Housing Management System Consultancy (RC-CPU-24-237)
Renfrewshire Council · 3 April 2025
Back to Finance, Resources and Customer Services Policy Board — 3 April 2025 and its agenda
Text extracted from the council's PDF. Layout and reading order may differ from the original.
Page 1
___________________________________________________________________ To: Finance, Resources and Customer Services Policy Board On: 3 April 2025 ___________________________________________________________________ Report by: The Director of Finance and Resources and the Director of Environment, Housing & Infrastructure ___________________________________________________________________ Heading: Contract Authorisation Report for: Housing Management System Consultancy (RC-CPU-24-237) ___________________________________________________________________ 1. Summary 1.1 The purpose of this report is to seek approval of the Finance, Resources and Customer Services Policy Board to award a Contract (Call-Off Contract) for Housing Management System Consultancy to Gravitas Recruitment Group Limited. 1.2 The recommendation to award a Call-Off Contract follows a procurement exercise conducted in accordance with the Crown Commercial Services G-Cloud 14 Framework Agreement RM1557.14 Framework Schedule 5: Award Procedure and the RM1557.14 G-Cloud 14 (Lots 1, 2 and 3) Buyer Guide (Buyer Guide) and Renfrewshire Council’s Standing Orders Relating to Contracts for an above Threshold Services Contract. 1.3 A Contract Strategy was approved by the Head of Housing Services on the 21 February 2025 and Digital Category Manager on the 13 February 2025. __________________________________________________________________
Page 2
2. Recommendations It is recommended that the Finance, Resources and Customer Services Policy Board: 2.1 Authorises the Head of Corporate Governance to award the Contract for Housing Management System Consultancy to Gravitas Recruitment Group Limited being a Call-Off Contract made under Lot 3 of the Crown Commercial Services G-Cloud 14 Framework Agreement (RM1557.14). 2.2 Authorises the Call-Off Contract for a Term of 14 months. The proposed Call-Off Start Date is 6 May 2025, however, the actual Call- Off Start Date will be confirmed in the Crown Commercial Services G- Cloud 14 Framework Agreement RM1557.14 Call-Off Order Form. 2.3 Authorises the maximum approved Call-Off Contract value of up to £248,000, excluding VAT, for the full Call-Off Contact Term. 2.4 Authorises the Liability Cap of £1 million per year in direct loss or damage to the property, £2 million during the Call-Off Contract Term for Buyer Data Defaults, and an annual total liability of the Supplier for all other Defaults will not exceed the greater of £1 million or 125% of the Charges payable by the Buyer to the Supplier during the Call-Off Contract Term (whichever is the greater). 3. Background 3.1 The Council has a requirement to appoint a consultant who will be responsible for leading the Implementation of the new integrated Housing Management System provided by NEC Software Solutions UK Limited which will include the redesign and re-engineering of associated processes and ways of working. 3.2 The Council has procured a fully integrated Housing Management System to replace several legacy systems which have become outdated. To fully support the Head of Housing Services to manage the implementation of the new housing management system, the appointed Consultant will manage multiple complex workstreams throughout the implementation of the system. This includes structuring and controlling those workstreams and their interdependencies, so they collectively deliver the outputs needed to provide the capability to deliver all implementation milestones. This will include providing direction and guidance to the wider, multi-disciplinary project team, consisting of the Housing Services, Building Services, IT and Finance.
Page 3
3.3 The appointed Consultant for this project will have a degree or professional qualification in a relevant subject and/or the ability to evidence equivalent level of knowledge, training, and experience required to undertake this role. 3.4 The Council carried out a procurement exercise conducted in accordance with the Crown Commercial Services G-Cloud 14 Framework Agreement RM1557.14 Framework Schedule 5: Award Procedure and the RM1557.14 G-Cloud 14 (Lots 1,2 and 3) Buyer Guide (Buyer Guide) and Renfrewshire Council’s Standing Orders Relating to Contracts for an above Threshold Services Contract. Following evaluation, it was identified that Gravitas Recruitment Group Limited would provide best value to the Council and should progress to Award in accordance with the G-Cloud 14 requirements. 3.5 Following the Framework Schedule 5: Award Procedure and the Buyer Guide, the Council followed the steps 1-3 using search criteria as detailed below: Search Criteria Search Criteria Details Results 1 Housing Management System 366 suppliers 2 Implementation 71 suppliers 3 NEC 4 suppliers 3.6 After applying the relevant filter and search criteria, four solutions were identified from four G-Cloud 14 suppliers: Gravitas Recruitment Group Limited, Investigo Limited, Manifest Software Solutions Limited, and Home Connections. 3.7 Following Step 4: Evaluation and selection of the Buyer Guide, a desktop analysis was conducted following the initial search to assess the shortlisted Suppliers suitability against the Council’s requirements. This exercise identified that two suppliers could not comply with the Council’s requirements. 3.8 Then, permitted per the Buyer Guide “Direct award on lowest price only if they are comparable services”, the pricing of the remaining two suppliers that could comply with the requirements (as per the Supplier Service Offering available on the G-Cloud 14 Framework) was compared to identify best value.
Page 4
3.9 Results from the desktop analysis based on price identified that Gravitas Recruitment Group Ltd rates were 6% lower than the remaining comparable service. It was therefore identified that Gravitas Recruitment Group Ltd would provide best value to the Council and should therefore progress to stage 5 – Award. 3.10 The Contract will be formed using Call-Off Contract (Order Form) and Call-Off Terms. 3.11 Community Benefits have been requested as part of the Framework Award Procedure. Gravitas have confirmed they will provide community benefits and these community benefits will be confirmed in the Call-Off Contract Order Form. Implications of the Report 1. Financial - The maximum approved Call-Off Contract value of up to £248,000 excluding VAT is for a period of 14 months commencing on 6 May 2025. 2. HR & Organisational Development -None directly arising from this report. 3. Community/Council Planning – • Working together to improve outcomes - Adopting a 'place shaping' approach to developing our communities - working together to maximise our collective impact and influence across economic, social, physical, cultural and environmental policies and practices 4. Legal – This procurement was carried out in accordance with Crown Commercial Services G-Cloud 14 reference RM1557.14 Framework Agreement Schedule 5: Award Procedure and (Lots 1,2 and 3) Buyer Guide and the Council’s Standing Orders Relating to Contracts for an above Threshold value Services Contract. 5. Property/Assets – None directly arising from this report.
Page 5
6. Information Technology – The services delivered under this Contract will ensure the Council has access to the specialist knowledge and advice required to implement its new Housing Management software system. To effectively deliver this services under this Call-Off Contract, the appointed consultant will be provided with a Council laptop. 7. Equality & Human Rights - None directly arising from this report. 8. Health & Safety - None directly arising from this report. 9. Procurement - This procurement exercise was conducted in accordance with Crown Commercial Services G-Cloud 14 RM1557.14 Framework Schedule 5: Award Procedure and the RM1557.14 G-Cloud 14 (Lots 1,2 and 3) Buyer Guide and Renfrewshire Council’s Standing Orders Relating to Contracts. 10. Risk - The following liability caps apply as part of the Call-Off Contract: • Liability Cap clause - Defaults by either party resulting in direct loss or damage to the property (including technical infrastructure, assets or equipment but excluding any loss or damage to Buyer Data) of the other Party will not exceed £1 million per year. • The annual total liability of the Supplier for Buyer Data Defaults resulting in direct loss, destruction, corruption, degradation of or damage to any Buyer Data will not exceed £2 million of the Charges payable by the Buyer to the Supplier during the Call-Off Contract Term (whichever is the greater). • The annual total liability of the Supplier for all other Defaults will not exceed the greater of £1 million or 125% of the Charges payable by the Buyer to the Supplier during the Call-Off Contract Term (whichever is the greater). • Any of the Supplier’s professional consultants are required to have professional indemnity insurance to a minimum value of £1,000,000 for each individual claim and will hold the following liability caps as part of the Call-Off Contract. 11. Privacy Impact - None directly arising from this report. 12. Climate Risk - None directly arising from this report. 13. Children’s Rights – None directly arising from this report.
Page 6
14. Cosla Policy Position - None directly arising from this report. _________________________________________________________ List of Background Papers – None _________________________________________________________ Author: Stuart McLean, Procurement Adviser, stuart.mclean@renfrewshire.gov.uk