Decision details

Community alarms are installed in our supported housing dwellings to provide tenants with a direct “lifeline” to the onsite scheme manager or out of hours call centre, promoting independent living.  The alarm system includes a pendant that tenants can press, or it automatically activates in case of incidents such as a fall. This ensures a rapid and appropriate response to tenant’s needs while maintaining health and safety as a council priority.

Dacorum Borough Council (DBC) first procured a community alarm installation and maintenance contract with Tunstall Healthcare in 2015. The contract was awarded through a tender process focused on value for money and commenced in January 2016 for an initial five-year term, with an additional two-year extension subsequently approved. The contract ended on 13th January 2023. 

Due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a two-year period of limited activity within the schemes. To complete the remaining work, the Council re-procured the contract through the Procurement for Housing (PfH) framework for a two-year period (1 May 2023 – 30 April 2025), with an option to extend for a further 12 months until 30 April 2026. 

Background to report:

Community alarms are installed in our supported housing dwellings to provide tenants with a direct “lifeline” to the onsite scheme manager or out of hours call centre, promoting independent living.  The alarm system includes a pendant that tenants can press, or it automatically activates in case of incidents such as a fall. This ensures a rapid and appropriate response to tenant’s needs while maintaining health and safety as a council priority.

Dacorum Borough Council (DBC) first procured a community alarm installation and maintenance contract with Tunstall Healthcare in 2015. The contract was awarded through a tender process focused on value for money and commenced in January 2016 for an initial five-year term, with an additional two-year extension subsequently approved. The contract ended on 13th January 2023. 

Due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a two-year period of limited activity within the schemes. To complete the remaining work, the Council re-procured the contract through the Procurement for Housing (PfH) framework for a two-year period (1 May 2023 – 30 April 2025), with an option to extend for a further 12 months until 30 April 2026. 

Proposal:

The programme is now largely complete, however there is a need to review and upgrade our dispersed schemes to ensure they are modernised to current standards.

To ensure value for money in the next contract, a thorough review should be undertaken before commencing formal procurement. The recommended approach is to extend the existing contract for a further 12 months (in line with contract provisions). This will allow time to complete any remaining upgrades and conduct a detailed commissioning and procurement process.

Throughout the contract’s lifetime, the partnership between DBC and Tunstall has been successful, enhancing tenant safety within supported housing schemes. The current specification includes the installation of new smoke alarms integrated into the community alarm system. This ensures that the call centre is immediately notified in cause of smoke activation. Additionally, the new door control system now features a camera, enabling tenants to see who is requesting access, further improving building and individual security.