Stoke-on-Trent City Council's Extra care housing bidders reduced to three

Three bidders have been successful in progressing onto the next procurement stage of a £108m programme to build 390 homes for older people.

Stoke-on-Trent City Council has completed the Invitation to Submit Outline Solutions stage of its extra care PFI programme, and has reduced the number of bidder consortia from four to three.

The remaining bidders have now been invited to submit detailed solutions to deliver much needed ‘extra care’ housing in the city – where older people can live independently and have the option of round the clock personal care, should they require it.

The remaining bidders, who have until November to complete the Invitation to Submit Detailed Solutions (ISDS) stage, are:

• Balfour Beatty, Progress Housing Group, Mansell Construction, Nicholl Thomas Architects.
• Extra Care Solutions 4 Stoke-on-Trent, a consortium of Equitix, Riverside Housing, Keepmoat, Morrison Facilities Management and West and Machell Architects.
• Sapphire, a consortium of Eric Wright Group, Harvest Housing, Seddon Construction and PRP Architects.

The scheme will develop 390 homes across the city via a 25-year contract to design, build, finance and operate the properties, and is a key element within the council’s Mandate for Change initiative, to promote independence and healthy lives in the city.

Councillor Ruth Rosenau, cabinet member for regeneration, planning and transportation, said:

“The procurement process in delivering a housing scheme of this size and scope is necessarily very rigorous.

“The next stage is where we see the detailed ideas and aspirations of the bidders. We look forward to seeing their vision of the future of older people’s housing and community facilities in our city."

The selection of the final preferred bidder and start of the phased construction of the homes will take place in 2013.