1. Background
Local Partnerships is the host organisation for Prisoners Building Homes (PBH), a government programme bringing together housing delivery and rehabilitation outcomes.
PBH works with public-sector organisations to unlock land for high-quality, affordable homes while creating employment, training and skills opportunities for people in prison and post-release.
PBH supports organisations across the housing development lifecycle, including site identification and assessment, feasibility, planning, procurement and construction support.
The PBH programme is growing and Local Partnerships is considering procuring external professional, technical and programme-delivery capability to supplement the PBH team and provide flexible capacity as the housing pipeline develops.
This Preliminary Market Engagement (PME) will inform the scope, structure, commercial model and procurement strategy for any future requirement. No final procurement structure has been determined.
2. Purpose and Delivery Principles
Local Partnerships has not predetermined the final procurement structure but wishes to avoid disconnected service delivery.
The intention of the proposed procurement is to supplement, not replace, PBH's internal capability. Providers would work collaboratively with the PBH team and participating public-sector organisations, while PBH retains programme oversight, standards, client relationships and strategic direction.
In terms of any procured services, Local Partnerships does not intend to establish a fragmented model requiring management of multiple disconnected consultants across individual sites or development stages. The preferred outcome is an integrated model delivering continuity and clear accountability, potentially through a multidisciplinary consortium, lead delivery partner with an integrated specialist supply chain, or equivalent arrangement, providing:
• continuity of site knowledge through the development lifecycle;
• clear accountability for coordinating and progressing sites;
• coordinated access to required specialisms and professional disciplines;
• flexible capacity and scalability as the number, stage and complexity of sites change in a nationwide context;
• access to specialist and SME capability without transferring supply-chain management to the PBH team;
• consistent PBH processes, standards, data and reporting delivering value for money; and
• opportunities for innovation (see section 4, below).
This PME will test the optimum contractual and commercial structure, including how SMEs and specialists can participate without increasing PBH's supplier-management burden.
3. Potential Scope of Services
The potential service requirements may include:
Portfolio and Site Assessment: portfolio review; identification of housing opportunities; desktop assessment; opportunities and constraints analysis; site grading/prioritisation; development capacity; feasibility/viability; and identification of planning, infrastructure and delivery constraints.
Development and Programme Management: development, programme and project management; multidisciplinary team coordination; programme planning; information, risk, issue and stakeholder management; governance/reporting; funding/delivery strategy; and coordination across multiple sites and clients.
Feasibility, Design and Planning: feasibility/capacity studies; concept design/layouts; architectural services; planning strategy, pre-application and applications; technical design coordination; specialist consultants/surveys; stakeholder engagement; and Section 106/planning support.
Commercial, Viability and Procurement: quantity surveying, cost planning, viability and commercial advice; funding-gap analysis; procurement strategy; risk allocation; tender documentation; specifications/contract particulars; procurement management; tender evaluation; and support appointing housebuilders/contractors.
Construction and Employer's Agent: Employer's Agent and contract administration; development/project management; programme monitoring; cost/risk management; quality assurance; issue resolution; stakeholder coordination; governance/client reporting; contractor performance information; and completion/handover support.
The model should support a large and changing pipeline and coordinate required disciplines as an integrated delivery team.
4. Technology, Data, Standardisation and Scalability
Local Partnerships wishes to understand how innovative use of technology, data, automation and standardisation could improve efficiency and scalability, including:
• rapid site assessment and constraints analysis;
• portfolio prioritisation and viability;
• data and workflow management;
• multidisciplinary coordination;
• dashboards and performance reporting;
• knowledge management and systems integration; and
• standardised appraisal, feasibility, viability, governance, technical, procurement and reporting processes.
Local Partnerships welcomes approaches combining professional experti
