Assessment of the Efficiency, Effectiveness and Long Term Sustainability of Housing Services and the Housing Revenue Account (HRA)

Description

The Council is considering the future procurement of an independent assessment of the efficiency, effectiveness and long term sustainability of Housing Services and the HRA. While a robust 30 year HRA Business Plan is already in place, the Council wishes to obtain independent assurance on current arrangements and identify opportunities for improvement, innovation and value for money. This Prior Information Notice (PIN) is issued for the purpose of early market engagement only and is intended to inform the scope, approach and procurement strategy for any potential future tender exercise. Publication of this PIN does not constitute a commitment by East Renfrewshire Council to commence a procurement process. Lot 1: East Renfrewshire Council manages a ring fenced Housing Revenue Account (HRA) which supports the delivery of social housing and associated landlord services. The Council is considering the future procurement of an independent assessment of the efficiency, effectiveness and long term sustainability of Housing Services and the HRA. While a robust 30 year HRA Business Plan is already in place, the Council wishes to obtain independent assurance on current arrangements and identify opportunities for improvement, innovation and value for money. This Prior Information Notice (PIN) is issued for the purpose of early market engagement only and is intended to inform the scope, approach and procurement strategy for any potential future tender exercise. Publication of this PIN does not constitute a commitment by East Renfrewshire Council to commence a procurement process. Indicative Scope of the Requirement: Should the Council proceed to a formal procurement exercise, it is anticipated that the scope of services may include, but would not be limited to, the following areas: - A strategic review of Housing Services, including performance, capacity and value for money. - Independent assessment of the robustness and long term sustainability of the HRA Business Plan. - Benchmarking and comparative analysis against Local Authorities of comparable size and stock profile and Registered Social Landlords with similar stock archetypes. - A detailed review of repairs and voids service delivery, including performance, cost control, productivity and customer experience. - Review of the factoring service, including financial performance, customer experience and options to move towards full cost recovery. - Review of stores and materials management arrangements within the context of a DLO led repairs model. - Review of sheltered housing provision, including revenue and capital costs and the relationship with the HRA. Across all areas, the Council anticipates a strong focus on evidence based analysis, benchmarking, customer feedback and elected member priorities, together with practical and deliverable recommendations. Information Sought from the Market - Economic operators are invited to provide non binding information to assist the Council in shaping any future procurement exercise. Responses may include information on: - Relevant organisational experience in delivering comparable Housing Services, HRA or landlord service reviews. - Experience working with Local Authorities and/or Registered Social Landlords of comparable scale and complexity. - Indicative approaches to delivering a commission of this nature, including benchmarking and stakeholder engagement. - Capacity to deliver the requirement and typical delivery models. - Innovative approaches or added value relevant to Housing Services. - Indicative commercial models and key cost drivers for similar commissions. This is not a tender or pre qualification exercise and no evaluation or scoring will take place at this stage. Submission of Expressions of Interest - This Prior Information Notice is issued for the purpose of market engagement only. Economic operators who wish to express an interest in this opportunity, or to provide information to assist the Council in shaping any future procurement exercise, are invited to submit a brief, non binding written response. Responses should be clearly marked “PIN Response – Housing Revenue Account Efficiency Review” and submitted to mary.harvey-welsh@eastrenfrewshire.gov.uk Responses should be limited to 4 x A4 and provided by 12 noon, 30th April 2026.. The Council reserves the right not to proceed to a formal procurement process and shall not be bound by any information received in response to this PIN.