Responsive Housing Repairs and Void Property Services

The framework was procured as an open procedure under the Public Contracts (Scotland) Regulations 2015, advertised via the UK Find a Tender Service. It’s available to Scottish housing associations, local authorities, ALMOs, Police Scotland, Scottish Fire and Rescue, universities and further education establishments, registered charities, and subsidiaries of the above. Using this pre-tendered framework removes the need for a standalone procurement exercise and provides a compliant, defensible route to vetted suppliers. 

Maintaining SHQS-compliant stock requires contractors who understand what the standard demands and can evidence their work against it. Call-off contracts placed through this framework can specify SHQS requirements directly within the scope of works. Void refurbishment in particular creates opportunities to address any outstanding compliance issues before a property is re-let, including heating systems, electrical safety, and condition of kitchens and bathrooms. On the Charter side, the framework supports landlords in meeting their published repair response times. Service level agreements can be structured around your Charter commitments, whether that’s same-day emergency response or routine repairs completed within a set number of working days. 

They’re distinct procurement solutions serving different needs. The framework has pre-selected, ranked suppliers and supports both direct award to a top-ranked supplier and mini-competition among ranked suppliers. It’s suited to organisations with planned procurement cycles and a preference for stable, established contractor relationships. The DPS operates differently: new suppliers can join at any point during its lifetime, creating an evolving pool, and contracts can be tendered in as little as ten days. The DPS suits organisations with variable or unpredictable requirements, those needing rapid mobilisation, or those wanting to access a broader and more dynamic contractor market. PfH Scotland can help you decide which route better fits your organisation’s circumstances. 

The Charter requires landlords to meet their own published repairs standards, so your call-off SLA needs to be built around the commitments your organisation has already made to tenants. That typically means defining response categories (emergency, urgent, and routine) with specific timescales attached, communication protocols so tenants know what to expect and when, first-time fix rate targets, and satisfaction measurement processes. Contractors should be required to provide performance data at agreed intervals, enabling you to report against Charter performance indicators and satisfy any Scottish Housing Regulator engagement requirements. PfH Scotland can provide template SLA structures and help you adapt them to your specific Charter commitments. 

Void properties must meet a range of safety and compliance requirements before they can be re-let in Scotland. The Housing (Scotland) Act 2022 requires all Scottish homes to have interlinked smoke and heat alarms, and carbon monoxide detectors where there’s a carbon-fuelled appliance or flue, and void refurbishment is the natural point to ensure compliance. Gas installations must be inspected and certified by Gas Safe registered engineers. Electrical systems need periodic inspection and testing certificates before occupation. Water systems require checking for legionella risk, particularly in properties that have been empty for an extended period. Properties must also meet the Repairing Standard under the Housing (Scotland) Act 2006 and satisfy Scottish Building Standards where works have been carried out. Framework contractors should be experienced in producing the certification and documentation needed to evidence compliance before re-letting. 

Void turnaround is a key Scottish Housing Regulator performance indicator, and extended voids affect both rental income and housing need responsiveness. The framework supports faster turnaround in a few ways. Lot 1 gives access to contractors who can manage the full end-to-end void process, coordinating trades, security, cleaning, and certification rather than requiring the landlord to manage multiple separate contracts and scheduling dependencies. Call-off contracts can include turnaround time targets with performance provisions linked to delivery. For organisations with particularly high void volumes or pressure from the Regulator on void performance, PfH Scotland can help structure a call-off that prioritises mobilisation speed and sequential works management. 

The Scottish Government’s Fair Work First policy applies to public contracts in Scotland, with expectations around payment of the real Living Wage, fair employment practices, and action to close the gender pay gap. When running a mini-competition or placing a direct award through this framework, Fair Work First criteria can be incorporated into call-off tender documentation. PfH Scotland can advise on how to do this proportionately and in line with Scottish Government guidance, so your procurement demonstrates compliance without creating disproportionate burden for smaller contractors. 

Yes. The framework is structured to work across different delivery models. Fully outsourced arrangements see framework contractors managing all responsive repairs and void services on the landlord’s behalf, including call handling, repairs diagnostics, work scheduling, and contractor management. Top-up arrangements use framework contractors to supplement existing direct labour organisations during demand peaks, covering specialist trades or providing overflow capacity when in-house resource is stretched. Some organisations use Lot 4 or Lot 5 for specialist void cleaning or security while managing refurbishment works in-house. Call-off contracts can be tailored to reflect whichever model applies, with roles and responsibilities between in-house and contracted teams clearly defined in the SLA. 

The Procurement Reform (Scotland) Act 2014 requires contracting authorities to consider how procurement can improve economic, social, and environmental wellbeing. This framework supports that duty in several ways. The regional structure and strong SME presence (22 of 38 suppliers) help direct spend toward local contractors, supporting local employment and community investment. All suppliers are committed to paying the Real Living Wage. The quality evaluation included assessment of each supplier’s social impact and environmental commitments. Members using the framework can report on these dimensions as part of their own compliance with the Sustainable Procurement Duty. 

If a framework contractor isn’t delivering to the standards set out in your call-off contract, PfH Scotland recommends structured performance review meetings in the first instance to identify root causes and agree improvement plans with clear timescales. Where performance remains unsatisfactory, your call-off contract should contain provisions for financial deductions, step-in rights, or ultimately termination. It’s worth getting these provisions right at the specification stage, before contracts are signed. PfH Scotland’s contract management support can help you manage these conversations and, where necessary, support a transition to an alternative ranked supplier on the framework without the disruption of a full re-procurement.

Scottish weather patterns, particularly winter heating demand and storm-related damage, create seasonal repair spikes that need to be factored into budget planning alongside baseline repair volumes. Historical data on repair types, volumes, and costs gives the most reliable foundation, but properties approaching SHQS thresholds or EESSH2 compliance deadlines may need higher investment during void cycles rather than being managed purely reactively. Tracking the ratio of planned to reactive spending is a useful indicator of maintenance strategy effectiveness: organisations that allow reactive demand to dominate typically see higher unit costs and longer void periods over time. The M3NHF pricing structure used on this framework makes budget forecasting more reliable than open-book time-and-materials contracts, and PfH Scotland can help members access benchmarking data to sense-check budgets against comparable organisations.