Purpose

The Council has concluded the procurement
process for the new Repairs, Maintenance and Capital Delivery
Contract, which covers repairs, planned maintenance, and the
capital delivery programme for the Council’s housing stock
and, where feasible, general fund assets. The contract has an
estimated annual value of £35 million. It will commence on 1
July 2026 for an initial term of five years, with the option to
extend for a further five years, subject to performance. This
arrangement replaces the existing Total Asset Management (TAM)
contract and consolidates several smaller agreements currently
delivered by providers within the Council’s supply
chain.
The new contract will operate on a cost-plus/open book model,
offering greater flexibility, easier agreement of changes, improved
supply chain oversight, and enhanced transparency. However, this
also means the Council bears most of the financial risk and must
closely monitor and audit costs to ensure value for money.
Additionally, the Council is procuring separate compliance
contracts to maintain direct contractual relationships for these
high-risk areas. Two of these contracts will use hybrid commercial
models—combining Schedule of Rates for routine and cyclical
works with open book or mini-tendering for larger planned
projects—while the remaining three will operate under a
Schedule of Rates model.
The partnering advisor role and commercial advisor role will be
essential during the mobilisation and delivery of the repairs and
maintenance contracts, providing technical expertise and additional
capacity to the client management function. The Partnering Advisor
will play a key role in supporting mobilisation, helping to deliver
critical tasks and ensuring a smooth transition to the new
arrangements. The Commercial Advisor will be instrumental in
ensuring the Council has the right processes in place to realise
the benefits of the open book model and mitigate associated
risks.
Effective mobilisation is crucial to ensuring the Council and
contractors are well positioned to deliver high-quality services to
tenants and leaseholders, and these roles will be critical to that
process.

Decision

Approval to award contracts to the following
providers for the Repairs and Maintenance Consultancy support
Contracts:
Partnering Advisor – Echelon Consultancy
Indicative Contract value - £185k over a 5-year period
Commercial Advisor – Echelon Consultancy
Indicative Contract value - £290k over a 5-year period
The contract will run for up to five years, with no commitment of
spend from the Council. At the end of year two, the Council will
review ongoing requirements for the roles. There is an option to
extend further to align with the Repairs and Maintenance contracts;
however, any extension will be carefully considered and will
require further approval before being granted.

Alternative options considered

The Repairs, Maintenance and Capital Delivery
contract, along with the compliance agreements, are essential for
maintaining our housing assets to a high standard, ensuring
resident safety, and delivering quality services to tenants and
leaseholders.
These new contracts will enable the Council to build on recent
progress, supported by an improved client management function that
has already led to measurable service improvements across all
contracts. The changes introduced will provide greater flexibility,
allowing the Council to continue driving value for money for
tenants, leaseholders, and the Council itself.
Mobilising the new contracts—while demobilising outgoing
agreements and maintaining ongoing services—will place
significant demands on the client management function. The
partnering advisor role will be crucial in providing additional
expertise and capacity during this phase.
Careful planning and management of the new cost models will also be
required to control costs and realise the intended benefits. On
this basis, these roles are key, and the investment will have a
lasting positive impact across the Repairs, Maintenance and Capital
Delivery contract and the supporting compliance contracts.