Decision details

To appoint Adapt Architects to deliver professional retrofit design services, in support of, and according to the requirements of the publicly available specification, PAS 2035: Retrofitting dwellings for improved energy efficiency – Specification and guidance.

The Council is entering into a contract to deliver decarbonisation works in-line with PAS 2035. This work supports the Authority’s declaration of a Climate Emergency in 2019 and its commitment to become net-zero carbon by 2030. It allows for works under the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund (“SHDF”) Wave 2.1 (which provides partial grant funding), to almost 200 properties, to be carried out. SHDF Wave 2.1 requires the decarbonisation/energy efficiency works to be completed in a defined time-frame and to PAS 2035. CBC successfully gained grant funding through the SHDF and the budget for this has already been signed off by Cabinet.

This contract will also support future successful bids for further SHDF grant funding, by allowing preliminary designs (if required), which will help define any future bid.

A procurement exercise has taken place and following receipt of six bids, Adapt Architects were selected.

The Council considered using in-house services. However, the size and scale of the project and the nature of the works was compared against the existing resources, skills and capabilities. The project is also required to meet the council’s ambition for Cheltenham to be Net Carbon Zero by 2030 and following successful bids to the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund it was determined that contracting with a third party would be lower risk and would provide the best value for money for the Council.