Purpose

 
Community alarms are installed
in our supported housing dwellings to provide tenants with a direct
“lifeline” to the onsite scheme manager or out of hours
call centre, promoting independent living.  The alarm system includes a pendant that tenants
can press, or it automatically activates in case of incidents such
as a fall. This ensures a rapid and appropriate response to
tenant’s needs while maintaining health and safety as a
council priority.
 
Dacorum Borough Council (DBC)
first procured a community alarm installation and maintenance
contract with Tunstall Healthcare in 2015. The contract was awarded
through a tender process focused on value for money and commenced
in January 2016 for an initial five-year term, with an additional
two-year extension subsequently approved. The contract ended on
13th January 2023. 
 
Due to the impact of the
COVID-19 pandemic, there was a two-year period of limited activity
within the schemes. To complete the remaining work, the Council
re-procured the contract through the Procurement for Housing (PfH)
framework for a two-year period (1 May 2023 – 30 April 2025),
with an option to extend for a further 12 months until 30 April
2026. 
 

Decision

Background to
report:
 
Community alarms are installed
in our supported housing dwellings to provide tenants with a direct
“lifeline” to the onsite scheme manager or out of hours
call centre, promoting independent living.  The alarm system includes a pendant that tenants
can press, or it automatically activates in case of incidents such
as a fall. This ensures a rapid and appropriate response to
tenant’s needs while maintaining health and safety as a
council priority.
 
Dacorum Borough Council (DBC)
first procured a community alarm installation and maintenance
contract with Tunstall Healthcare in 2015. The contract was awarded
through a tender process focused on value for money and commenced
in January 2016 for an initial five-year term, with an additional
two-year extension subsequently approved. The contract ended on
13th January 2023. 
 
Due to the impact of the
COVID-19 pandemic, there was a two-year period of limited activity
within the schemes. To complete the remaining work, the Council
re-procured the contract through the Procurement for Housing (PfH)
framework for a two-year period (1 May 2023 – 30 April 2025),
with an option to extend for a further 12 months until 30 April
2026. 
 
Proposal:
 
The programme is now largely
complete, however there is a need to review and upgrade our
dispersed schemes to ensure they are modernised to current
standards.
 
To ensure value for money in
the next contract, a thorough review should be undertaken before
commencing formal procurement. The recommended approach is to
extend the existing contract for a further 12 months (in line with
contract provisions). This will allow time to complete any
remaining upgrades and conduct a detailed commissioning and
procurement process.
 
Throughout the contract’s
lifetime, the partnership between DBC and Tunstall has been
successful, enhancing tenant safety within supported housing
schemes. The current specification includes the installation of new
smoke alarms integrated into the community alarm system. This
ensures that the call centre is immediately notified in cause of
smoke activation. Additionally, the new door control system now
features a camera, enabling tenants to see who is requesting
access, further improving building and individual
security.