Provision of a Continuous Tenant Omnibus Survey (CTOS) 2011

Tender description

The Northern Ireland Housing Executive (NIHE) is a non-departmental public body established by the Housing Executive Act 1971, and is Northern Ireland’s single comprehensive regional housing authority. Further details are available on www.nihe.gov.uk The NIHE wishes to appoint a research contractor to conduct the fieldwork for its Continuous Tenant Omnibus Survey (CTOS) during the period Jan to Dec 2011. The CTOS collects information on the Housing Executive's tenants and their households. The information gathered is used to inform strategic and operational decisions in the field of social housing. CTOS is a major element of the Housing Executive's research programme. While it supports a number of Corporate Objectives, it is primarily linked to Objective 6 “Delivering Better Public Services” as set out in the Corporate Plan. It also helps monitor compliance with government legislation and policies. The CTOS focuses on the perceptions of Housing Executive tenants, examining issues such as customer satisfaction, attitudes to living in the public sector, and the social, economic and demographic profile of tenants. In the past it was felt that customer orientated attitudinal research could be distorted (either positively or negatively) by its timing - E.G., if the data collection coincided with a rent increase, or with press coverage of housing issues. The purpose of the continuous nature of this survey is to compensate for such distorting effects. The following broad guidelines are provided for contractors wishing to tender. Interviews are to be completed fully at 100 addresses in each of the Housing Executive's 34 Housing Management Districts over the period Jan to Dec 2011. Housing Management districts have the same boundaries as District Council Areas, with the exception of the Belfast & Derry Cy which are sub-divisions of the Belfast & Derry City Council Areas. Full details of the required services are available in the Specification Document.