Colchester Borough Council: Temporary Accommodation at Avon Way House, Colchester

UK-Colchester: Accommodation services.

Section I: Contracting Authority

   I.1) Name, Addresses and Contact Point(s):
       Colchester City Council
       Rowan House, 33 Sheepen Road, Colchester, CO3 3WG, United Kingdom
       Tel. +44 7976794358, Email: matthew.howe@colchester.gov.uk
       Contact: Matt Howe
       Main Address: www.colchester.gov.uk
       NUTS Code: UKH3

   I.2) Joint procurement:
      The contract involves joint procurement: No          
      In the case of joint procurement involving different countries, state applicable national procurement law: Not Provided
      The contract is awarded by a central purchasing body: No

   I.4)Type of the contracting authority:
      Regional or local agency/office

   I.5) Main activity:
      General public services

Section II: Object Of The Contract

   II.1) Scope of the procurement

      II.1.1) Title: Temporary Accommodation at Avon Way House, Colchester            
      Reference number: 0403

      II.1.2) Main CPV code:
         98341000 - Accommodation services.


      II.1.3) Type of contract: SERVICES

      II.1.4) Short description: Colchester City Council (the ‘Council’) has a need to provide flexible accommodation to meet the needs of homeless households which include families with children and single people with complex needs, in a location and with facilities that are suitable.

There is an extraordinarily high demand for affordable accommodation. As a consequence, there are no reasonable alternative or substitute suppliers in the borough of Colchester which can meet the City Council’s technical requirements for those in temporary accommodation need in the necessary timeframe.

      II.1.6) Information about lots
         This contract is divided into lots: No
            
      II.1.7) Total value of the procurement (excluding VAT)
          Value: 16,000,000
                  
         Currency:GBP            

   II.2) Description

      II.2.2) Additional CPV code(s):
            55250000 - Letting services of short-stay furnished accommodation.
            85312000 - Social work services without accommodation.
            98341100 - Accommodation management services.


      II.2.3) Place of performance
      Nuts code:
      UKH3 - Essex
   
      Main site or place of performance:
      Essex
             

      II.2.4) Description of the procurement: Colchester City Council has a requirement to provide flexible accommodation to meet the needs of homeless households which include families with children and single people with complex needs, in a location and with facilities that are suitable. Colchester City Council has entered into a licence with Beyond the Box Student Limited (the ‘Supplier’) for the provision of temporary accommodation to fulfil this requirement.

There is an extraordinarily high demand for temporary accommodation where many individuals were facing health and well-being difficulties whilst placed in B&B accommodation. Suitable temporary accommodation for homeless individuals in the borough of Colchester is recognised as a priority by the City Council and its partner organisations in addressing homelessness need. The City Council has engaged with partner public sector organisations including Essex County Council, Essex Police, Anglia Ruskin University and Colchester Hospital and the wider market for proposals to meet suitability requirements at a scale which would be able to deliver temporary accommodation units in an urgent timeframe to address the temporary accommodation for homeless individual need.

In considering suitability of accommodation available, the City Council has had regard to the Homelessness Code of Guidance for Local Authorities (the ‘Code’) in the exercise of its functions, in particular the suitability of the accommodation in accordance with Chapter 17 of the Code and taking into account availability of bathroom and kitchen facilities as well as the social considerations relating to the individual and their household.

Following the market engagement by the City Council, the Supplier was the only provider identified which was able to offer flexible temporary accommodation of up to 225 units with suitable facilities for homeless individuals in the required urgent timeframe and to a specification in accordance with the Code in a location that could be readily managed and supported by the City Council.

There are no reasonable alternative suppliers in the borough of Colchester which can meet the City Council’s technical requirements for those in temporary accommodation need in the necessary timeframe. The absence of competition is not the result of an artificial narrowing down of the parameters of the procurement. Accordingly, after due consideration, Colchester City Council has decided to make a direct award pursuant to Regulation 32(2)(b)(ii) of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 to the Supplier on the grounds that competition is absent for technical reasons.

      II.2.5) Award criteria:
                  
      Price - Weighting: 100
            

      II.2.11) Information about options
         Options: Yes
         Description of these options:Colchester City Council may exercise an option to enter into a further licence on the same terms as the original licence for additional accommodation blocks to be made available for occupation for a maximum term of 5 years.

      II.2.13) Information about European Union funds
         The procurement is related to a project and/or programme financed by European Union funds: No
         

      II.2.14) Additional information: Not Provided


Section IV: Procedure

IV.1) Description

   IV.1.1)Type of procedure: Award of a contract without prior publication of a call for competition in the Official Journal of the European Union in the cases listed below (please complete Annex D1)


   IV.1.3) Information about a framework agreement or a dynamic purchasing system
      The procurement involves the establishment of a framework agreement: No       
      

   IV.1.6) Information about electronic auction
      An electronic auction has been used: No

   IV.1.8) Information about the Government Procurement Agreement (GPA)
      The procurement is covered by the Government Procurement Agreement: Yes

IV.2) Administrative information

   IV.2.1) Previous publication concerning this procedure
       Not Provided
   

   IV.2.9) Information about termination of call for competition in the form of a prior information notice
      The contracting authority will not award any further contracts based on the above prior information notice: No

Section V: Award of contract

Award Of Contract (No.1)

   Contract No: 0403    
   Lot Number: Not Provided    
   Title: Temporary Accommodation at Avon Way House, Colchester

   A contract/lot is awarded: Yes


   V.2) Award of contract

      V.2.1) Date of conclusion of the contract: 18/10/2024

      V.2.2) Information about tenders
         Number of tenders received: 1
         Number of tenders received from SMEs: 1 (SME - as defined in Commission Recommendation 2003/361/EC)          
         Number of tenders received from tenderers from other EU Member States: Not Provided          
         Number of tenders received from tenderers from non-EU Member States: Not Provided          
         Number of tenders received by electronic means: Not Provided

      V.2.3) Name and address of the contractor

      The contract has been awarded to a group of economic operators: No
         
         Contractor (No.1)
             Beyond the Box Student Limited, 10894447
             Fitzroy House, Crown Street, Ipswich, IP1 3LG, United Kingdom
             NUTS Code: UK
            The contractor is an SME: Yes

      V.2.4) Information on value of the contract/lot (excluding VAT)
         Initial estimated total value of the contract/lot: 16,000,000          
         Total value of the contract/lot: 15,907,244
         Currency: GBP

      V.2.5) Information about subcontracting
         The contract is likely to be subcontracted: No
         
Section VI: Complementary information

   VI.3) Additional information: To view this notice, please click here:
https://www.delta-esourcing.com/delta/viewNotice.html?noticeId=904132632

   VI.4) Procedures for review

      VI.4.1) Review body
          High Court
          London, United Kingdom

      VI.4.3) Review procedure
         Precise information on deadline(s) for review procedures: Not Provided

      VI.4.4) Service from which information about the review procedure may be obtained
         Not Provided

   VI.5) Date of dispatch of this notice: 20/11/2024




ANNEX D

   1. Justification for the choice of the negotiated procedure without prior publication of a call for competition in accordance with Article 32 of Directive 2014/24/EU

      No tenders or no suitable tenders/requests to participate in response to: Not Provided

            
      
      The works, supplies or services can be provided only by a particular economic operator for the following reason: absence of competition for technical reasons

      Extreme urgency brought about by events unforeseeable for the contracting authority and in accordance with the strict conditions stated in the directive: No

      Additional deliveries by the original supplier ordered under the strict conditions stated in the directive: No

      New works/services, constituting a repetition of existing works/services and ordered in accordance with the strict conditions stated in the directive: No
            Service contract to be awarded to the winner or one of winners under the rules of a design contest: No
      

      Purchase of supplies or services on particularly advantageous terms: No


   3. Explanation
          There is an extraordinarily high demand for temporary accommodation where many individuals were facing health and well-being difficulties whilst placed in B&B accommodation. Suitable temporary accommodation for homeless individuals in the borough of Colchester is recognised as a priority by the City Council and its partner organisations in addressing homelessness need. The City Council has engaged with partner public sector organisations including Essex County Council, Essex Police, Anglia Ruskin University and Colchester Hospital and the wider market for proposals to meet suitability requirements at a scale which would be able to deliver temporary accommodation units in an urgent timeframe to address the temporary accommodation for homeless individual need.

In considering suitability of accommodation available, the City Council has had regard to the Homelessness Code of Guidance for Local Authorities (the ‘Code’) in the exercise of its functions, in particular the suitability of the accommodation in accordance with Chapter 17 of the Code and taking into account availability of bathroom and kitchen facilities as well as the social considerations relating to the individual and their household.

Following the market engagement by the City Council, the Supplier was the only provider identified which was able to offer flexible temporary accommodation of up to 225 units with suitable facilities for homeless individuals in the required urgent timeframe and to a specification in accordance with the Code in a location that could be readily managed and supported by the City Council.

There are no reasonable alternative suppliers in the borough of Colchester which can meet the City Council’s technical requirements for those in temporary accommodation need in the necessary timeframe. The absence of competition is not the result of an artificial narrowing down of the parameters of the procurement. Accordingly, after due consideration, Colchester City Council has decided to make a direct award pursuant to Regulation 32(2)(b)(ii) of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 to the Supplier on the grounds that competition is absent for technical reasons.