Decision Maker: Executive Lead for Place Directorate
Decision status: Recommendations Approved
Is Key decision?: Yes
Is subject to call in?: No
To approve the appointment of A Hammonds & Sons Ltd. as the Main contractor for the refurbishment of Hardy House, Castletown, Portland. DT5 1AU
The project is to convert the former
Youth Hostel Association building on Portland, Hardy House, into 5 residential
units to be used by homeless families in the Weymouth and Portland area.
The building was purchased in 2020 as
part of the governments ‘everyone in’ policy and has been used since then to
house homeless individual persons. Until recently it was run by The Lantern Trust on behalf of
Dorset Council. The existing residents will be moved to other residential
hostels owned by Dorset Council.
The works are required to sub-divide the
property into residential units including structural alterations and
installation of services to make the units individually metered.
The project is part of the wider
strategy of converting properties for homeless families to live in temporarily
whilst more permanent arrangements are made. This will remove the families from
inappropriate and costly bed and breakfast accommodation.
It is unlikely that there will be
further development on the Hardy House site in the short term although there is
room for an extension to the property at some point.
A Cabinet decision
taken in June 2022 - (a) That the allocation of £3.13m in the 20/21 capital
programme and a further £1.65m in the 21/22 capital programme for the purchase
and refurbishment of accommodation to support homeless and rough sleeper
households, be approved; (b) That authority be delegated to the
Corporate Director of Housing, in consultation with the Portfolio Holder for
Housing and Community Safety and the Section 151 Officer, the ability to
purchase 1-bedroom properties for use as temporary accommodation; (c) That
authority be delegated to the Corporate Director for Property and Assets, in
consultation with the Portfolio Holder for Housing and Community Safety, the
Section 151 Officer, and Corporate Director of Housing the ability to purchase
properties for use as hostel accommodation.
Officers have undertaken a procurement process, using the council’s
Repairs Maintenance Minor & Small Capital Works (RMMSCW) Framework, to
appoint a main contractor for the Hardy House refurbishment. This process, supported by external
consultants Currie and Brown, recommends that the design and build contract be
awarded to A Hammonds & Sons Ltd.
Option 1 – To award the main refurbishment
contract for Hardy House to an alternative contractor.
In addition to A Hammonds
& Sons Ltd. two other contractors submitted
tender proposals via the council run procurement process for this contract,
although one of these was discounted due to a qualification that meant that
coverage for latent defects could not be assured. The tender review process undertaken by
officers and Currie and Brown recommended that the contract be awarded to A Hammonds & Sons Ltd. This
procurement process was overseen by the council procurement team and considered
to be a compliant process. The option to
award the contract to an alternative contractor has been rejected as this would
risk legal challenge from A
Hammonds & Sons Ltd. as the recommended contractor and not provide
the council with best value.
Option 2 – To not award the design and build
contract for Hardy House to A
Hammonds & Sons Ltd.
The A Hammonds & Sons
Ltd. tender return was considered by officers and Currie and Brown to be
the most economically advantageous tender return and provided the best value
for money for the council. The tender
return was within the project budget.
Option 3 – To not proceed with the for Hardy
House project.
This option would result in the
council not taking forward a project that would utilise a DC asset to provide
mush needed accommodation for homeless families in the area.
To house such families in
private sector accommodation would be expensive and as such the cost of
refurbishment will also be offset as a saving to future revenue spend.
Publication date: 28/10/2024
Date of decision: 28/10/2024