The Corporate and Resources Committee of Kingston upon Thames Council was scheduled to discuss the Council's Delivery Plan for 2026/27, alongside proposals for fire safety remedial works and the procurement strategy for soft facilities management services. The meeting agenda also included contract awards for water, wastewater, and ancillary services.

Council Delivery Plan 2026/27

The committee was set to consider the draft Council Delivery Plan for 2026/27, which outlines the actions the Council will take to achieve its priorities under the themes of Fairer, Safer, Greener, Together, and Future Council. This plan is fundamental to ensuring the Council manages its business and resources effectively, aligning activities with the Council's ambitions for its residents and communities. The plan is developed with input from officers and takes into account portfolio holder priorities, reflecting the Council Plan (2023-27) and the challenging financial circumstances. The report highlighted that the plan aims to ensure that everyone's needs are taken into account, supporting the ambition to create an inclusive borough and tackle inequalities, with an expected positive impact for residents with protected characteristics.

Fire Safety Remedial Works 2026-27 - Contract Award

A key item on the agenda was the proposed award of a contract for fire safety remedial works across the Council's housing stock. The report detailed the necessity of these works to ensure compliance with relevant regulations, following assessments that identified over 4,100 actions required. The committee was asked to approve a contract award to Quinn London for these works, with a proposed 12-month contract value of £2.192 million. Additionally, the committee was requested to approve an increase to the capital budgets for 2025/26 and 2026/27, by £1.522 million and £1.410 million respectively, to ensure the timely completion of all identified fire safety remedial works. These works are crucial for resident safety and to avoid potential financial loss, criminal prosecution, and reputational damage.

Soft FM Contract - Procurement Strategy

The committee was scheduled to consider the procurement strategy for a replacement soft Facilities Management (FM) services contract. This contract would encompass cleaning, porterage, pest control, and fire alarm testing. The recommended route to market was via the Crown Commercial Services (CCS) Framework Facilities and Workplace Services Dynamic Purchasing System (DPS). This approach was chosen to manage a potentially high number of tender returns by incorporating initial suitability assessments as part of the DPS submission process. The proposed contract term is 3 years with options to extend by one year twice, and the estimated total value over its lifetime is expected to exceed £6 million.

Water, Wastewater and Ancillary Services - Contract Award

The committee was asked to approve the award of a contract for the provision of water, wastewater, and ancillary services. The current contract was due to end on 30 April 2026, necessitating a new procurement process. The recommended approach was a direct call-off under a specific framework, which was deemed to ensure regulatory compliance, provide robust oversight, and mitigate financial and operational risks. The estimated maximum contract value, including a 12% contingency for potential wholesale price increases, was £2,202,648 (excluding VAT) over a four-year term with a two-year extension option. The service provider would manage retail functions such as billing, customer service, and consumption monitoring, with approximately 95% of the cost relating to statutory wholesale charges from Thames Water. The service aims to improve billing accuracy, reduce consumption, and support the Council's Net Zero 2030 objectives.

Other Scheduled Business

The agenda also included standard items such as public questions and petitions, apologies for absence, and declarations of interest. The minutes of the previous meeting held on 12 February 2026 were scheduled for confirmation. An update on the Responsible Investment Policy was also listed, with the report to follow. The committee was also to consider any urgent items authorised by the Chair and the potential exclusion of the press and public if exempt matters were to be discussed.