Involvement in tendering

Reaping the rewards of involvement

In April 2011 we started a project reviewing our grounds maintenance contracts for our North West region. It was a project that we were keen to involve residents in as well as driving value for money.

At the time we spent around £30k per year on maintaining the grounds on the estates we were working on.

We began the project on our Manchester estates where we surveyed some 600 properties, asking residents what they thought of the current state of the gardens, what was working well and what wasn’t.

Resident feedback helped us in creating the specification detailing the expectations and requirements the contractors had to fulfil.

In order to get the most out of the project, we provide training to residents so they understand the process and what is required of them. 

The results – the preferred contractor is looking to bring in around a 20% saving on the existing cost whilst our residents have had the opportunity to improve the service they receive.

Richard Towes, one of our residents involved in the process says, "As the resident on the North West ground maintenance contract renewal project I was impressed at the speed and quality of the whole process and the commitment of the staff involved to deliver a better service. 

"Interviewing the contractors together with other residents was interesting and clearly helped to select what we believe to be the best contractors to deliver a much improved service.  I am looking forward to seeing the results of the process on the estates in the months ahead."