Victory Hill Management Company Limited RFP for Winterthur Way estate at RG21 7UB October 2014

Transcription

1 Request for Proposal The tender is invited by Victory Hill Management Company Limited [VHMC or the Company ], a Residential Management Company limited by guarantee with no shares, company registration number , registered in England and Wales with registered office at Basepoint Business Centre, 1 Winnall Valley Road, Winchester, Hants, SO23 0LD The Company wishes to appoint a property management services agent [the Agent] to provide property management services at an estate of 386 dwelling units plus common areas located at Winterthur Way, Basingstoke, Hants, RG21 7UB. Period of Engagement VHMC intends to award a contract for an initial 2 years of service commencing 1 st January The contract will be renewable by mutual agreement. A break clause of 3 months notice will apply that may be invoked by the Company or the Agent after 12 months of service has been completed. Requirements The requirements of VHMC are set out in the following documents: This invite to tender. Part 1 An overview of the Winterthur Way development [the Estate] Part 2 The tender questions (a full response is required) Part 3 Company services Part 4 Potential site services Part 5 Response guidelines Tender Period and Clarifications Tenders are to be returned by post or by hand in a sealed package to The Estate Office, Winterthur Way, Basingstoke RG21 7UB by 31 st October Confirmation of submission of the tender should be sent by to martin@winterthur.co.uk with copy to wayne@winterthurway.co.uk not later than 31 st October Requests for clarification may be addressed to the addresses above not later than 27 th October Award Criteria VHMC is seeking a managing partner who will offer: Clear and innovative vision of estate management Clarity of policy on service delivery based on demonstrable experience Accessibility to Directors of the Company, the Owners and the Residents Value for money VHMC does not undertake to award a contract to the lowest or to any bidder. Issued 17th October 2014 Martin Edge, Chair VHMC Wayne Buckley, Operations Director, VHMC 1

2 Part 1: Overview of Winterthur Way Estate The estate consists of 386 dwelling units plus common areas. Approximately 25% of the dwellings are owner occupied, the remainder being let. The dwellings are split across 9 separate blocks varying in size between 4 and 96 units Each block is managed as a discrete cost centre with each dwelling contributing to costs associated with common areas. Common areas include a number of undercroft car parking areas, a multi storey car park, a number of out buildings (refuse storage, bike storage etc) and a small estates office. VHMC employs 2 caretakers (1FT & 1PT) to administer on-site activities. Further information about the estate, including prior year management accounts, are available online at the estates website, 2

3 Part 2: Tender Questions The tenderer is required to respond in full to each of the questions noted below. In addition, the tenderer is invited to provide any further such information as they deemed either necessary or appropriate to aiding VHMCs understanding of the response to be provided. 1. Please provide all relevant company details including the names and qualifications of all directors and a list of proprietors if not a quoted company. 2. How close are your nearest offices to our estate? 3. How many years has your organisation been in the property management business? 4. How many staff in your company are involved with property management? 5. How many blocks do you manage, and how many units therein? 6. Please supply three references for blocks you manage. Ideally these should be similar to our own estate and in our area. 7. Please supply name and telephone number of chairman/secretary of the residents association or board of directors of those blocks. 8. What is your fee structure? 9. Will your fees carry VAT? 10. How can you convince us that you can offer a quality service at a fair cost? 11. How comprehensive a panel of contractors do you have? 12. Do you charge a fee for contractor selection and/or a percentage of their charges: Contractors chosen by you? Contractors chosen by us? 13. What selection criteria do you use for contractors on your panels? 14. How often does a representative from your company visit blocks you manage and check on how your contractors fulfill their obligations? 15. What IT facilities do you have and what information can you record and keep updated? 16. Are you registered under the Data Protection Act? 17. Where and how do you keep service charge monies, and how are they administered and who receives any interest? 18. Can you supply an example of the format of financial information & reporting that you will use for our estate? 19. Can you supply an example of the format of operational reporting that you will use for our estate? 20. How do you deal with unpaid service charges what procedures are in place to deal with nonpaying lessees? 21. How do you deal with lessees in breach of their leases? 22. How do you deal with complaints? 23. Do you offer an out-of-office-hours service for emergencies? If so, please provide details. 24. What length of notice period do you require? 25. List all those of your staff we are likely to liaise with and their qualifications. 26. List any professional or trade bodies to which your firm belongs. 27. What IT systems do you use to support member & resident interactions (i.e.: online payment service charge payment solutions; on-line issue management portal etc) 28. What innovative projects / products or services have you successfully implemented at other sites that you think we could benefit from? 29. How do you identify, share & exploit best practice between your sites? Please provide an example of where you have done this. 30. Provide full details of your professional indemnity insurance. 31. Provide proof of your financial probity 32. Provide a copy of any standard contract you use 3

4 Part 3: Company Services The tenderer is expected to provide the following services as part of any contract: Section 1: Provision of Financial Services 1.1 Preparation of an annual budget for service charges 1.2 Regular billing and collection of service charges, including management fees 1.3 Provision & management of on-line account management tool (e.g.: to allow members to review and pay service charges due) 1.4 Provision of a monthly budget report of income, expenditure and cash flow 1.5 Preparation of annual accounts prior to examination by an independent accountant 1.6 Preparation of a reserve fund plan relating to cyclical maintenance 1.7 Periodic (weekly/monthly & as required) payment of wages and other invoices 1.8 Arrears collection management 1.9 Provision of advice on block insurance and any other appropriate cover 1.10 Opening & management of bank accounts Section 2: Maintaining Relationships with Members & Residents 2.1 Attend to routine enquiries from lessees and residents 2.2 Respond to solicitors and lessees enquiries regarding assignments and licences 2.3 Attendance at members general meetings (typically 2 per year) 2.4 Attendance at residents forums (typically 4 times per year) 2.5 Administration of insurance claims 2.6 Liaising with any residents group or association 2.7 Produce a periodic newsletter to residents and other circulars 2.8 Manage and maintain website on behalf of the board. Section 3: Maintenance and Repairs 3.1 Preparation of a long-term maintenance and repair plan 3.2 Management & administration of repairs 3.3 Preparation (inc full specification), award and on-going management of contracts* 3.4 Advise on major contract work and the use of specialist professionals and contractors 3.5 Preparing specifications, obtaining tenders and supervising major works 3.6 Dealing with S20 consultations including serving required notices, instructing and liaising with specialist consultants, inspecting work in progress and handling retentions. 3.7 Preparation & enforcement of SLAs for maintenance & repairs (e.g.: elapsed time from issue raised to issue resolved) 3.8 Provision of monthly operational report (to include volume, value and status (wrt SLAs) of known maintenance defects/issues) 3.9 Undertaking regular site inspections with estates staff (not less than once per week) 4

5 Part 3: Company Services (cont) Section 4: Lease Enforcement 4.1 Understand the terms and requirements of Estate leases 4.2 Preparation and implementation of lease compliance policies to be approved by the Board. 4.3 Ensure compliance with the terms of leases and policies agreed with the Board and where necessary, subject to authorisation, instruct solicitors in relation to breaches 4.4 Represent the VHMC at County Court, arbitration and Tribunals Section 5: Staff Management 5.1 Define & implement job descriptions and agreed ways of working for estates staff 5.2 Recruit, manage & supervise estates staff on behalf of VHMC 5.3 Oversee the activities of contract staff 5.4 Ensure appropriate training and compliance with Health and Safety and employment legislation Section 6: Board Support 6.1 Advise the Board on residential landlord and tenant procedures including statute and practice 6.2 Advise the Board on a suggested management policy 6.3 Attend Board Meetings and be responsible for producing minutes (typically 12 per year) 6.4 Provide a status report of financial, maintenance and legal matters; 6.5 Report on significant lessee communications 6.6 Document management procedures and issues 6.7 Keep Board informed of status of agreed actions 6.8 Company secretarial work (e.g.: preparation and distribution of the notices for the AGM/EGMs; Issuance and management of membership & share certificates; sourcing and administration of meeting venues) 6.9 Risk management, fire and health and safety compliance 6.10 Maintaining adequate / suitable files and records on the management of the property. * Existing contracts include, but is not limited to: Domestic cleaning Window cleaning Carpet cleaning Bin cleaning Parking control Grounds maintenance Entry system maintenance Lift maintenance Sewage management Utilities electricity Utilities Water Pest control 5

6 Part 4: Potential Site Services The tenderer is expected to provide the following site services as part of any contract where such services are to be provided directly by the Agent on behalf of VHMC. Section 1: Site Administration Task Management Regular site survey & inspection On-going issue & defect identification & logging On-going specification & prioritisation of maintenance & repair tasks On-going task allocation & task management across the estates team Oversee the delivery of contract services (maintenance, repairs and major works) Administrative Support Enforcement Office administration (including staff scheduling & absence management) Resident collaboration (including responding to queries) Special request service & administration (including parcel keep safe service) Identification of parking policy infringements Enforcement of parking policy (inc issuing penalty charge notices) Identification of lease clause infringements Enforcement of lease clauses (inc issuing warning letters & penalty charge notices) Section 2: Estate Housekeeping Domestic The provision of a regular, on rotation, domestic cleaning service to include: Cleaning All carpeted areas vacuumed All hard floors scrubbed & washed All radiators dusted & damp wiped All walls spot cleaned removing finger marks Dust and polish all edges, ledges, sills, skirting and balustrades. All staircase treads, risers, balustrades and handrails cleaned Clean lift, and lift threshold, and lift carriage. All light and socket fittings wiped clean All cobwebs removed from ceilings / walls Sweep and mop front entrance area and steps. Ensure front doors and surrounds are clean. Polish fittings to front doors and entry phone panels. Remove rubbish. Remove unofficial and out of date posters and signage. Remove any one off stains on carpeting or floors. Window Cleaning Carpet Cleaning The provision of a regular, on rotation, window cleaning service to include: Clean all communal windows. The provision of a regular, on rotation, carpet cleaning service to include: The cleaning of all communal carpets The identification and removal of all stains and marks 6

7 Part 4: Potential Site Services (cont) Section 3: Estate Maintenance Grounds The provision of a regular, on rotation, grounds maintenance service to include: The regular maintenance of lawn and grass areas; hedges; and planted areas. The design, planting, establishment and maintenance of bedding schemes. The planting of new and replacement shrubs, hedges and bulbs etc. Routine maintenance tasks such as leaf clearance and pruning. The design of landscape features as requested. The regular maintenance of fencing panels & posts Routine maintenance of roadways, foot paths and car parks The regular maintenance of storage & waste disposal areas Clearance of drains and accessible guttering Removal of graffiti Removal of abandoned property & waste Disinfect dustbins and bin areas. Wash and clean external surfaces as required. Interior The provision of a regular, on rotation, interior light maintenance service to include: Regular maintenance of walls, ceilings & woodwork Repair and making good of plasterwork The filling & smoothing of cracks The repair of water stained areas The painting of walls & ceilings Wash down, sand, fill and make good all woodwork Section 4: Estates Team Establishment Costs Establishment The establishment of an estates team: Costs The recruitment & on-boarding of an estates team (to include training where required) The acquisition of equipment in support of those services listed in section 1 through to 3 The acquisition of uniforms The acquisition of comms capability for staff (e.g.: radios / phones) The provision of staff welfare facilities (e.g.: lockers & coffee making facilities within either the estate office or a dedicated storage area) 7

8 Part 5: Service Delivery Intent The tenderer is required to provide two alternative proposals wrt how site services may be delivered. The first response should assume that those site services listed in Part 4 of this document continue to be provided by third party contractors acting on behalf of VHMC but employed by the Agent. The second should assume that the site services are delivered by an in-house estates team recruited and managed by the Agent on behalf of VHMC. The tenderer should consider the following additional information regarding VHMC service delivery intent when developing the second tender response. Service delivery intent VHMC currently employs 2 caretakers (1FT + 1PT) to administer on-site activity. All other services are currently provided by third party contractors acting on behalf of VHMC. VHMC would like to explore the possibility of increasing the scope of work to be undertaken by its dedicated estates team. The team would be recruited, employed and managed by the Agent on behalf of VHMC. VHMC would like the estates team to take direct responsibility for all non-specialist housekeeping and light maintenance services shown in Part 4 of this RFP. VHMC anticipates that all specialist maintenance services (e.g.: major plumbing, electrical work plus any work at height) would continue to be provided by third party contractors acting on behalf of VHMC. VHMC anticipates that the required site services could be delivered to a standard exceeding the existing provision by a team comprised of no more than the following staff members: o 1 PT (30hrs) Estates Manager (working 4 shifts of 7.5hrs per week providing site administration and estate maintenance services) o 3 PT (15hrs) housekeepers (each working 4 shifts of 3.75hrs per week providing housekeeping services) o 1 PT (30hrs) and 2 PT(15hrs) maintenance staff (working 4 shifts of 7.5hrs per week and 4 shifts of 3.75hrs per week respectively on the provision of estate maintenance services) 8

9 Part 6 Response Guidelines The Tenderer is required to provide two alternative responses to this proposal: Response 1: Assuming service provision remains as-is (i.e.: all services are provided by third party contractors acting on behalf of VHMC) Response 2: Assuming non-specialist housekeeping and maintenance services as shown in Appendix III are brought in-house and undertaken by the a new estates team to be recruited and managed by the Agent. For each response, the tenderer shall indicate how the Services listed in Part 3 of this document shall be delivered as follows: Category 1 by the Agent s core staff based in Agent s regional office Category 2 by site staff employed by the Agent on behalf of VHMC Category 3 by sub-contractors employed by the Agent on behalf of VHMC Category 4 by another means (please specify) For each response, the Tenderer shall indicate his proposed financial offer as follows: For category 1 by the Agent s core staff based in Agent s regional office A fixed annual fee per unit For category 2 by site staff employed by the Agent on behalf of VHMC Anticipated number of site staff Anticipated annual salary cost (range) Agent s management fee (absolute, %of annual salary cost or other structure) For category 3 by sub-contractors employed by the Agent on behalf of VHMC Agents management fee (absolute, % of contract value or other structure) For category 4 by another means Please specify the means Agents management fee (cost structure) 9