The Officer Key Decision meeting scheduled for Friday 12 March 2021 was set to discuss a significant fire door replacement programme for council housing blocks. The meeting was held remotely due to Coronavirus restrictions.

Fire Door Replacement in Council Housing Blocks

The primary item scheduled for discussion was the second phase of a fire door replacement programme for council housing blocks. This initiative stems from fire risk assessments conducted between August 2018 and July 2019, which identified approximately 3,500 flat entry doors as non-compliant or only meeting minimum standards. The report indicated that the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 mandates such assessments and subsequent remedial works to ensure resident safety.

Darren Levy, Director of Housing, was the decision-maker for this item. The report recommended awarding the contract for this second phase to Diamond Build PLC at a cost of £578,610. This figure reflects an updated specification for enhanced fire doors, providing 60 minutes of fire resistance and an expected lifespan of 25 to 30 years, with the cost per door now approximately £1.5k, an increase from the initial £1k estimate. This phase of the contract was planned to cover around 333 doors, including installation and associated fees.

The decision to proceed with Diamond Build PLC was based on a mini-competition held through the London Housing Consortium (LHC) Framework Agreement. Five suppliers were invited to tender, with four submitting bids. Diamond Build PLC submitted the most economically advantageous tender, scoring 50% on price and 14.4% on quality, resulting in an overall score of 64.40%.

Alternative options considered and rejected included undertaking no action, which was deemed not viable due to safety requirements, and carrying out the works in-house. The latter was discounted as the council's in-house repair and maintenance team reportedly lacks the capacity for a project of this scale. An OJEU-compliant procurement process was also considered but deemed less practical and economic than using the existing LHC framework, which already includes many qualified contractors.

The funding for this phase of the contract was stated to be within the approved budget allocation for Fire Assessment Works as part of the HRA Capital Programme. The report also noted that the Housing Revenue Account (HRA) permits spending and income related to the management and maintenance of council-owned housing stock, as outlined in section 74 of the Local Government and Housing Act 1989.

Consultation on the proposed decision included Councillor Shaban Mohammed, Lead Member for Housing, who was consulted on 27 February 2021, and Mayor of Newham, Rokhsana Fiaz OBE, who was consulted on 11 February 2021. The report also highlighted that at the pre-qualification stage of the LHC framework tender, all suppliers were required to demonstrate compliance with the Equality Act 2010, including due regard for duties under section 149. The successful contractor, Diamond Build PLC, had provided assurances regarding resident engagement, including liaising with elderly and disabled residents and considering religious events and families with children when programming works.

The report indicated that the decision could not be implemented until the sixth working day following the date of publication. The exempt information, relating to the tender report, was withheld from public disclosure on the grounds that it concerned the financial or business affairs of particular persons and that the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighed the public interest in disclosure, as it could prejudice the Council's position.