2324 0071 Flexible Framework Agreement for the Procurement and Management of Nightly Purchased Accommodation

Background 

The Council had 1,128 homeless households living in temporary accommodation as of 30 September 2023.  The purpose of the service is to ensure homeless clients are housed in suitable, good quality, secure and safe accommodation that meets the standards as set out in in the procurement documentation.  Clients will be supported to participate and engage/re-engage with the community, tackle worklessness and contribute to the local community.  

The requirement 

To ensure the provision of nightly purchased accommodation can match the demands of the Housing Needs service and promote the provision of high-quality accommodation for the residents of Islington.   

The Council has a statutory duty towards under the homelessness legislation as laid down in the 1985 and 1996 Housing Acts and the 2017 Homelessness Reduction Act.  The ready supply of accommodation will also allow the Council to fulfil its duties under the Care Act and Children’s Act, and offering temporary accommodation to clients who have No Recourse to Public Funds (NRPF). 

Providers will be responsible for delivering the supply of properties that are local to Islington.  For the purpose of this contract opportunity, the Council defines a local property as a property that is:  

• in the borough of Islington; 
• located in a neighbouring borough i.e. Hackney, Camden, Haringey; and/or 
• is accessible to Islington via public transport with a journey time no longer than one hour. 

Our mission is to create a more equal Islington, where everyone who lives here has the opportunity and an equal chance to thrive. We are all at the heart of driving this forward. But it’s not just what we do, it’s the way that we do it. This is underpinned by four values which spell out ‘CARE’ and represent what we think public service is all about: being Collaborative, Ambitious, Resourceful and Empowering. 

This service supports the Council’s objectives to: 

• support people experiencing homelessness 
• reduce rough sleeping in the borough 
• ensure decent and safe accommodation
• challenge inequality 

There is no maximum number of providers that will be party to the framework agreement.  Call-off contracts from the framework agreement shall follow the terms of the framework agreement including how a call-off contract is concluded.  How a call-off contract is concluded is explained within the procurement documentation. 

Lots 

This framework agreement is not being split into lots as the Council’s sole requirement is for providers of nightly purchased accommodation. 

TUPE [Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations] 

TUPE does not apply to this contract opportunity.  

Term of the Framework Agreement 

This procurement is for the reopening of the framework agreement.  The framework agreement started on 3 July 2025 and will be operational for forty eight (48) months with the provision to extend on one or more occasions not exceeding a further twenty four (24) months in total.  New providers who apply and are successful will be added to the framework agreement on these terms.  

Call-off contracts and placements from this framework may last longer than the framework itself. The framework agreement will also contain provision allowing the Council to terminate any time on notice either with or without the mutual termination of any call-off contracts entered into prior to termination. 

Value of the Framework Agreement  

The estimated value of the nightly purchased temporary accommodation contracts that may be awarded by the Council under the framework agreement is estimated at between £0 and £60m over the maximum duration of the framework agreement. 

The Council will be under no obligation to utilise the framework agreement. No guarantee is given towards volume or value of work under this framework agreement. 

Procurement Process 

The procurement will be conducted in accordance with the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 (the PCR). The procurement is subject to the ‘light-touch regime’ under Section 7 Social and Other Specific Services of Part 2 of the PCR. Under Regulation 76 the Council is free to establish its own procurement procedure, provided that the procedure is sufficient to ensure compliance with the principles of transparency and equal treatment of economic operators (service providers) and is initiated by a contract notice.  

The process that has been developed for this procurement considers the unique nature of this market and has been designed so as to fully utilise the flexibility provided by the services falling within the ‘light-touch regime’. 

Further details are available in the procurement documents. 

How to express an interest 

If you wish to apply for this framework agreement please follow the steps below: 

• Register your company free of charge via the London Tenders Portal. 
• Await acceptance. You will receive an email confirming your username and password.
• Use your username and password to log into the London Tenders Portal and express your interest in Contract Number 2324-0071 Flexible Framework Agreement for the Procurement and Management of Nightly Purchased Accommodation: categories  98000000 : Other community, social and personal services; 98341000 Accommodation Services. 

Shortly after you have expressed interest, you will receive a second email containing a link to access the tender documents. 

Deadlines 

The deadline for expressions of interest is: Friday 26 September 2025 at 11.59am. 
Submission of Tender documents by: Friday 3 October 2025 at midday.
Late submissions will not be accepted. 

Additional information 

• Islington Council and its partners are committed to work towards a ‘Fairer Islington’, for more information see www.islington.gov.uk.
• Please do not include any publicity material with your submissions.
• Islington Council aims to provide equality of opportunity and welcomes applicants who meet the qualitative selection from black and minority ethnic communities and disabled groups. 
• The Council encourages all types of organisation who meet the qualitative selection including Voluntary and Community Sector (VCS) organisations, Social Enterprises or not for profit enterprises and small to medium enterprises (SME) to tender.   
• Your submission will be marked in stages.  Only applicants who meet the requirements at each stage will progress to the next stage.  Further details will be contained in the tender documents.
• Please include the Contract Number of this tender process when communicating with the Council in any way.
• Applicants are advised that all costs incurred either directly or indirectly in preparation, submission or otherwise related to this advertisement will be borne by them, and in no circumstances will the council be responsible for any such costs. Applicants are also advised that the Council at its sole discretion acting reasonably and in good faith reserves the right to abandon the procurement at any stage prior to contract award.
• As part of a commitment to transparency the Council is now publishing all spend over £500 each month. This includes spend on contracts, so the successful contractors should expect details of spend against the contract to appear on the Council website Islington Council: Council contracts. The Council is also committed to publishing tender and contract documentation after contract award stage. Commercially sensitive information will be redacted from documentation. What constitutes commercially sensitive information is a matter for the Council’s sole discretion. However, tenderers will be invited to identify information they consider to be commercially sensitive in their tender return and this will be taken into account in the Council forming a view.