Manchester Voids Maintenance

Contract: Joint Venture Company, Manchester Working Limited
Service: Relet Repairs (Voids Maintenance)
Total Contract Value: £50M per annum
Service Stream Value: £4M per annum
Commencement Date: September 2006
Contract Term: 7 years

Description

Manchester Working is a Joint Venture Company owned by Morrison Facilities Services (80%) and Manchester City Council. The company was established in 2006 and will be developed to take advantage of growth opportunities in the Manchester area and beyond.

The company was primarily established to provide repairs, maintenance and capital works to Manchester City Council’s social housing and public buildings estates. Manchester Working provides repairs, maintenance, capital works and relet services to the 16,000 properties under the management of Northwards Housing.

A standard price for void clearances has been agreed as part of the partnering contract and this has removed the need for variation orders to be raised, further reducing the administrative burden for Surveyors and Operatives.

Manchester Working is currently undertaking repairs to over 50 properties per week. Through the Partnering Initiative and the Core Partnering Team, new working arrangements have been agreed with the client team to improve efficiency of the voids maintenance management function. Many of the improved operational processes have been captured only because trust and cooperation exists between Manchester Working and the ALMO.

Client-side Housing Surveyors inspecting void properties now use a materials ‘pick list’ to identify the materials necessary to undertake the relet repairs. This has removed duplication of surveys and materials specification. Through its Operational Group, Manchester Working has provided Housing Surveyors training in the use of the materials picklist. This has reduced the total number of surveys undertaken by 50%.

The ALMO and Manchester Working have removed the need for Joint Handovers for certain categories of void properties. Properties are still subject to strict scrutiny and quality assessment against the agreed standard of quality and workmanship. Quality assessment is undertaken by Manchester Working with audit procedures agreed.

Manchester Working’s relet repairs team receive materials direct to site. To this end, we have entered a partnership with our material supply chain partner which includes direct delivery of materials to the void property.

For operational efficiency all voids when received from the client have their locks changed to a suited key system. This eases access issues for the Manchester Working relet repairs team and the ALMO’s Housing Surveyors.