Agenda item

The Cabinet Member was asked to approve the appointment of a recommended contractor to provide a short-term, temporary service for maintenance, repairs, and defects. Haringey’s council housebuilding programme had introduced high-quality specifications, incorporating modern energy-efficient technologies requiring specialist maintenance not covered by the in-house repair service. This approach aimed to reduce reliance on one-off external contractor call-outs.

The recommended contractor agreed to support Haringey’s in-house team with training to enhance the council’s ability to maintain green energy infrastructure in new builds, such as solar panels, electric vehicle charging points, and air source heat pumps. The contract would cover residential and commercial properties completed since May 2024 and those acquired for leasing under the council’s acquisition programme.

The contract was set for a two-year term, with an option for a one-year extension, providing temporary capacity to the in-house team. It was planned to begin in early 2025, subject to approval, with a review after 12 months to determine if it could end early based on in-house capacity and completion of training. Costs would be based on a Schedule of Rates, ensuring payment was only made for completed works.

RESOLVED:

It was recommended that the Cabinet Member:

2. Recommendations

2.1. It is our recommendation that the Cabinet Member approves the appointment of Contractor A, for a period of two years, with the option to extend for one further year, identified in the Exempt Report (Appendix One), to deliver a maintenance, repair and defect services to residential and commercial units and HCBS properties outlined in 1.4.

3. Reasons for decisions

3.1. As outlined in 5.1-5.4, Haringey Council will require increased capacity and resource to deliver an effective and timely maintenance, repair and defect service to more than 1,700 new build and HCBS domestic and commercial units over the next two years. Following an assessment of the available options, the council requires the works set out in Appendix One (Exempt Report) to be completed for this important set of services to be delivered to the new households and commercial units which are set to come under the direct management of Haringey Council.

3.2. Following a formal procurement process, a contractor has been identified to deliver this contract.

4. Alternative options considered

4.1. The main alternative to the proposed contract would be for the required service to be delivered by existing council repairs and maintenance teams. However, as noted in 5.1 - 5.4, the council is entering a significant period of delivery for both the new build and HCBS acquisition programmes. This will result in significant additional resource and capacity pressure on current services, with more than 1,700 new properties coming under the borough’s responsibility in rapid succession over the next two years.

4.2. In addition, and as outlined in 5.3-5.4, this required capacity would encompass complex technical work and defects coordination, including repairs and maintenance coverage for new energy infrastructure, such as Solar PVs, Electrical Vehicle Charging Points and Air Source Heat Pumps.

4.3. As a consequence, it has been concluded that existing council services would benefit from support from a short-term and temporary maintenance, repair and defects service contract that could deliver services to the new properties coming under the borough’s management. This would, in addition, allow current services to expand a planned training and upskilling programmes aimed at increasing the number of staff with the technical skills required to provide services to the new green energy infrastructure being delivered particularly as part of the new build programme. The contract would be reviewed after 12 months to assess whether it could be ended early, dependent on the progress of the relevant in-house training Page 3 programmes and a capacity assessment within current services.

4.4. At the conclusion of this contract, the domestic and commercial units would have their requirements met by existing council services.