Cost of Living Crisis & Local Government Procurement: April 2023 Update

Since our last update back in January, local authorities have continued to harness public procurement to respond to the ongoing Cost of Living crisis.

As part of our ongoing analysis of how local councils are aiding residents during these difficult times, this blog documents the latest schemes, initiatives and funds published at the local level in February and March of this year, identified using Tussell's market intelligence platform.

You can view our previous Cost of Living updates here.

⚪ Domestic Heating and Home Improvements for vulnerable householders, Pre-Information Notice, Derbyshire County Council

Derbyshire County Council is looking to gather views from businesses on how best to aid the more than 40,000 households in its jurisdiction currently living in fuel poverty.

The Council recognises that "living in a cold or unfit home will have an adverse effect on the mental and physical health of vulnerable householders".

This advice will inform a future tender "for the provision of domestic heating and home improvements". This tender is forecast to last one year - with the option of extension - at a cost of £300k per annum.

⚪ Market Testing - Oxfordshire Single Point of Contact for Housing and Health Referrals, Pre-Information Notice, Oxfordshire County Council

In February, Oxfordshire County Council invited organisations to help develop the model for a future single point of contact (SPoC) service "for housing (including energy efficiency) and health referrals in the County".

The telephone-based SPoC service  - intended to be used by Oxfordshire County, District and City Councils - will aim to "support residents to stay warm and well in their homes to address their health and wellbeing needs", and will target those particularly affected by fuel poverty and poor housing conditions.

Oxfordshire CC hopes that conversations with suppliers will help to ensure the model is financially viable and as effective as possible. A full tender process is envisioned to take place in late April of this year.

🔵 Community Kitchens, Tender Notice, London Borough of Hackney

The London Borough of Hackney recently went out to tender for a community kitchens provider.

The selected supplier will deliver "Cook and Eat courses", intended to improve local residents' knowledge of preparing healthy and affordable meals, as well as awareness of available "cost of living entitlements and wider wellbeing services".

The tender has been valued at £120k, and is forecast to last for two years once awarded.

🔵 Combating Fuel Poverty - Heating Replacements, Tender Notice, Colchester City Council

As part of Colchester's Housing Investment Programme, Colchester CC intends to fit 350 properties with new boilers by May 2024 (and, pending a contract extension, an additional 600 by mid-2026).

The contract has an estimated value of £500k - £1mn, and is scheduled to commence in June of this year.

🔵 Project Recharge, Tender Notice, Gwynedd Council

In early April, Gwynned Council announced it was looking for suppliers to aid in the delivery of its Gwynned Economic Recovery Programme. The programme aims to assist local businesses to 'bounce back' from recent economic hardships, including the COVID-19 pandemic, Brexit, "and now the energy and cost of living crisis".

The Programme intends to help businesses "take the first step towards recovering their activities, either through restoring their former business, to extend or improve their present activities, or to diversify into other sectors".

The Programme will harness funds acquired from the NDA/Magnox Socioeconomic Scheme - a fund managed by Magnox to aid businesses in the locality of nuclear decommissioning sites managed by Magnox.

🔴 Energy Efficiency Advice, Contract Award, East Lothian Council

Towards the end of March, East Lothian Council awarded an £80k contract for the provision of an "Energy Efficiency Advice Service", "in order to meet its statutory obligations in respect of fuel poverty".

The contract was awarded via Scotland Excel's Energy Advice framework agreement, and went to leading energy efficiency firm Changeworks.

🔴UK Shared Prosperity Fund (ATT), Contract Award, Torbay Council

Torbay Council recently awarded nearly £600k via the UK Shared Prosperity Fund to two SMEs, London-based change consultants Studio Zao and community-owned renewable energy firm Exeter Community Energy.

The fund is intended to be used by the two SMEs "to deliver the objectives, outputs and outcomes of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund programme within Torbay", including designing measures to address the Cost of Living crisis and improve energy efficiency.

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Keeping track of how other local authorities are responding to the Cost of Living Crisis is important. Not only will it help yield new ideas for how your own council could be aiding local residents, but it also enable you to benchmark how much other authorities are investing in these projects and schemes.

To get our Cost of Living updates sent straight to you, be sure to sign-up to our public sector newsletter.

You can access our past analysis of local responses to the Cost of Living crisis here.

All of these PINs, tenders and contract awards were identified in seconds using Tussell's market intelligence platform. To see how it works - and how it can help your authority to get out of your procurement silo - book in a quick chat with our team.