Estate Cleaning Services · UK public procurement notice

BACKGROUND TO NPH

Northamptonshire Partnership Homes (NPH) are an arm’s length management organisation, formed in January 2015 that manages over 11,500 homes on behalf of West Northamptonshire Council (WNC). Currently, NPH is a wholly owned subsidiary of WNC, a Company Limited by Guarantee (CLG) and a not-for-profit organisation. This means that our income is put back into providing housing, housing related service, and supporting the communities we work in. However, bidders should note that following a decision taken by WNC in November 2025, the services undertaken by NPH will be transitioned back under direct control of the Council. The current completion date for the transition of all services from NPH to the Council is by April 2027, it is therefore important for bidders to note that this contract will be initially entered into by NPH, but at some point, it is anticipated that this contract will be novated to WNC in conjunction with the transfer of NPH’s own staff and service functions that this contract supports.

PURPOSE OF THIS NOTICE

NPH is undertaking early market engagement to inform the development of a forthcoming procurement for estate cleaning services across its property portfolio. The purpose of this engagement is to understand market capacity, service innovations, commercial models, and potential delivery approaches that could support a high quality, efficient, and sustainable cleaning service.

This activity is conducted in line with the UK Procurement Act 2023, which encourages open and transparent engagement with suppliers prior to launching a formal competition. Participation is voluntary and will not influence or prejudice any future procurement process.

CONTEXT

NPH manages diverse estates comprising 858 blocks of general needs type residential accommodation serving the needs of 5800 dwellings, together with 2 blocks of older person type accommodation, plus third-party agreements with 2 extra care providers across Northampton, and an additional 2 developments catering for homeless provision. Included within the contract is office cleaning for the main NPH Office situated in Northampton, together with 18 Community Hubs.

The current cleaning arrangements are due for review with the contract expiring on 30th November 2026 so we are exploring options as to how this future requirement may be delivered, and to understand the current market.

The future contract may be outcome or frequency based and may include:

•Routine internal and external cleaning of communal areas

•Periodic deep cleaning

•Litter picking and waste management support

•Graffiti removal

•Responsive cleaning tasks

OBJECTIVES OF THE ENGAGEMENT

NPH would like to engage with suppliers experienced in delivering estate cleaning services within residential or mixed-tenure housing environments, and including feedback on service delivery models, resident satisfaction approaches, social value delivery, environmental sustainability, technological innovation, workforce management, risk mitigation, and cost considerations.

Information gathered may be used to refine NPH’s requirements and inform its approach to the future procurement.

The engagement aims to:

•Test the feasibility of proposed service requirements and delivery models.

•Review how contract performance and cleaning standards are commonly monitored and assessment by both contractor and client.

•Understand market appetite, capacity, and potential barriers to participation.

•Explore opportunities for innovation, sustainability, and continuous improvement.

•Ensure the future competition is accessible to a diverse supplier base, including SMEs, VCSEs, and local providers.

NPH will be engaging with its customers to establish the level of service they require in

respect of their cleaning service & the value of money that is considered meets the needs

of our customers.

SCOPE OF FUTURE PROCUREMENT

While no final decisions have been made, NPH anticipates that the future tender will include a

contract term of between 3–5 years, with potential extension options. NPH are

considering (and will be finalising following early market engagement) whether to offer the

contract as a single supplier or multiple suppliers and/or lot structure.

This notice does not constitute a call for competition. A separate tender notice will be

published if the authority proceeds with a formal procurement.

ENGAGEMENT ACTIVITIES

NPH intends to conduct some or all of the following activities:

•Invite comments to this notice and the available outcome and frequency-based specifications from your professional viewpoint.

•Optional one-to-one market conversations.

•Sharing of early-stage service specifications for comment.

•Site visits.

•Invite comments on indicative pricing matrices and feedback on indicative market rates for the requirements

Insights gathered will be used solely to shape the authority’s approach and will not be used for supplier selection. Suppliers may participate in any or all activities. Participation or non-participation will not affect future tender opportunities.

HOW TO PARTICIPATE

Suppliers interested in taking part in this premarket engagement and helping us shape a compliant, informed, rigorous tender, which provides NPH and excellent service with good value for money should register their interest by contacting the authority by emailing [email protected] .

When responding, suppliers are encouraged to provide:

•A brief overview of their organisation and relevant experience

•Any initial observations on the proposed scope

•Interest in attending engagement sessions

•Any accessibility or reasonable adjustment requirements

Further information involving the publication of the actual tender and further engagement options will be issued to registered suppliers at the appropriate time.