Trafford council invites bids for £100m housing upgrade

Trafford Metropolitan Borough Council is seeking contractors to undertake £100m worth of housing improvement work over a four-year period.

The work is subject to approval being given to the transfer of approximately 10,000 dwellings to Trafford Housing Trust. If approval is given on schedule, the transfer will take place in February 2005.

In the interim the council is asking contractors to bid for a  four-year framework agreement from which selected contractors will be invited to tender for individual contracts. The composition of the contracts has yet to be determined.

The work will comprise of general and catch-up repairs, along with major component renewals including, external doors, windows, kitchens and bathrooms, re-wiring and new heating services.

The breakdown of the first year's work will comprise the replacement of windows in around 900 dwellings, the re-roofing of 140 dwellings and the replacement of kitchens, bathrooms, re-wiring and installation of new heating systems to 1,100 units. These will be let as three separate contracts.

Later works will include improvements to blocks of flats, sheltered accommodation, multi-storey dwellings, tower blocks and non-traditional housing stock, such as steel and concrete-framed system-built properties.