Decision details
Contract for Selective Licensing Property Inspections
Decision Maker: Cabinet Member for Housing and Communities
Decision status: Recommendations Approved
Is Key decision?: Yes
Is subject to call in?: Yes
Purpose:
Permission to enter into a contract with
Buckingham Futures, for £790,500 for 1 year (with an option
to extend for up to three years in total) as part the Selective
Licensing scheme.
This will deliver up to 1,300 property licensing Housing Health and
Safety Rating System (HHSRS) inspections per annum for 12 months
with an option to extend up to 2 additional 12 months periods based
on performance and at the Council’s entire discretion. If
extended to give three years total, the expected total inspections
to be around 3,900. These inspections will be lower risk properties
allowing the council to focus resources on enforcement of the
scheme.
Decision:
Approval to enter into a contract with Buckingham Futures for the delivery of selective licensing property inspections. The contract is for 1 year with the option to extend up to three years in total with a fixed total sum of £790,500.
Reasons for the decision:
Awarding this contract will enable the Council to meet its target of inspecting 60% of licensed properties, as required by the scheme. Without the contract, there is a significant risk that the Council will fall behind on inspections, undermining the credibility and enforcement power of the scheme. A recent audit has already flagged that inspection delivery is behind schedule.
Using a contractor model mitigates the risks associated with recruitment difficulties and ensures continuity even if the scheme is not renewed beyond 2027. It also allows the Council to retain flexibility in staffing and avoid the costs associated with redundancy should inspection needs change in the future.
The proposed contract represents value for money, based on market comparisons and evaluation of submitted tenders. Buckingham Futures demonstrated a clear understanding of the Council’s requirements, a strong delivery plan, and a competitive price.
Alternative options considered:
Delivering inspections in-house: This was considered but discounted due to ongoing recruitment challenges, high training demands for graduate staff, and limited capacity to manage both inspection and enforcement work.
Directly hiring contract workers on hourly rates: This has been used in the past but requires significant management oversight and coordination. The proposed fixed-price, per-inspection model offers clearer cost control, reduced internal management burden, and greater accountability for delivery. As such this option was discounted.
Retendering with a revised scope or lower cost: A previous procurement was unsuccessful due to budget limitations. While the revised tender exceeds original cost projections, it reflects current market conditions, and further delays to secure a contractor will undermine the licensing regime – therefore this option has been discounted.
Publication date: 10/09/2025
Date of decision: 10/09/2025
Effective from: 13/09/2025
Accompanying Documents:
PDF 349 KB