Watford Community Housing Trust (WCHT) is seeking expressions of interest from suitably interested and qualified Water Testing and Treatment Contractors who can undertake the testing for temperature, contamination and cleaning to control the spread of Legionella and other bacteria and responsive repairs to existing domestic and communal residential water systems including single and communal tanks, associated system pipe work and equipment to tender for the provision of these services and the like in all properties owned or managed by WCHT, described in brief below.

WCHT's properties include (but are not limited to) social dwellings, sheltered schemes, supported and special needs housing, community centres and other properties. The current level of WCHT's housing stock stands at approximately 4,823 properties. The remainder of the Trust's properties have individual gas central heating systems serviced by their own boilers or are in small blocks of two or four dwellings with a single large domestic boiler.

The majority of the Trust's properties are located in the Watford Borough Council area, with some stock in neighbouring Three Rivers District Council, both in South West Hertfordshire. All of the stock is within 6 miles of the centre of Watford

The contract will be for a period of 3 years with an option to extend for a further 2 years, subject to satisfactory performance, on a one year by one year extension basis, to a maximum of 5 years overall.

The contract shall comprise the following, which the successful contractor will be required to provide:

(i) Annual gas appliance servicing and routine safety check inspection and testing for domestic and communal (‘commercial') boilers, to include confirmatory attendances of properties without gas appliances;

(ii) Responsive repairs to gas appliances for all properties 24 hours a day and 365 days per and out of hours attendance on all breakdowns with a 24hr 365 a year emergency call out cover;

(iii) Providing and operating a 24 hours a day and 365 day a year dedicated telephone number for direct contact by the Trust's residents concerning servicing and breakdown call outs. This is to cover both normal and out of hours calls. Out of hours and emergency calls will result in, as a minimum, “making safe” and, if possible, an immediate fix;

(iv) An annual service of any ‘hard wired' smoke detectors whilst carrying out the annual gas service and routine safety check inspection and testing for domestic properties.

The contract shall also require contractors to provide a Schedule of Rates for Consequential Works. Consequential Works shall cover planned preventative maintenance on current Trust owned installations, the supply, installation and upgrading of boilers, radiators and heating systems including the mechanical and/or electrical services required to complete any Repair/installation/upgrade. The scope of Consequential Works, shall for example vary from a “powerflush” or installation of smoke detectors right up to a full new heating system with boiler change.

The award of Consequential Works shall NOT be exclusive to the successful contractor, but is subject both to price and delivery timescales at the time of request. However, the successful contractor may be requested by WCHT (on a job-by-job basis) to undertake such further work, by reference to its Schedule of Rates submitted (although not evaluated) as part of this procurement process.

WCHT shall reserve the absolute right to go out to quotation and award this further work to alternative providers on a job-by-job basis (based on the same specifications and requirements as will be set out in this tender), depending on, amongst other things, ability to meet timescales and best price.

The successful contractor will be required to provide a customer focused service in line with WCHT role and objectives as a Community Gateway. The successful contractor must also demonstrate commitment to providing an effective service that provides value for money to WCHT and its tenants. The evaluation criterion will be that of Most Economically Advantageous Tenderer as determined by the award criteria and sub-criteria set out in the Invitation to Tender.

WCHT reserves the absolute right to withdraw from this procurement procedure at any time and for whatever reason without awarding a contract. Applicants shall be responsible for the costs and expenses they incur as a result of participating in this procurement process. WCHT and or its advisors shall not be liable for and will not pay any costs in respect of the preparation of any prequalification or subsequent tender submission of any applicant or bidder whether they are successful or not. This shall equally apply in the event that the procurement process is postponed, cancelled or abandoned by WCHT at any stage and for whatever reason. Applicants shall be deemed to have unequivocally accepted this as a condition to precedent to participate in this procurement process.