Cambridgeshire HIA Equipment Contracts (Disability)

Cambridge City Council is seeking to establish a contract of behalf of Cambs Home Improvement Agency for the local authorities they serve through which it can deliver the installation of fixed equipment generally funded through Disabled Facilities Grants. The Contract will be managed by Cambs Home Improvement Agency (CHIA) which is a joint service operated between Cambridge City Council, South Cambridgeshire District Council and Huntingdonshire District Council to administer works for Disabled Facilities Grants (DFG).

The works are usually funded through a grant paid by the Council. Additional funding may also come from other sources.

The works will be carried out mainly in privately-owned properties, and in Housing Association properties. There is a growing self-funded customer base referred to in this document as Private Works or non-grant funded works.Works may also extend to properties owned by Cambridge City and South Cambs District Councils “council housing”, although this would only be where existing contractors are unable to respond/meet demand.

The type of property in which works may be undertaken can vary widely, from listed buildings to static caravans. Works cannot be batched or treated as planned works especially in terms of geographical location.

Work must be completed individually upon receipt of a purchase order and bidders are asked to pay attention to the KPIs in terms of lead in and completion timescales.It will usually be the Occupational Therapist (OT) or Trusted Asessor who contacts the Contractor to arrange the initial visit to assess the home. Once the client’s needs are agreed, the Contractor will then be asked to provide a quotation detailing what work is needed which will submitted to the OT (occasionally to the HIA directly).

The OT will then forward this quote with their client’s referral to the agency who will liaise with the client regarding the works and arrange the purchase order from the relevant district council. Contractors are encouraged to submit their CDM documentation (RAMS and CPP’s) with the quotes or order to help prevent delays in the DFG pathway.

In the event that another part of the organisation produces these documents, they should be provided to the HIA within two weeks of the assessment.As an indicator, Cambs HIA and the two council housing teams have completed the following numbers of equipment installations per annum, although these figures can change each year.40 ramps44 lifts (of which 34 stairlifts, 7 Through Floor lifts and 3 step lifts)30 ceiling track hoists25 automated (door entry) systems33 specialist WC’sAt the time of writing this project brief, about two thirds of the agency’s total work is in Huntingdonshire with the rest split between Cambridge City and South Cambs. Contractors should consider travel when bidding under this tender.

Contractors are asked to review the call off process referred to later in this specification. The councils are also going through a period of change as part of Local Government Reorganisation.

IN 2028 the current councils covered under this contract will become unitary authorities and it is expected that existing contracts will novate to the new unitary authority. Cambs HIA will reconsider the impact of fixed pricing at the end of the initial two years period, should there a noticeable change have occurred in the markets as we saw during the covid pandemic. Contractors are encouraged to think about their current knowledge of the market for the ne