Soft Market Testing: Housing Services

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

1. Landlord Services (provided to tenants and leaseholders)
a) Housing Management Services;
b) Caretaking (Estate Services) ;
c) Leasehold Management ;
d) Older Persons Housing;
e) Repairs & Maintenance;
f) Better Homes;
g) Resident Engagement;
h) Housing Income Collection & Financial Inclusion Service

2. Non-Landlord Services (provided to the wider community)
a) Housing Options;
b) Accommodation Services;
c) Housing Support
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 17.00 on Monday, 22 February 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.

Council officers might meet suitably experienced suppliers for informal discussions at the Guildhall in Kingston upon Thames from the week commencing 28 March 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