Scope
Reference
TGP492
Description
The Guinness Partnership Limited (Guinness) and all of our subsidiaries have a requirement for a supplier to provide a contact centre service outside of the operating hours of our in house contact centre. The service is required to offer our residents 24/7/365 access to a telephone service in an emergency situation with immediate risk to health and safety. The out of hours service is required during the hours of 8pm to 8am Monday to Friday and from 8pm on Friday through to 8am on Monday and includes all public holidays. The supplier will also be required to provide cover during normal working hours in the event that Guinness are unable to take calls.
It is possible during the contract that the supplier will be expected to use other forms of communication for example email and web chat.
Total value (estimated)
- £1,104,250 excluding VAT
- £1,325,100 including VAT
Above the relevant threshold
Contract dates (estimated)
- 1 July 2026 to 30 June 2029
- Possible extension to 30 June 2032
- 6 years
Description of possible extension:
The contract may be extended by up to three years which may be taken in full or as single annual extensions.
Guinness give no guarantee that the contract will be extended.
Options
The right to additional purchases while the contract is valid.
Other forms of communication may be introduced during the contract term, for example email and web chat.
The hours of operation could be extended should the hours of operation of the in house contact centre change.
Main procurement category
Services
CPV classifications
- 79510000 - Telephone-answering services
Contract locations
- UKC - North East (England)
- UKD - North West (England)
- UKE - Yorkshire and the Humber
- UKF - East Midlands (England)
- UKG - West Midlands (England)
- UKH - East of England
- UKI - London
- UKJ - South East (England)
- UKK - South West (England)
Participation
Legal and financial capacity conditions of participation
Suppliers are required to have a minimum turnover of £2,209,000 for each of the last two accounting periods.
Suppliers are required to have a Dun & Bradstreet Impact of Supplier Failure Score of 50 or above.
Particular suitability
Small and medium-sized enterprises (SME)
Submission
Tender submission deadline
19 January 2026, 12:00pm
Submission address and any special instructions
Tenders may be submitted electronically
Yes
Languages that may be used for submission
English
Award decision date (estimated)
16 March 2026
Award criteria
| Name | Type | Weighting |
|---|---|---|
| Quality | Quality | 55% |
| Price | Price | 40% |
| Operational scenario | Quality | 5% |
Other information
Description of risks to contract performance
1) Awaab's Law came into effect October 2025 with the law due to be extended in 2026 and 2027 to address further Housing Health and Safety Rating System hazards. The Contract requirements may require modifying to cover these new requirements and ensure that it remains compliant with the Law.
2) There is the ever-present possibility of mergers between Guinness and other housing organisations, which could substantially alter the current property numbers and volume of calls and potentially increase the number of contact centres that Guinness operate. Whilst there are not currently any such major projects known to the Procurement Team, this is extremely common within our sector (for e.g. Guinness has recently completed a merger with another HA, Shepherd's Bush HA), so this is not outside of the realms of possibility.
3) The number of properties owned by Guinness will fluctuate due to property disposal, acquisition, or the development build programme which in turn will have an impact on the expected volume of calls under this Contract and subsequently the Contract value.
4) The contract has provision to extend the contract for a further three years. The extensions may be exercised as single years or as one period of three years.
5) External factors could also impact upon the scope and associate cost of requirements, due to the introduction of new legislation or regulation. For example changes in law relating to National Insurance and Minimum National Wage may impact the Supplier's ability to deliver the Contract at the tendered sum and in line with CPI provisions in the Contract. It is not possible to predict any increases in labour costs and the impact on the Contract value. The Contract may need modification to account for any increase to the Contract value above CPI provisions in the Contract.
6) The hours of operation of the out of hours contact centre service could change if any changes are made to the operating hours of the in house contact centre.
Applicable trade agreements
- Government Procurement Agreement (GPA)
Conflicts assessment prepared/revised
Yes
Procedure
Procedure type
Open procedure
Contracting authority
THE GUINNESS PARTNERSHIP LIMITED
- Companies House: IP031693
- Public Procurement Organisation Number: PBNQ-4523-TMYT
7th Floor, 350 Euston Road
London
NW1 3AX
United Kingdom
Email: procurement@guinness.org.uk
Region: UKI31 - Camden and City of London
Organisation type: Public undertaking (commercial organisation subject to public authority oversight)