Bell is set to start a major retrofit project for Sanctuary Housing in the Northwest of England, following a competitive tender. The works will cover over 500 properties across Stoke, Cheshire and Chester, under the Greener Futures Partnership, with Bell winning the contract on the basis of both quality and value.
Sanctuary Housing, a not-for-profit housing association with a stock of over 105,000 accommodation units, is committing to improve the SAP ratings on 582 of its houses, up to at least a 72 SAP score, as part of the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund (SHDF) Wave 2 programme.
Due to the scale of the project and the unique requirements of the tender, Sanctuary opted to run a competition for the improvement works, which was undertaken by Pretium under the Greener Futures Partnership. The contractor selected would need to provide an economically viable solution utilising a primarily fabric first approach.
Bell, one of the largest property services contractors in the UK, tendered for and later won the tender, having provided details of how it would programme the works in each geographical area and demonstrating its expertise in delivering similar projects.
With works set to commence early this year, Bell is due to provide the primary measures expected as a part of the bid process for the SHDF grant. This includes external wall insulation, as well as draft proofing and cavity wall, flat roof and loft insulation. Additionally, the contractor will install new double-glazed windows, low energy lighting, solar PV heating systems and upgrade heating controls.
Lee Hamill, Chief Revenue Officer at Bell, commented: “We are delighted to win this significant contract with Sanctuary Housing and carry out the retrofit works on such a large number of homes. Having over 30 years’ experience in the social housing sector, we know how important it is to deliver excellent service. We constantly aim to ensure that we create places that people really want to live in — with a whole house approach to improving thermal efficiency and occupant comfort.”
