How to do business with Your Homes Newcastle

About Your Homes Newcastle

Your Homes Newcastle (YHN) is an Arms Length Management Organisation that was established by Newcastle City Council in 2004 to manage its housing stock, which currently consists of approximately 28,000 properties located across the City. In addition YHN also provides other services such as community care alarm and a furniture service. 

Advertising our contracts

When letting contracts, we are obliged to follow our own set of procedures as well as European and National legislation. This determines how contracts will be advertised.

Where legislation dictates that contracts must be advertised in the Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU), we will ensure that this is done promptly and in line with the legislation.

To search for such contracts, please visit the Tenders Electronic Daily website (www.ted.europa.eu) which is maintained by the European Commission. This site shows all of our contracts which are currently being advertised in the OJEU. Please note that we may also advertise these contracts in the local press.

To find our contracts simply put the following in the advanced search fields:

• Search scope e.g. All current Notices
• Country (UK)
• Select 'Show More Filters'
• Type of Authority (Regional or Local Authority)
• Authority name (Newcastle)

Contracts which do not have to be advertised in the OJEU will also be advertised on our electronic tendering website https://www.nepo.org. This link will take you directly to the portal, where all 11 local authorities in the North East advertise procurement opportunities.

In order to see YHN specific opportunities please follow this process:

• Click on 'Find Out More' under View Opportunities
• Click on 'Current Opportunities'
• Select 'Newcastle City Council' from the Organisation drop down box
• Then click 'Update' tab. This will display all opportunities that are open to all suppliers. Those that relate to YHN are prefixed 'YHN'. Other Prefixes used include: 
  • ‘HRA’ - Housing Revenue Account
  • ‘LHL’ - Leazes Homes

This website is used to call for competition on the majority of procurements over the value of £25,000 and includes EU related contracts. You can register on this website by entering the ‘Suppliers Area’.

• Click on 'Find Out More' under Stay Informed
• Click on 'Register as a Supplier' and follow the instructions

This web site is also used by other local authorities so you will also be able to see other procurements that are taking place in the region.

You may also find it useful to visit the Crown Commercial Service website which acts as a central purchasing body for the public sector.

In addition all contracts over £25,000 are advertised on the Government's contract finder website

How to tender

To be considered for a contract, you need to express an interest which can be done via our electronic tendering website. This website, and the list of contracts currently being advertised, is updated on a regular basis.

Once you have submitted an expression of interest, the tender documents will be made available for download on our electronic tendering website.

It is very important that you follow the instructions given. If you don’t, it may lead to your submission not being evaluated.

The tender documentation is likely to include information such as:

• Instructions on how to tender
• The specification for the contract
• How the contract must be priced
• Evaluation criteria
• The contractual terms on which you will be contracted in the event of being successful
• Other relevant information

You may also be asked to complete a standard selection questionnaire or suitability assessment questions which will determine whether you meet our minimum corporate requirements (construction-related work is dealt with separately – see below).

The questionnaire/questions will assess your competency for performing the contract across a number of areas which may include the following:

• Supplier information
• Exclusion grounds
• Technical and professional ability
• Economic and financial standing
• Modern slavery
• Insurance requirements
• Skills and apprentices

Constructionline

For sub OJEU construction related work, we ask that suppliers are either Constructionline accredited or complete a standard selection questionnaire or suitability assessment questionnaire. More information can be found at www.constructionline.co.uk. As part of this, we require construction contractors to be Safety Schemes in Procurement (SSiP) accredited, such as through CHAS or Exor.

Contractors should not sub-contract any work or any part of it without our prior written consent.

Terms and Conditions

When suppliers receive orders for the provision of goods and services there are terms and conditions which must be followed. 

Any special terms of contract that are appropriate to particular procurements such as goods, services and works will be sent out in our tender information.

Electronic trading

As part of our Corporate Procurement Strategy, we are committed to increasing the levels of electronic business. This includes electronic tendering, ordering, processing invoices and direct payment.

Our aim is to increase the effectiveness and efficiency of letting contracts whilst maintaining a robust and competitive procurement.

Supplier complaints

YHN will adopt a variety of contract monitoring arrangements appropriate to the value and nature of each contract. Most complaints will be discussed and resolved through these arrangements. However, if any organisation has a complaint about unfair treatment or discrimination that cannot be resolved through normal commercial contact with YHN, the complaint can be made in writing through YHN’s complaints procedure.

Organisations who have tendered under the European Public Procurement Rules can take action in the High Court if they have been harmed or are at risk of being harmed by YHN breaking these regulations. Anyone who feels they have not been treated fairly can also complain to the European Commission.

If you are unwilling to make a complaint in person, the Cabinet Office operates a Mystery Shopper service who are willing to make enquiries on your behalf – please see https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/mystery-shopper-scope-and-remit  for more information.

YHN's policies

SMEs

We want to make sure that small and medium enterprises are given the same opportunities as more-established companies when tendering for work. We recognise that SMEs can enhance competition and provide responsive, innovative solutions. Therefore we aim to let contracts in such a way that encourages SMEs to tender, including the lotting of contracts and the use of Quick Quotes (a simplified quotation procedure for the purchase of goods, works and services between £25,000 and £100,000) where appropriate.

Equality

We strongly support equal opportunities and expect high standards of the firms which we contract with. We aim to ensure that organisations that provide services on our behalf comply with equality legislation and promote equality of opportunity. This will be reflected in our contractual terms and any post-contract monitoring.

Sustainable Procurement

Sustainable procurement makes sure that the acquisition of goods and services has little adverse impact, or indeed has a beneficial impact, on people and the environment.

We expect our contractors to help us in meeting our objectives and this will be reflected in our specification and contractual terms.

Social Value

The Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012 became ‘live’ on 31^st January 2013. It requires that all public bodies, including YHN, consider:

1.   How what is proposed to be procured might improve the economic, social and environmental well-being its area, and
2.   How, in conducting the process of procurement, it might act with a view to securing that improvement.

YHN will therefore seek to maximise the social value that it gets from its procurement activity. Contract conditions may include provisions that benefit the local area and YHN’s residents, within the boundaries established by EU law.