Council invites tenders for £13m of home improvements

A major contract under Redditch Borough Council’s new multi-million-pound investment in its housing stock has gone out to tender.

The proposed contract for a 5-year, £12.5m programme of planned kitchen, bathroom, wiring, and central heating refurbishments is now being advertised on the council’s procurement portal.

Another proposed contract, a 3-year, £750,000 opportunity to assist the council’s in-house team with roofing repairs, is also now being advertised.

Both are available to view along with all the council’s contract opportunities at www.redditchbc.gov.uk/procurement, with expression of interest windows closing at 12 noon on June 9 for the former, and the same time on June 22 for the latter.

The contract opportunities come after the council targeted capital funds at a programme of improvements and maintenance of its homes, guided by the results of a huge survey of their condition and a need to carry out more pandemic-delayed ‘non-urgent’ work.

More contract opportunities under the programme including for scaffolding, domestic drainage, and disability adaptions like level access showers are expected to go out to tender soon.

Redditch Borough Councillor Craig Warhurst, whose portfolio covers Housing and Procurement, said: “As we said this year, this capital programme shows that we are committed to improving our properties and enhancing the health and well-being of our tenants. We’re now in the market for the right contractors to meet the council’s requirements.

“The programme will also help after all those frustrating delays to non-urgent work caused by the pandemic, especially the weeks and months of lockdown. Catching up on all that lost time has meant doing twice the work just to get back to where we should be, and we continue to put in extra resources to do that.”

Council Leader Cllr Matt Dormer said: "These significant, multi-year contracts, including under our capital programme which is £9m this year, will help us deliver our strategic priorities including helping our residents to live independent, active and healthy lives.”

Precautionary fire safety works are already taking place under the programme and additional contractors continue to increase the council’s capacity to work on non-urgent repairs.