Havering Council has approved an investment of up to £3 million to upgrade play areas across the borough's parks and open spaces over the next five years. The estimated commencement date for the contract is January 2026.
The decision, made at a Cabinet meeting on Wednesday 15 October 2025, will see the council award a contract to a single supplier via the Eastern Shires Purchasing Organisation (ESPO) framework. This approach aims to streamline the process, improve design quality, and enhance public consultation, according to council documents.
Councillor Ray Morgon, Leader of the Council, highlighted the importance of parks as assets within Havering. The council aims to maintain play equipment in all parks via a framework arrangement to contract with a single supplier. The council also intends to change the normal council price quality ratio from 70-30 to 40-60.
The council intends to waive the standard 70:30 (price: quality) evaluation scoring in favour of 40:60 (price: quality). Councillor Morgon said that the outcome of changing that won't harm the council financially, because actually, if we have better quality equipment, it will have a much longer duration and ultimately we'll save money on that. The 'quality' aspect of the bids, now weighted at 60%, will be evaluated based on the quality of the design, equipment, and play value, which is the most important element of each project. Quality considerations include the range and durability of equipment and designs, according to the Outdoor Play Areas Contract Tender report.
According to the Outdoor Play Areas Contract Tender report, the selected supplier will also provide a public consultation service, which the council currently lacks the capacity to undertake. The council hopes that using a sole supplier will reduce the time taken to conduct individual requests for quotation.
Councillor Christopher Wilkins asked how the council will ensure that the three million allocated for the first five years of the contract is effectively utilised, given that the expenditure is principally debit by securing external funding sources such as capital budgets, community infrastructure levy, or Section 106?
James Rose, report author, responded that the paper sets out an anticipated spend, and it's subject to what funding's received. He said that the money is subject to appropriate bids through the civil and infrastructure levy, and third party like environmental trusts and things like that. So it's not a commitment to spend. It's putting a framework there and contracting arrangements. So then we can then call off on that contract as that money materialises. The report pack clarifies that there is no commitment to use this contract if no funding is available in any year, for example, if the council cannot obtain capital, Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) or external funding for potential projects.
The contract will be a call-off contract with a minimum spend of £0 and maximum of £3 million over the term. The council intends to award a contract by way of a framework with an estimated value of up to £3m over 5-years, subject to the availability of funding.
The decision is subject to call-in.
