Reasons for urgency were noted.

The Pre-Decision Scrutiny Questions and officer responses were noted.

DECISION

1.    To agree to extend the existing contract H3190 for housing repairs, maintenance, and gas servicing and repair for 8 months from 1^st April 2021 to 30^th November  2021 with an option to exit any of the four service elements earlier; the value of the contract extension is estimated to be up to £10M (the total contract value over ten years is around £160M) – this is not a requirement for additional funds; this is budgeted for within existing budgets for 2021/22

2.    To note the risk and mitigation actions in relation to leasehold recharging that will be in place (Appendix B to the report).

Action by:

CORPORATE DIRECTOR, PLACE (A. SUTCLIFFE)

(Divisional Director, Housing and Regeneration (K. Swift)

Councillor Sirajul Islam, Statutory Deputy Mayor and Cabinet Member for Housing introduced the report which was asking for the extension of a housing repairs contract. The details of the contract were set out in the report. There had been a delay in going out to market due to the Covid-19 pandemic and so an extension to the existing contract was being sought until a new contract could be procured.

The Mayor agreed the reasons for urgency as set out in the report:

“The report was not published five clear days in advance of the meeting.  This is due to the additional time required to review the report and its appendices and the need to bring the report forward to an earlier than planned meeting.  As the existing contract expires in March 2021 any extension needs to have as much time as possible to enable continuing services to be planned and resourced for by the contractor.  Reducing preparation time for the extension potentially reduces the ability of the contractor to guarantee a smooth transition into extension.   If the decision is not taken there is a potential risk to the continuation of services.”

The Mayor noted the Pre-Decision Scrutiny Questions and officer responses. He stated that it was important to monitor the works that would be carried out during this extension. Finally, he agreed the recommendations as set out.

RESOLVED

1.    To agree to extend the existing contract H3190 for housing repairs, maintenance, and gas servicing and repair for 8 months from 1^st April 2021 to 30^th November  2021 with an option to exit any of the four service elements earlier; the value of the contract extension is estimated to be up to £10M (the total contract value over ten years is around £160M) – this is not a requirement for additional funds; this is budgeted for within existing budgets for 2021/22

2.    To note the risk and mitigation actions in relation to leasehold recharging that will be in place (Appendix B to the report).