economically Advantageous for both lots. If the supplier applies for both lots, they must include a statement indicating which lot is their preferred choice. Should the same supplier achieve the highest score for both lots, they will be awarded the contract for the preferred Lot, and the contract for the other Lot will be awarded to the supplier who achieved the second-highest score.


TUPE [Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations]

Potential providers must be aware that TUPE may or may not apply to this service. Further details will be available in the invitation to tender.


Contract period

The estimated start date of this contract is October 2024. The initial contract period is for forty-eight (48) months, with options to extend for two (2) periods of up to thirty-six (36) months each. The maximum total contract length is one hundred and twenty (120) months.


Contract value

The estimated total value of this contract is £1.786M for fire protection and £2.449M for fire detection over the maximum one hundred and twenty (120) months.


Award criteria

The contract will be awarded to the Most Economically Advantageous Tender (MEAT) in accordance with the Public Contracts Regulations. MEAT for this contract:

Cost/price 40 %
Quality 60 %

Quality made up of:
20% - Proposed approach to social value and promoting economic, social and environmental sustainability
10% - Proposed approach to maintaining compliance, organisation of certification/documentation and managing remedial works required
10% - Proposed approach to health and safety
10% - Proposed approach to quality management and managing and prioritising workloads
10% - Proposed approach to business continuity, mobilisation, resourcing and service delivery

Total 100%

Further details will be provided in the invitation to tender.


Procurement process

As the value of the contract is above the threshold for wider advertising of the opportunity, a Contract Notice will be published on Contracts Finder and Find a Tender Service.

This contract will be procured using the Open Procedure. The Open Procedure means that all bidders who successfully express an interest will automatically be invited to tender and have access to the tender documents. Those who submit a tender and meet the minimum requirements will have their full tender, method statements and pricing evaluated.