Dispersed Refuge and Supported Accommodation Market Engagement

Introduction: To help define and develop Wrexham County Borough Councils (WCBC) Procurement Strategy and Service Specification for Dispersed Refuge and Supported Accommodation, WCBC wishes to engage with potential providers prior to the release of any official procurement exercise. The purpose of this engagement/market testing is to provide WCBC with the opportunity to better understand the market in order to refine its approach and shape future service delivery.

Once WCBC has engaged with the market and understood the offerings available, a procurement exercise may be conducted (route to market currently undecided). Service Overview: Wrexham Housing Support Grants and Development Team are seeking to re-commission four units of supported accommodation delivered in four dispersed properties within Wrexham County Borough for people experiencing or at risk of violence against women, domestic abuse and sexual violence (VAWDASV).

The service aims to enable and empower people to flee VAWDASV or prevent its reoccurrence, to gain or maintain the skills needed to sustain their accommodation, take control of their finances, understand their obligations as householders and improve their life skills thereby reducing the likelihood of experiencing homelessness. The service provider would be expected to enter into a lease agreement with WCBC for the four dispersed properties.

Accommodation costs/housing management costs would not be covered by the service contract. The service contract would be for delivery of eligible housing-related support funded through Housing Support Grant.

Providers should also consider the possibility of acquiring further properties to be supported under this contract. This would need to be in consultation with WCBC to ensure that the relevant funding is available to allow for any increase in housing-related support provision.

Next Steps: The aim of this market engagement is to allow potential and existing providers to discuss the future provision of the Dispersed Refuge and Supported Accommodation service with WCBC and ask questions about the process for the forthcoming tender opportunity. It will also provide an opportunity for WCBC to better understand the marketplace and develop its requirements accordingly.

Please note that WCBC cannot guarantee that it will be able to meet with every organisation that expresses an interest, nor does it commit to meeting any organisation as part of this market engagement exercise. Subject to location and availability potential meetings will likely be held via Teams - WCBC will not reimburse any costs incurred by any organisations during this Market Engagement exercise.

Please note that this market engagement places no onus on WCBC to subsequently issue a tender, request for quotation or other procurement exercise for any or all of the goods, works or services described. Any values and contract dates detailed within this notice are an estimate only.

For the purposes of this notice WCBC is treating this as above threshold. Subject to available funding, contract length etc, the actual value at the tender stage may be below the relevant thresholds outlined in the Procurement Act 2023.