To receive update on the Procurement of the Domestic Gas Contract
Report to follow
Minutes:
The M and E Compliance Manager presented an update on the procurement of the domestic gas contract. The presentation highlighted the following:
• The Council had adopted the new MOT style service
• The MOT-style service will allow landlords to carry out the annual gas safety check in the two months before the due date and retain the existing expiry date
• SBC worked collaboratively with the current contractor to address the surge in customer complaints following the extreme winter of 2017/18 and shortcomings within the contractor’s operations
• During the recovery period, the current contractor and the parent company (ForViva Housing Association) offered to develop a number of enhancements to the existing service using artificial intelligence. The enhancements would enable the Council to perform a full “Home MOT” in a single visit
• The full “Home MOT” would involve gas engineers carrying out gas safety inspections and test smoke & CO alarms, check the presence and condition of fire doors in appropriate properties, complete domestic legionella inspections and risk assessments and offer the tenant an opportunity to report repairs or report them on behalf of the tenant
• Artificial intelligence systems would use the full Home MOT information to generate an asset appraisal leading to an intelligence-led decent homes programme
• As part of the full Home-MOT, the operative would conduct tenancy checks including tenant I.D. and contact details, safeguarding and subletting flags and give the tenant the opportunity to arrange a tenancy officer visit
• A variety of council-owned and operated assets in larger housing blocks are currently maintained as extras to the communal gas contract
• There is a separate Legionella contract for 25 Housing and Investment sites that are owned and operated by the Council. The current Legionella contract expires in August 2020
The M and E Compliance Manager indicated that following an options appraisal, it was proposed that the new contract mobilise in mid-summer (and not October). It was also proposed that robust Service Level Agreements, Key Performance Indicators and performance incentives be included to give SBC control over the contract. It was reported that the new contracts would have the Home MOT as a development option and would have scope for additional assets and additional commercial properties.
In response to questions, the Compliance Manager informed the HMAB that:
• Leaseholders would not automatically be offered the Home MOT service. However, extending the service to leaseholders would ensure uniformity of service
• Leaseholders would not require Home MOT tenancy checks
• SBC was on target for the statutory gas safe compliance requirements
• There was a statutory requirement for the Council to keep records of gas inspections for its housing stock
• Gas certificates were uploaded to the Northgate system overnight and currently the certificates were kept indefinitely
• The Home MOT would enable tenancy officers to focus on customers that required more assistance
• There was no provision for penalty clauses in the gas contract. However, the new gas contract would provide incentives by paying the contractors performance-related incentives for work such as out-of-hours calls
• If a tenant continually denied officers/contractors entry to a property the Council would use its legal right to make forcible entry to carry out gas safety checks and ensure the continued safety of tenants. Forced entry was used 12 times per year on average and most of these properties turned out to be abandoned
The Portfolio Holder welcomed the proposal to include a development option in the new contract. The Assistant Director confirmed that requests for decoration grants were assessed on a case-by-case basis. It was indicated that the Home MOT system would eliminate duplication of tasks and also enable better utilisation of resources. The Assistant Director highlighted efforts to introduce more technology to ways of working and to encourage officers to be more visible.
It was RESOLVED that the update is noted.