Housing & Care 21

Estimated contract value: £225,000 per annum

Contract Description: Housing & Care 21 (HC21) is a social enterprise for older people and is a major provider of retirement housing in England as well as being a leader in extra care housing. They:

  • provide homes and services that enable people to enjoy a good later life;
  • help people increase their independence and take control of the services they receive;
  • bring communities together to create active, supportive environments which value older people.

In addition to being a housing provider, Housing & Care 21 is also one of the largest care providers in England. Their established links with communities means they respond on a local level by developing new services that meet the needs of older people and their communities. Housing & Care 21 operate in over 150 local authorities, manage around 19,000 sheltered housing flats, extra care apartments and specialist accommodation for people with dementia, learning disabilities and mental health problems. Housing & Care 21 provide over 80,000 hours of care each week to more than 31,000 customers.

The objective of our appointment was to select consultants with the most suitable capacities and capabilities in relation to the services detailed below;

  • Achieve value for Money.
  • Select suppliers who can deliver works in accordance with specification standards
  • Select suppliers who can provide national geographical coverage to the courts as detailed
  • Selected suppliers who can meet all regulatory and legislative requirements

Armstrong York provides a range of UKAS Accredited consultancy services related to the management of asbestos within Housing & Care 21 properties as the duty holder. The services provided will assist Housing & Care 21 in complying with all current asbestos regulations, control risk, and maintain industry standards together with providing professional expertise. Armstrong York will assist Housing

& Care 21 to prepare an Asbestos Management Plan that sets out in detail how the risks from ACMs in owned properties will be managed.   Armstrong York will review and monitor the management plan, ensuring that it is kept relevant and up to date with current legislation.

Housing & Care 21 have appointed Armstrong York as the sole provider to provide services under Lot 1 which include annual inspections, ad-hoc re-inspections and ad-hoc surveys as detailed in the specification, Armstrong York provide an online portal to record all HC21 surveying documentation provided within 10 working days which has to be accessible 24 hours per day.   Monthly management information is provided by the 04th of each month.   A dedicated account manager is also provided to head up the project delivery team and to attend performance management meetings as determined by HC21.

As part of the Lot 1 proposal Armstrong York allow HC21 access to their online portal, HC21 online portal expectations are as follows;

  • Information contained on Armstrong York’s online portal is to be the intellectual property rights of HC21.
  • Armstrong York maintain an asbestos register via an online portal, provided 24/7 access to Housing and Care 21.
  • Asbestos Management information is exported to CSV and or Excel files.
  • On behalf of Housing and Care 21, Armstrong York update the asbestos register, upon receipt of Remediation Contractors ASB5 and Consignment notes and/or any other relevant paperwork.
  • On behalf of Housing and Care 21, Armstrong York update the asbestos register, upon receipt of re-inspection form from Housing and Care 21 Building Surveyors.

HC21 will benchmark our performance for services and works undertaken for them.  Each Project Team member will be required to provide information on an open-book basis to demonstrate progress against the KPI’s and this information will be shared amongst all Project Team members.  In the event of poor performance the data will be analysed to identify where improvements are required.  The Key Account Manager will agree and monitor improvements against the procedures and timescales set out in the Contract.  The Key Account Manager will record the outcome in the minutes at the monthly progress meeting and distribute to HC21 for review.  The Key Account Manager will monitor improvements on a monthly basis against the targets agreed.  Where expected improvement is not achieved, the Key Account Manager will report to our Directors to attend the next performance review meeting to determine penalty actions.

Armstrong York ensures compliance with HSG 264 & HSG 248 through our accreditation with the United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) to ISO 17020 and ISO 17025 standards.  UKAS is the sole national accreditation body governing our industry.