Temporary Accommodation - Light Touch Pseudo DPS

Description

Portsmouth City Council ('the Council') is inviting requests from suitably qualified suppliers to be admitted to a pseudo-dynamic purchasing system (DPS) arrangement to provide temporary accommodation services, ordinarily in Portsmouth but also in the surrounding area. Temporary Accommodation supports those at-risk of homelessness by providing short-term accommodation while a longer-term placement is found. COMMENCEMENT & DURATION Any placements made under this DPS will be made from the 10th March 2025 onwards. The maximum duration of the DPS is approx. 4 years. The DPS arrangements will expire on 23rd February 2029 12:00 and no new placements will be made via the DPS beyond this date, although placements made before this deadline may continue. VALUE The Council cannot guarantee or commit to spend year on year and is actively progressing initiatives to reduce spend, including sourcing properties for direct use. In 2023 the total amount spent on Temporary Accommodation providers was in excess of £5,000,000. Over the next 4 years, anticipated spend via this DPS may be in the region of £20,000,000. APPLICATION PROCESS The Council cannot commit to making temporary accommodation placements solely via the DPS arrangements, however it is the Council's intent to use the DPS as its primary sourcing route in the future. Suppliers currently providing temporary accommodation services to the Council are therefore strongly encouraged to apply to join the DPS. Suppliers may submit applications for admission to the DPS from 21st February 2025. Applications for admission to the DPS will close on 22nd December 2028. Suppliers should note the following documentation must be returned via the council's e-sourcing solution In-tend in order to be admitted to the DPS, subject to meeting all stated minimum requirements: - A fully completed Supplier Requirements Questionnaire (SRQ) document - Self certification that evidence of held insurances and other documentation / policies can be provided, as requested in the SRQ document Self-certifications required as part of completing the SRQ will be followed up on in order to ensure compliance by Council officers within 30 days of admission to the DPS. Applications will be checked on a fortnightly basis, with onboarding aimed to be completed for applicants who meet all stated minimum requirements within 30 days of receipts of the application. The Council reserves the right to check applications and onboard suppliers on shorter timescales where resource allows and / or requirements demand this. ADMINISTRATION The Council will administrate the DPS using its e-sourcing system In-tend. The In-tend system can be accessed free of charge via the following web link: https://intendhost.co.uk/portsmouthcc/aspx/home Lot 1: PLACEMENTS Placements with suppliers, and determination of their suitability, will be made by Housing Needs officers on the following basis (please note that points are non-exhaustive): - When the placement is required (can be immediate/same day) - Risk factors relating to the person/s to be placed (i.e. substance misuse, risk to life, capacity, age, location) - Level of accessibility required (e.g. for persons with mobility impairments) - Composition of family unit (e.g. those with children and pregnant persons will generally require self-contained accommodation) - Cost of placement, either on a per-night or per-placement basis - Acceptance of Council Purchase Order Terms and Conditions and associated payment conditions PROPERTY OWNERSHIP Supplier should note they will be required to submit evidence of property ownership, or permission to let where properties provided are otherwise not owned directly, as part of the onboarding process. QUALITY MONITORING Suppliers admitted to the DPS will be required to agree to ongoing monitoring of quality with regard to the accommodation provided for placements. This quality monitoring will comprise of, but is not limited to: - Inspections using the Housing Health and Rating System (HHSRS) - Review of Fire Safety Risk Assessments and Plans - Evidencing of required insurance levels SAFEGUARDING Housing officers at the Council are also seeking new providers to undertake/commit to undertaking safeguarding training in due course, suppliers may be required to complete this at the officer's discretion. PAYMENT & TERMS Suppliers should note that payment for services will be done through purchase order and subject to 30 days payment terms as standard. Where purchase order is not available, payments will be made by purchasing card instead. For further reference, an overview of the purchase order terms and conditions can be found at: https://www.portsmouth.gov.uk/services/business/procurement/tendering/purchase-order-conditions-of-contract/