Decision details

Request decision to access the Fusion 21 Procurement Framework and to appoint Rand Associates by direct appointment from the Fusion 21 Procurement Framewor.

The Council is a local authority registered provider of social housing property. It owns and manages approximately 5,200 homes of varying construction and age across the borough of Guildford. To maintain the stock in good condition and to achieve and maintain decent homes standards the council maintains a stock condition database, used to establish annual capital programme budgets. For the database to be an effective and an up to date tool, accurately reflecting stock condition, condition surveys are carried out annually. The council meets the industry standard of updating the stock condition database on a five year cycle, surveying 20% of the stock annually. Rand Associates undertake the surveys and carry out all work to update and validate the database. We wish to maintain continuity of the quinquennial programme of condition surveys by appointing Rand Associated to undertake the condition surveys for this year, 2023/2024.We wish to appoint Rand Associates by direct appointment from the Fusion 21 Framework.

The other option considered is to invite tenders afresh. Rand Associates were appointed initially by competitive tender when the condition survey database was established and set up in 2004, in response to the then government's decent homes initiative. Rand subsequently won competitive tender exercises a further three time in following years. A quinquennial approach to updating the condition survey database was not taken in earlier years but whenever a survey update programme was tendered Rand Associates were always the most competitive, repeatedly establishing their service provision as the most economically advantageous to the council. In more recent years the council has managed its condition survey database in alignment with the industry standard of updates on a five year cycle and appointed Rand Associates, initially by single tender action with director approval and then by direct appointment from the Fusion 21 Framework. This is considered to be the optimum route as Rand were (and are) high performing consultants within the Framework and their framework rates were the most competitive .Because Rand Associates have, without exception, provided the highest standards of service to the council and continue to do so and have consistently maintained competitive rates we consider that appointment from the Fusion 21 Framework is the optimum procurement route. We request approval to access the Fusion 21 Framework agreement and to appoint Rand Associates by direct appointment from the Fusion 21 Framework.