This tender is available for completion on-line only at www.cirrustenders.co.uk

Organisation background

Halton Housing Trust (HHT) was formally created on 5.12.2005. The Trust is a company limited by guarantee and registered with Companies House. We are a not for profit housing association, who own and manage 6 400 homes in the Cheshire towns of Widnes and Runcorn.

At Halton Housing Trust we do far more than provide homes — we improve people's lives and that's what we need to do more of in the future. There are lots of opportunities to build on our success to date but we need to make good decisions which take into account a number of different possible futures. So, we've identified 4 priorities:

— Protect Current Income,

— Reduce our costs and drive efficiency,

— Focus our resources and services,

— Generate new income.

We provide affordable homes for people who may not have the means to buy or rent a home privately, help people who are homeless and provide support to older or disabled people to help them live independently in their own homes.

HHT are a high performing organisation, target driven, but with a focus on not just what we do, but how we do things. In 2012 we achieved 'Ones to Watch' accreditation in the Times Top 100 Best Companies to Work For survey and more recently we were thrilled to have been awarded the Investors in People Gold Award and Good Practice Award for Health and Wellbeing.

We have an exciting new build programme, with recent success in securing GBP 6 200 000 additional HCA funding for 290 units to follow on from the 280 units that we are currently delivering in varied schemes such as Extra care housing and a new Hostel, as well as traditional family homes for the communities we work in. We have further ambitions for yet more innovative homes going forward in our growing programme with may include opportunities for example market rent, shared ownership and outright sale.

HHT has established its own development team and it is envisaged that the majority of the project management will be carried out through this team. However, given the ambitious development plans, the Trust is setting up a framework of project management organisations to enable us to call-off this list as and when required.

Tender information

The Trust is setting up a framework of project management organisations to enable us to call-off this list as and when required. Currently is it estimated that the annual fee spend (exclusive of VAT) would be in the region of GBP 100 000. This estimate is based upon HHT expenditure only, expenditure may be significantly in advance of this estimate if other contracting authorities choose to access the framework.

The project manager must have experience of managing a range of development projects from acquiring a piece of land, securing planning approval, managing the design stage, construction stage through to successfully completing the project to handover stage. Also ensuring they are familiar with the quality standards stipulated by the funding organisations and reporting regularly on the progress and cash-flow for each project.

The project manager will also have knowledge of the funding streams, have experience of working to strict time-scales set by these organisations and experience of the social housing sector. In relation to schemes that are funded/administrated through the Homes & Communities Agency (HCA) it is a requirement the Project Manager most be able to administer the HCA's Investment Management System (IMS) on a scheme by scheme basis,

Please note: This project management function is not an employers agent role, it is an additional standalone function to support the HHT development team. Traditional construction consultancy roles (including employers agents) will still be procured as necessary as part of each development scheme.

The tender is for a 4 year framework agreement with multiple project management organisations.

The framework will be available to the following, such that each of the following will be entitled to purchase services from the framework:

All departments and subsidiaries of HHT both current and future (for example project managers may be required to support investment projects in existing housing stock);

Any entities which fall into either of the following categories and which are permitted by HHT to make particular purchases from the framework from time to time: (a) any joint venture entities (whether companies, limited liability partnerships or otherwise) in which any member of the HHT participates from time to time (whether as a shareholder, member or otherwise); (b) any developer or contractor which is involved in a particular project in which a member of the HHT is also involved (for example, where a developer has received or is due to receive funding from a HHT to develop a particular scheme);

Any other contracting authority within the north west of England (NUTS code UKD), in particular any Registered Providers of Social Housing (as defined by the Housing and Regeneration Act 2008).

HHT anticipates short-listing approximately 5 companies. It is envisaged that the final framework will be awarded to a minimum of 3 companies.

Any personnel from a successful project management organisation working on-site at a HHT scheme will be required to have an appropriate current valid CSCS (Construction Skills Certificate Scheme) card or equivalent. This is a mandatory requirement.

HHT reserves the right to award call-off contracts of varying length, subject to the work required and the needs of HHT.

Any call-off contracts will be awarded by HHT and its subsidiaries in accordance with the rules as defined by Regulation 19 of the Public Contracts Regulations UKSI 2006/5. Where mini-competitions are undertaken these will typically be evaluated on a cost/quality basis, the relative weightings of these elements, together with any specific sub-criteria used by HHT, will be set by HHT to meet the specific needs of the business for each mini-competition.

No guarantees are given, nor are implied as to the value of work that will be placed with successful bidders as future projections are estimates only at this stage. HHT accepts no liability for any inaccuracies in the programme estimates provided.