Decision

RESOLVED
that:
 
A   
The council carry out a direct award to the firm
which represented the best value for money for the scope of
services published. This tender was submitted by Potter Raper Ltd,
is accepted for the sum of £231,007.74 for the delivery of
stock condition surveys to Bush Fair, Great Pardon, Latton Bush and
Stewards and Sumners and Kingsmoor based on the supplier
demonstrating the capacity to mobilise by August and be on-site in
September. In addition, the recommended firm has provided a 3.5%
discount on their framework rates from the Procure Public Stock
Condition Survey Framework Agreement.

 
B   
The initial Survey is a Period of 3 months (August
to November 2025), the Mop – Up of any non-assess by December
2025, and the completion Deadline of March 2026 (including quality
assurance, data checks, and final outputs.

Reasons for the decision

To enable the Council to enter
a formal contract for Stock Condition Survey Consultancy Service in
compliance with Contracts Standing Orders in line with the
Council’s priority to transform Harlow’s
Housing

Alternative options considered

Option 1 (Recommended) – Proceed
with Direct Award Via Compliant Framework Agreement for the Stock
Condition Survey Consultancy Services
Use a direct award route to market (i.e., the Procure Public Stock Condition Survey Framework
Agreement) to appoint the recommended supplies to
undertake the Comprehensive
Stock condition survey across the mentioned wards to secure
up-to-date data on the physical condition of our housing
stock. This will help inform future investment planning, help increase compliance and
long-term asset management strategies which is part of the
Council’s legal obligations as Freeholder and
Landlord.
 
Option 2 – Withdraw/Postpone the
Stock Condition Survey Consultancy Services
Withdrawing the service would result in continued
deterioration of the building. While ongoing maintenance would
still be required, key information on the condition of the housing
stock will remain unknown and unaddressed, exposing the Council to
potential legal non-compliance with statutory obligations,
including:
-         
Landlord and Tenant
Act 1985
-         
Homes (Fitness for
Human Habitation) Act 2018
-         
Housing Act 2004
(HHSRS)
-         
Regulatory Reform
(Fire Safety) Order 2005
-         
Building Safety Act
2022
-         
Fire Safety (England)
Regulations 2022
-         
Decent Homes
Standard
 
Option 3 – Mini-Competition via
Framework
 
Undertaking a mini-competition via a compliant framework
agreement which will take approximately 8–12 weeks to the
procurement timeline, pushing mobilisation into late autumn,
risking cold weather access constraints and surveyor availability.
This approach also risks not being able to deliver according to the
timescales promised to the Regulator and there is no guarantee that
suitable bids will be returned with competitive price that can
compared with the discounted price (3.5%) quoted by Potter
Raper.