National Body for Disabled Facilities Grants and Home Improvement Agencies

Description

The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (the Buyer) Housing with Care and Support Division requires an organisation (the Supplier) to, on an England-wide basis, act as a National Body for Disabled Facilities Grants and Home Improvement Agencies. The over-arching objective of the new Contract is to assist in delivering Government's commitment to help older and disabled people to live independently and safely at home, by providing a centre of expertise for DFGs and HIAs. The Contract will also support the Government's ambition to better integrate housing, health and social care services. Services to be provided include, but are not limited to: i) provide continued vital advice and capacity-building support to local authorities (LAs) to help them meet their statutory duty to provide home adaptations to all people who quality for the Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG) and seeking to continue to secure efficiencies in DFG delivery. ii) represent, co-ordinate, offer leadership and training for Home Improvement Agencies (HIAs) and other providers of adaptation services, including LAs. This National Body shall support the delivery and continued development of HIA services, representing and steering the sector in dealings with stakeholders, including Government, and maintain a publicly available database of agency services. iii) provide Government with intelligence, support, information and data on DFG delivery, including monitoring the activity, quality and performance of DFG providers, and report to Government on emerging trends and issues that require the Buyer's attention. iv) provide information and support for the public, including the provision of information on local HIAs and signposting to applicable services in their local area. The initial duration of the Contract for these Services shall be for a period of two and a half (2.5) years (the Initial Period) starting on 1 October 2024 and ending on 31 March 2027. The Buyer shall reserve the right to extend the term of the Contract for a maximum of two (2) further years, one year at a time (the Extension Period(s))