Barking and Dagenham Council is set to invest £8.5m to £12m over the next four years to replace fire doors in its social housing stock.
The investment, approved by the Cabinet on Tuesday, will address 2,170 outstanding fire safety remedial actions identified through Fire Risk Assessments (FRAs). These actions are prioritised based on the severity of the risk identified in the assessments, with urgent works addressing high-priority safety risks in the first year. It will ensure compliance with fire safety regulations and the Building Safety Act 2022.
Councillor Maureen Worby, Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care, Health and Housing, presented the report, emphasising that the programme aims to address risks that are higher than the council would want them to be. The investment will ensure full compliance with the Building Safety Act 2022.
The council will use a hybrid procurement model, with a one-year contract for urgent works and a three-year framework for the remaining actions. The Year 1 contract is valued at £2.1m - £3.0m, while the three-year framework is valued at £6.4m - £9.0m. The council estimates this approach will save £0.64m - £1.35m compared to alternative procurement models, through economies of scale, reduced administrative overhead, and incentivised efficiency improvements.
The programme specification includes:
- Full fire door replacements
- Hardware upgrades
- Installation of intumescent strips and smoke seals
- Compartmentation and fire stopping components
Running the two procurements in tandem will provide residents with early visibility on delivery and allow proactive communication and tailored support for those vulnerable residents that need it.
The cabinet approved the recommendations contained in the Fire Door Contract Report.