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RSLs' Concern About Tendering

Registered Social landlords have been getting in touch with the HSEU to say how concerned they are about the policy and practice of tendering. The concerns were summarised by Fiona Stringfellow of Dunedin Canmore below:

" Registered Social Landlords have two main concerns:

1. Providers of support services (which are also RSLs) are being asked to tender for services that they may have been running successfully for many years. (Edinburgh is looking at tendering of all homelessness services)
2. RSL's have numerous partnership arrangements with the voluntary sector where buildings are either purpose built for use by agencies or where tenancies are provided and support brought in by an agency to enable the tenant to sustain their tenancy.

In the latter case, I have been speaking to support agencies as I was concerned about the impact that reduced housing support funding and tendering will have on tenants sustaining their tenancies.

If tendering of services happens and the agency loses out on the contract, there is the transition stage between agencies transferring over. There is a danger that the tenants become lost in this process and the impact there could be on the sustainability of their tenancy. The impact would fall on Housing Officers to manage any difficulties with the tenancy as a result of co-ordination difficulties with the "old" service provider and the "new" service provider. I'm just not sure that many RSL's are aware of these developments and issues.

Where RSL's have purpose built developments for particular agencies, they could find themselves being faced with a new provider who they have no knowledge of, or working relationship when they own the building and the council tenders the service being operated in the building.'
The issues raised are important to providers and the HSEU is keen to gather suggestions about how to provide a smooth transition. If this issue has affected you or you have any comment to make please get in touch with Moira Weir.