Residents help choose new grounds maintenance contractor | News

Last week residents took part in meeting three contractors who had been invited to bid for our grounds maintenance service.

During the interviews, residents asked questions and were able to discuss and evaluate, together with Sussex Housing & Care staff, to decide which contractor to commission.

Tony Gibbs, leaseholder at Cheneys Lodge in Seaford, was one of six residents who took part in the meeting. Tony said: “I’ve always wanted to get involved in these things and I found the morning very insightful. I learnt about the procurement process and the key areas Sussex Housing & Care have to consider when awarding contracts.

Gardening is something that’s important to many residents and we like to have good communication with gardeners and attention to the little things. I enjoyed hearing everyone’s views and the contractors responses to our questions. I’m always learning at these meetings and I now appreciate that the one gardening contract provides a service to multiple schemes, not just where I live.
The meeting gave me the opportunity to spend time with residents from across Sussex Housing & Care’s schemes and we all got on well.”

Tracy Evans, Chief Executive, said: “It’s fantastic to see tenants and leaseholders taking part in the procurement of our services and having the opportunity to share questions and consider our contractors. Listening to residents’ feedback, ideas and wishes for our gardening service is important to us, and engaging residents in this process helps us to choose contractors who will deliver a great service, and put residents at the heart of everything they do.”

Resident’s participation at this procurement meeting is part of our Residents’ Sounding Board. This initiative encourages residents to feedback, discuss, scrutinise and shape our housing service to leaseholders and tenants. Any resident can be involved, as much or a little as they would like to be. The main group meets twice a year to discuss key projects and some residents, depending on their interests, may get involved in smaller projects.