Procurement for Housing (PfH) is searching for SME plumbing and heating contractors across the UK to deliver responsive repairs and voids works to social landlords, such as fixing broken boilers, leaky taps, and sanitaryware for an initial term of five years, through a new dynamic purchasing system (DPS).

Procurement services provider, PfH which has over 900 members, including housing associations and local authorities, has designed the DPS to help housing providers clear their backlog of routine repairs (estimated to be 2.6m jobs following lockdown) and procure repairs flexibly in the future. New plumbing and heating contractors can join the DPS at any time, unlike a framework.

The total value of the reactive repairs and voids work to be procured via the DPS is estimated at £490m. Other categories of the DPS include electrical, joinery, full-service delivery of responsive repairs and voids, general repairs and specialist works such as roofing and glazing.

For each category, contractors will be required to either supplement a social landlord’s in-house direct labour organisation or to fully manage an outsourced repairs and voids service, which may include call handling, repairs diagnostics and work scheduling.

PfH says the DPS helps small, local contractors by streamlining the tender process. Once suppliers have passed the DPS selection procedure, they can quickly bid for any opportunities by submitting a tender. There is no need for them to go through the selection stage again and again for each contract opportunity.

Steve Malone, Managing Director at Procurement for Housing said: “Social landlords are dealing with an unprecedented backlog of routine repairs jobs plus the pressure of social distancing on maintenance jobs. We hope this DPS will help the sector to overcome some of these problems whilst also supporting SME contractors who can quickly register and bid without having to go through a time-consuming tender process.”

PfH’s DPS for Responsive Works & Voids will run for five years with the option to extend for another five years. To apply for inclusion, click here.