Orbit Heart of England has appointed new contractors to deliver its repairs and planned maintenance services for the next 8 years when in-house provider Property Matters finishes its contract at the end of March.
Contracts have been awarded to three different suppliers following a seven month procurement process that involved customers and industry professionals. The largest contract, which is for responsive repairs, and refurbishment to vacant properties, worth £64 million over the contract period, has been awarded to Willmott Dixon Partnerships Ltd, who already provide services to 170,000 homes and 1,200 public buildings.
The planned maintenance contracts, which are for large scale improvement programmes such as bathroom and kitchen refurbishment, is being split between two contractors. Ian Williams Ltd for the South Midlands including Stratford-upon-Avon, with a contract size of £15 million over the contract period, and MITIE Property Services for the North Midlands with a contract size of £14 million over the same period.
David Collick from Orbit Heart of England said: “This is the first time that Orbit Heart of England has appointed suppliers for this length of contract. We are confident that they will deliver a quality customer service which was of paramount importance in the selection process. As well as offering value for money for our customers these suppliers will be employing local people, using local trades people and offering apprenticeships.”
Customers will be receiving more information about the change to the contractors as the organisation works hard on ensuring a smooth transition of the services.
David Collick added “There will be no change for our customers in the short term and they should continue to report their repairs in the usual way. The current Property Matters trades people will be transferred to the new contractor so customers may well see some familiar faces doing their repairs.”
All three contractors are committed to investing in the areas where Orbit Heart of England operates helping them to achieve their purpose of Building Communities.