Content

Declarations of
interest for this item:
 
None
 
RESOLVED:
 
That Cabinet:
 
1.   
Approved the award to Bidder B of a contract, and associated
expenditure, for the provision and replacement of fire rated flat
entrance doors, communal doors and riser/service cupboard doors and
passive fire safety & decoration works, within the
Council’s residential housing stock as detailed within the
programme schedule.
 

2.   
Noted that approval shall be provisional subject to the second
stage s20 Leasehold consultation process. The award decision will
be implemented where no observations are received. Should
observations be received, the award will not be implemented and the
decision returned to Cabinet.
 
Reasons for
decision
 
To comply with fire safety legislation,
including the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, Fire
Safety Act 2021 and the Building Safety Act 2022. To meet Building
Regulations (Approved Document B) requirements which sets out the
minimum standards for fire rated doors in specific areas of
residential properties, which ensures compliance with British
Standards for fire resistance for door sets.
 
Fire doors and associated building works are a
critical part of passive fire protection in buildings; they help
prevent and contain fire and smoke. By upgrading fire doors to
comply with the current standards for certified installation of the
door sets, and carrying out associated fire safety works, we will
reduce the risk of fire spread, particularly in high-rise or
multi-occupancy housing. We will implement this replacement
programme, targeting doors installed during the original
construction of the building or replaced during historic planned
work that do not meet the required standards that have been updated
since the Grenfell tragedy to improve resident safety.
 
Fire Risk Assessments and regular fire door
inspections identify doors that require replacement with compliant
door and allows us to prioritise those of greatest risk within our
programme. When replacing the non-compliant fire doors in the
Council’s residential buildings, we can review the Fire Risk
Assessment which sets the overall risk rating of the building,
which is then likely to be reduced.
 
Older fire doors lack test certification and
evidence of compliance or traceability of performance standards.
However, in lower rise buildings (below 18m in height) will be
assessed by the Risk Assessor and may be considered as
‘notional’ 30-minute fire doors. This can be acceptable
in certain situations, and such doors will therefore be a lower
priority within the programme or replaced if appropriate, during
our major works programme. Such doors may be assessed as acceptable
under the following circumstances
 
·      
Good Condition: They should be solid, heavy, and free from
warping or significant gaps. 
·      
Good Fit: There should be a close fit in the frame, with gaps
not exceeding 4mm (excluding the gap at the bottom). 
·      
Small Premises: They are often acceptable in small, non-domestic
premises and small residential blocks below 18m and where the risk
is considered to be low. 
·      
Older Buildings: Where they meet the standards of their era
and are suitable as long as the overall building risk is
low. 
 
However, in high-rise, (above 18m) and
buildings assessed as higher risk, the Council are required to
replace and install certified, and tested, fire door sets to
demonstrate compliance and to digitally store evidence of
certification for the Golden Thread of information as set out in
the recommendations of the Hackitt report following the Grenfell
Tower fire in 2017.
 
It is intended to award two contracts, for the
delivery of two programmes with a maximum value of up to
£12.5m each. It is anticipated that each programme will take
5 years to complete. This award is for the first of those
contracts. A second procurement exercise will be undertaken
subsequently in 2026, to award the second contract. The reason for
two separate contracts is to reduce risk of reliance on one
contractor for such a large and specialist technical programme, and
to ensure appropriate in-house resources can be allocated over a
staggered period to appropriately manage both programmes.
 
Appropriate management, quality assurance and
reviews will be in place, to ensure we can effectively maintain
required levels of service and avoid poor performance or contractor
failure, and thereby, ensure best value throughout the contract. We
will also ensure instruction of work is based on contractor
performance throughout the term in accordance with contract
conditions and achievement of Key Performance Indicators.
 
A procurement strategy was chosen to ensure
standardised fire rated door sets across our housing stock. This
provides consistency of doors installed in the Council’s
Housing stock which, for which it remains the Responsible and
Principal Accountable Person. This approach to provision will
improve maintenance efficiency and ensure consistency of
information to residents, so that they will have a better
understanding of how fire doors operate and are less likely to
impede their operation, which will improve their safety. It will
also ensure our statutory duties are fulfilled regarding the
compliant management of fire doors.
 
This contract will be subject to determination
under a break clause, allowing the Council to withdraw from the
contract for reasons including continued and unresolved poor
performance, and/or in the event that services can successfully be
delivered through in-house expertise and resources.
 
The programme is fully capital funded and
included within the current medium term financial plan. Delivery
and associated expenditure will be smoothed across the contract
term as much as possible and a more detailed estimated expenditure
profile projection is included in the Exempt part of this report
and takes into account the need for submission of applications
under the Gateway process for the Building Safety Regulator where
applicable.
 
The award of this contract provides a fully
inclusive service to survey, measure, manufacture and install, and
supply only if required, of new fire door sets and associated
works.
 
The programme covers all fire door types
including Flat Entrance Doors and communal doors that include Riser
and cupboard Doors, Stairwell and Cross Corridor doors. Whilst
approximately half of the 10,000 flat entrance doors identified for
replacement, will be covered by this programme, the actual total
number of doors that will be replaced will be determined through
final inspection and prioritisation. It will also be dependent upon
the number of communal doors requiring replacement in the block and
the amount of associated building remedial works
required. 
 
 
Alternative options considered
 
Do nothing: This is not an option due to the
Councils statutory health and safety obligation. 
 
Undertake all the work in-house: This option
is not currently viable due to the strict requirement of
manufacturing the fire door sets and 3rd party
certification for the installation of the doors.
 
Procure a more traditional installer led
supply chain. This was not preferred due to the inconsistencies it
presents in terms of control over the door supplier, potentially
leading to inconsistencies in standards, reliability, maintenance
requirements, and safety.
 
Procure one single supplier for all door
replacements. Due to the size of the programme, it was felt that
better value and delivery could be achieved through having two
contracts running in parallel. However, due to current market
availability, we are unable to make the two awards from a single
procurement exercise. A second procurement will therefore be
undertaken early in 2026.