Decision details

DECLARATIONS FOR THIS ITEM:

NONE

RESOLVED:

That the Cabinet Member for Finance and Corporate Services, following consideration of the exempt information:

1. Approved the commencement of the procurement for a new contract for a housing management solution under CSO 2.01b

2. Approved the implementation of CSO 7.02 use of the Vertical Application Solutions framework (RM6259) under Crown Commercial Services to permit a direct call off and award a contract pursuant to CSOs 0.08 and 2.01c to NEC Software Solutions UK Limited.

3. Approved the proposed contract for a period of 4 years from 1 August 2026 to 31 July 2030 at a cost of £561,400 (excluding contingency as set out in the Part B report).

Reasons for decision

The use of the Vertical Application Solutions (VAS) framework is the most efficient route to re-procure a housing system because all the terms and conditions are already set out in the framework for the supplier, and all the pre vetting have been completed. This framework is for specialised line-of business systems including housing management, which aligns to the Council’s statutory duties for the service.

If the proposed Housing contract was not approved and implemented:

 · Whilst the NEC Housing application would remain operational in the short term, failure to complete the contract award would leave the Council without a support and maintenance agreement for its core Housing Management System

· This would expose the Council to increasing operational, financial and compliance risks, including loss of vendor support, software updates, regulatory changes and specialist technical assistance required to maintain the system and support delivery of statutory Housing services. Repairs and maintenance delivery would also be critically affected, as no works orders could be raised or issued to contractors, leaving residents without essential repairs.

Overall, the Council would be unable to operate key landlord housing functions, meet legal obligations, or maintain service continuity across the estate.

Alternative options considered

Do nothing This is not a viable option as the current contract Housing management solution expires on 31st July 2026 and the Council needs to continue operationally with its housing transactions.

Undertake a mini tender competition using the G-Cloud framework. General Page 3 This would be more expensive than using the VAS framework and would require resources across the Council to conduct the competition. Please refer to the attached appendix 1; Part-B for more information regarding the price difference.

Undertake a full procurement. The option to undertake a full tender has not been considered because it was deemed that the level of Authority’s resources and time required to complete a full tender process was not justified when suitable compliant Framework Agreements is available. In addition, the VAS framework provides additional benefits because it enables access to Government favourable terms and conditions using the new Public Sector Contract (PSC). Finally, the housing application market has shrunk considerably over recent years and there are only two or three potential alternate suppliers for a council with a housing stock of our size.