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Fire safety procurement framework launched for Scottish social landlords
A new procurement framework has been launched to help Scottish social landlords meet new fire safety standards post-Grenfell.
The Dynamic Purchasing System covers areas of work such as fire risk assessments, sprinklers and fire doors and will offer the sector a range of preferred contractors to avoid the need for open procurement processes for the work.
The frameworks will be managed by Procurement for Housing (PfH) Scotland, specialist providers of procurement services to the housing sector and jointly owned by HouseMark, the National Housing Federation and the Chartered Institute of Housing and will be open to PfH members.
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The Scottish government established a Ministerial Working Group on Building and Fire Safety to review existing building and fire safety regulatory frameworks in Scotland after the Grenfell Tower fire in 2017.
In March last year, Kevin Stewart, housing minister in Scotland, announced plans to extend the existing standard for protection from smoke and fire required in private rented housing to social housing.
For social landlords, the new standard will require installation of more fire alarms than currently required, a maximum age of 10 years for alarms and the fitting of carbon monoxide detectors.
The Scottish government has also announced plans to make the installation of sprinkler systems compulsory in all new domestic buildings above four storeys in height.
Standards on fire doors are also expected to be strengthened UK-wide.
PfH is calling for contractors to register an interest in becoming a ‘preferred contractor’ under the new framework.
Stephen Herriot, head of operations at PfH Scotland, said: “The devastating fire at Grenfell Tower has precipitated some far-reaching policy changes concerning the protection of homes from smoke and fire.
“PfH Scotland’s new Dynamic Purchasing System is designed to help RSLs [registered social landlords] achieve compliance with the latest health and safety standards in all these areas as straightforwardly and cost-effectively as they can.”
