Rochdale Boroughwide Housing (the “Contracting Authority”) is seeking to procure a development partner who will work collaboratively with the Contracting Authority to design and deliver the refurbishment of existing homes, demolition and new build residential development, including affordable homes in the College Bank and Lower Falinge neighbourhoods.

The Contracting Authority is seeking, through a Competitive Dialogue procurement process, to create an effective long-term partnership with a partner(s) who can bring creative thinking to place-making, who shares the Contracting Authority’s vision for the area and who has the financial capability, technical expertise and proven track record of delivery.

The development partner is intended to be responsible for the commercial implementation of the project, including:

— providing development management services, as necessary, to work in partnership with the Contracting Authority and enable delivery of an agreed masterplan,

— assisting with consultation, communication and negotiation with residents, affected landowners and other stakeholders,

— managing the master-planning, design and planning processes, including obtaining necessary planning permissions,

— taking the lead on site assembly from third parties and assisting (where appropriate) the Contracting Authority with obtaining vacant possession from residential leaseholders,

— raising of development finance as necessary,

— demolition, site remediation and enabling works,

— design and construction of housing (including affordable housing), infrastructure to support housing and ancillary commercial development,

— negotiating, entering into all planning agreements and discharging S106 Agreements and any other liabilities,

— sales and marketing of open market housing,

— aftercare and maintenance of completed development and

— ensuring comprehensive and sustainable maintenance and site-management arrangements are in place in perpetuity.

A Development Agreement will be entered into by the Contracting Authority, the partner and any applicable guarantor following the appointment of the selected partner.

The detailed terms of the Development Agreement will be worked up in dialogue, but in outline, it is envisaged that there will be one agreement that relates to both areas (i.e. Lower Falinge and College Bank). The agreement will be conditional on a number of Site-wide conditions precedent being satisfied by an agreed longstop date. Once these conditions have all been satisfied, the Development Agreement will become unconditional and the partner will be committed to delivering the approved development in accordance with the Development Agreement obligations and the agreed delivery programme.

Whilst the Contracting Authority envisages a contract period of approximately 15 (fifteen) to 20 (twenty) years, the actual period will be determined by best value considerations during the Competitive Dialogue Procedure and may also be dependent on financial market conditions. For the avoidance of doubt, a 15 (fifteen) to 20 (twenty) years duration is indicative only and is not intended to specify the maximum or minimum length of the contract.