Prisoners Building Homes - Professional, Technical and Programme Delivery Support Services

1. Background

Local Partnerships is the host organisation for Prisoners Building Homes (PBH), a government programme bringing together housing delivery and rehabilitation outcomes.

PBH works with public-sector organisations to unlock land for high-quality, affordable homes while creating employment, training and skills opportunities for people in prison and post-release.

PBH supports organisations across the housing development lifecycle, including site identification and assessment, feasibility, planning, procurement and construction support.

The PBH programme is growing and Local Partnerships is considering procuring external professional, technical and programme-delivery capability to supplement the PBH team and provide flexible capacity as the housing pipeline develops.

This Preliminary Market Engagement (PME) will inform the scope, structure, commercial model and procurement strategy for any future requirement. No final procurement structure has been determined.

2. Purpose and Delivery Principles

Local Partnerships has not predetermined the final procurement structure but wishes to avoid disconnected service delivery.

The intention of the proposed procurement is to supplement, not replace, PBH's internal capability. Providers would work collaboratively with the PBH team and participating public-sector organisations, while PBH retains programme oversight, standards, client relationships and strategic direction.

In terms of any procured services, Local Partnerships does not intend to establish a fragmented model requiring management of multiple disconnected consultants across individual sites or development stages. The preferred outcome is an integrated model delivering continuity and clear accountability, potentially through a multidisciplinary consortium, lead delivery partner with an integrated specialist supply chain, or equivalent arrangement, providing:

• continuity of site knowledge through the development lifecycle;
• clear accountability for coordinating and progressing sites;
• coordinated access to required specialisms and professional disciplines;
• flexible capacity and scalability as the number, stage and complexity of sites change in a nationwide context;
• access to specialist and SME capability without transferring supply-chain management to the PBH team;
• consistent PBH processes, standards, data and reporting delivering value for money; and
• opportunities for innovation (see section 4, below).

This PME will test the optimum contractual and commercial structure, including how SMEs and specialists can participate without increasing PBH's supplier-management burden.

3. Potential Scope of Services

The potential service requirements may include:

Portfolio and Site Assessment: portfolio review; identification of housing opportunities; desktop assessment; opportunities and constraints analysis; site grading/prioritisation; development capacity; feasibility/viability; and identification of planning, infrastructure and delivery constraints.

Development and Programme Management: development, programme and project management; multidisciplinary team coordination; programme planning; information, risk, issue and stakeholder management; governance/reporting; funding/delivery strategy; and coordination across multiple sites and clients.

Feasibility, Design and Planning: feasibility/capacity studies; concept design/layouts; architectural services; planning strategy, pre-application and applications; technical design coordination; specialist consultants/surveys; stakeholder engagement; and Section 106/planning support.

Commercial, Viability and Procurement: quantity surveying, cost planning, viability and commercial advice; funding-gap analysis; procurement strategy; risk allocation; tender documentation; specifications/contract particulars; procurement management; tender evaluation; and support appointing housebuilders/contractors.

Construction and Employer's Agent: Employer's Agent and contract administration; development/project management; programme monitoring; cost/risk management; quality assurance; issue resolution; stakeholder coordination; governance/client reporting; contractor performance information; and completion/handover support.

The model should support a large and changing pipeline and coordinate required disciplines as an integrated delivery team.

4. Technology, Data, Standardisation and Scalability

Local Partnerships wishes to understand how innovative use of technology, data, automation and standardisation could improve efficiency and scalability, including:

• rapid site assessment and constraints analysis;
• portfolio prioritisation and viability;
• data and workflow management;
• multidisciplinary coordination;
• dashboards and performance reporting;
• knowledge management and systems integration; and
• standardised appraisal, feasibility, viability, governance, technical, procurement and reporting processes.

Local Partnerships welcomes approaches combining professional expertise, integrated processes, technology, data and automation to increase capacity efficiently while retaining appropriate professional judgement.

Note that technology relating to management of justice-involved individuals or PBH workforce integration is outside scope.

5. PBH Workforce Integration (NOTE - RETAINED FUNCTION)

Workforce integration is a core PBH function and IS NOT within the scope of the proposed external services.

PBH will retain responsibility for prison and justice-partner relationships; PBH housebuilder accreditation and standards; employer engagement/readiness; engagement with justice-involved individuals; matching to employment and skills opportunities; safeguarding and associated risk management; employment/skills pathways; and monitoring workforce and social-value outcomes.

External providers will not manage PBH participants or operate PBH's workforce-integration programme.

Providers will work alongside this retained function and, where relevant, provide project, programme, contractor and construction information enabling PBH to plan opportunities and monitor delivery.

6. Organisations We Would Like to Hear From

Local Partnerships welcomes expressions of interest from the broadest range of relevant organisations.

This may include responses from multidisciplinary professional teams; existing or potential consortia; lead delivery partners; development/programme managers; property and construction consultancies; integrated architectural, planning, commercial and technical teams; Employer's Agent providers; quantity surveyors/cost consultants; specialist technical advisers; technology, PropTech, data and automation providers; and SMEs.

It is recognised that all capability may not reside within one single organisation and welcomes collaborative arrangements capable of providing an integrated multidisciplinary service.

7. Estimated Contract Value and Contract Dates

Local Partnerships is considering an initial 12-month contract commencing approximately 1 April 2027, with options for up to three further 12-month extensions, giving a potential maximum term of four years.

Extensions would be at Local Partnerships' discretion, taking account of performance, PBH programme requirements, pipeline, funding, PBH internal capability and value for money.

Anticipated expenditure is approximately £1m-£1.5m per annum, giving an indicative maximum contract value of up to £6 million over the full potential four-year period. There is no guarantee of minimum expenditure, annual spend, volume of work or number of sites. Actual expenditure will be demand-led and dependent on the number, stage and complexity of sites, services required and availability of PBH internal resource.

Local Partnerships is interested in commercial arrangements enabling capacity and expenditure to flex with the PBH pipeline while maintaining value for money.