Greenwich Council seeks modular homes provider in £320m deal

Greenwich London Borough Council has launched a search for a modular housing provider to be awarded a £320m contract. The contract notice published in the Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU) said the council seeks a “turnkey” provider to design, manufacture and install the homes, which will be built off-site. The provider will be responsible for the end-to-end development, including feasibility studies, obtaining planning consent, manufacture and delivery. The five-year contract will include the option to extend to 10 years, with the potential for up to 13 years of work due to delivery timescales. Bidders will be invited to a briefing day held by Greenwich Council, with the deadline for tenders being 1 March 2019. A Greenwich Council spokesperson said: “The aim of this contract is to secure a provider that can deliver new housing using modern methods of construction, where appropriate, and support us in delivering its ambitious plans for housing. Key to this will be having a provider that has the capacity, capability and skills to deliver. “We are delighted that the Mayor of London recently invested £32m in the borough which will go towards building new homes. We are determined to build even more council homes and are exploring ways of funding this.” In 2017, the council launched a £50m modular housing plan as a soft market test, seeking proposals from off-site specialists. The exercise looked to inform the current contract and was not afforded to any party. Within the borough, Berkeley has 22 prototype modular homes at its Urban Houses development in Kidbrooke Village and Essential Living’s 249-home modular build-to-rent scheme at Union Wharf in Deptford is due to open in early 2019, with the homes built by Elements Europe. To send feedback, e-mail emma.rosser@egi.co.uk or tweet @EmmaARosser or @estatesgazette