Research Project: Arran Affordable Housing Demand

Tender description

Introduction North Ayrshire Council (“NAC”) are looking to notify the market of this potential future contracting opportunity. It is anticipated the procurement exercise will be carried out via Public Contract Scotland-Tender (“PCS-T”) and will likely be published in March 2023. NAC welcomes expressions of interest from service providers, by completing this questionnaire and returning to murraythompson@north-ayrshire.gov.uk before close of business Tuesday 28th February 2023 as this project is time sensitive. Contract Background The research is required to build upon the North Ayrshire Council Housing Needs and Demand Assessment (“HNDA”) 2020 and establish the demand for affordable housing on the Isle of Arran. Contract Timetable The contract is anticipated to start early April 2023 and will have an end date of 30th June 2023. Scope NAC requires the completion of an independent evidence-based assessment of demand for affordable housing (in all forms, including, but not limited to, social housing, private sector housing, shared equity / ownership etc) on the Isle of Arran. The assessment must comply with the Housing (Scotland) Act 1987 (as amended), and statutory guidance. The research should measure the extent of current and future housing need beyond those already captured on the North Ayrshire Housing Register by obtaining a clear and robust view of the scale of any housing problem. It should establish how this compares to expectations for the future and seek evidence of its potential negative impacts for employers on Arran. It should: - identify issues on Arran that may be limiting economic sustainability and growth; - identify types of organisations / sectors / role issues, life stage most prevalent e.g. pre-family / family; and - seek solutions to address any issues identified. The consultant will be expected to develop the work undertaken to produce the HNDA and undertake analysis of the North Ayrshire Housing Register. Further evidence-based research will require to be undertaken with NAC (mainly Housing and Economic Growth), alongside residents and business owners, to assess demand for affordable housing on Arran in terms of tenure, house size, location, and house type. All research should set out the clear rationale for doing so. Closing Date for Expressions of Interest Tuesday 28th February 2023.