Soft Market Testing: Housing Resident Engagement Services

Soft Market Testing Exercise for Resident Engagement

The Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames (The Council) is currently undertaking a commissioning programme to determine future delivery options for its Royal Borough of Kingston Housing Resident Engagement. This will include:


Resident Engagement Strategy;
Resident Associations;
Delivering bespoke training;
Market Research & Customer Insight;
Halls;
Estate Regeneration;
Project works;
Minor Estate Works


The Council would like to understand from providers how these requirements might best be met and is therefore carrying out a soft market testing exercise to engage in early informal dialogue, prior to any formal procurement taking place.


Organisations that are interested in participating in this exercise are invited to complete the attached questionnaire and submit via the London Tenders Portal. The closing date for responses is 15.00 on Monday 30th March 2016. A memorandum of Information has been prepared to provide instructions and information about the Council’s Housing Services, which will assist providers in responding to the questionnaire.

The Council would also like to engage with the voluntary & community sector and other partners on new and innovative ways of delivering this service. To this end an initial workshop has been organised to take place on 16th March 2016 (10am-12.00) at Kingston Quaker Centre, Fairfield East, Kingston upon Thames, KT1 2PT. Please let us know if you would be interested in attending the event.

Council officers might meet suitably experienced suppliers for informal discussions at the Guildhall in Kingston upon Thames from the week commencing End April 2016.

Any procurement of any services, supplies or works by the Council in due course will be carried out strictly in accordance with the provisions in the UK and EU Procurement Regulations. All information provided in the questionnaire responses and the subsequent discussions will be strictly confidential and will assist the Council in shaping and scoping requirements and provide insight into the most suitable delivery model for this programme. The Council does not have a firm intention to award contract(s) at this stage and it does not guarantee that any of the service requirements listed above will remain in scope should the decision be made to proceed with a procurement activity.

For more information please contact:

Behisth Shabir

commissioning@kingston.gov.uk