Agenda item

The Cabinet Member for Planning, Licensing, and Housing Services considered the report which detailed the outcome of an open tender process and sought approval to award four (4) contracts to the successful tenderers for the Provision of Housing Related Support (HRS) Single Homeless Pathway Services in accordance with Contract Standing Order (CSO) 9.07.1 (d).

It was noted that, subject to approval, the contracts would be awarded for a period of four (4) years commencing from 12th March 2022 to 11th March 2026 with an option to extend for a further period, or periods, of up to a total of three (3) years.

The Cabinet Member RESOLVED

1.    To approve the award of contracts for the provision of HRS – Single Homeless Pathway Services to the successful tenderers (identified in Appendix 3 - Part B (exempt information) of this report), for a period of 4 years commencing from 12th March 2022 to 11th March 2026 with an option to extend for a further period, or periods, of up to 3 years, in accordance with Contract Standing Order 9.07.1(d).

2.    To approve the aggregated cost of the contracts for the initial period of 4 years will be £4,276,297 inclusive of London Living Wage (LLW). For a duration of 7 years (if the extensions are invoked) would be £7,593,503, inclusive of annual inflationary increases for contractual years 5, 6 and 7.

3.    To note that insufficient tenders were received for two (2) Lots, please see Appendix 3 - Part B (exempt information) referenced later in this report at paragraph 6.7.8 in the report.

4.    To note that a further procurement process will be undertaken as a matter of priority to commission the remaining units. Prior to this, feedback will be sought from bidders and partners to ensure retendering is effective and the new service model is fully in place by March 2022.

Reasons for decision

There is clearly evidenced demand for services that support residents around the wide-ranging needs and circumstances that contribute to, and cause, homelessness. Dedicated supported housing services provide a flexible and person-centred service approach to resident helping people maintain and establish sustainable housing, overcome health inequalities, and recover from other experiences that contributed to their homelessness.

The Single Homeless Pathway operates to prevent homelessness, facilitate rapid hospital discharge, and smooth prison releases for people with ongoing support needs. The pathway supports residents to develop and strengthen the skills required to sustain independence. There is a continuous and high demand for supported housing, with residents referred via London Probation Service, Barnet, Haringey, and Enfield Mental Health Trust (BEHMHT) and Homes for Haringey’s Housing Needs Service. These services make a key contribution to the health and wellbeing of local residents and there is both a strategic need and evidence base to support the award of these contracts.

The Homelessness Reduction Act (2018) brought about a range of changes to the way that local authorities respond to households who are homeless or at risk of homelessness. A key element of the new legislation is an extended duty, for the Council and its partners, to prevent homelessness at the earliest possible stage. This focus on early prevention will be a key element of these services and will therefore support the Council in meeting its statutory duties under the Act.

The Single Homeless Supported Housing Pathway will also contribute to delivery of the Council’s Borough Plan (2019-2023) objectives and will play an integral role in the delivery of Haringey’s Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Strategies, by supporting single adults with support needs to secure positive housing, health, and community outcomes.

An open tender process was carried out in accordance with Council’s contract standing orders. The recommendation to award contracts to successful bidders is made following completion of tender evaluations based on criteria set out within the tender documents.

Alternative options considered

Do nothing – The Council could elect not to recommission the Single Homeless Pathway services. There is only a statutory requirement to provide accommodation for single homeless people where they are identified as vulnerable and in priority need under Section 189 of the Housing Act (1996 amended 2002). However, failing to provide support and accommodation to vulnerable single people result in increases in the number of people placed into temporary accommodation and in acute hospital admissions. This would not only have a significant detrimental impact on the residents affected but also on the Council and its partners. The option to do nothing was considered and rejected.

Extend existing contracts – Extension periods available within the existing contracts have been exhausted.

Deliver the services in-house – Extensive consideration was given to the possibility of in-house delivery for these services. However, the investment required to develop and manage the properties and teams required was found to be significantly greater than the resources currently available to the Council. In particular, sourcing and managing the required properties for these contracts was not considered feasible at the present time. The successful tenderer’s have an extensive track record in delivering these services and have committed the properties required to do so as part of their bids.