East Thames is to launch a new repairs, maintenance and asset management service from April 2013 to be delivered by newly appointed maintenance partner Interserve.

The initial seven year contract, with a provision to extend to fifteen years, will improve the service residents receive, save East Thames around £4 million a year, and provide a range of apprenticeships and employment opportunities for East Thames residents and the wider local community.

As well as delivering an improved responsive repairs service to East Thames’ 13,500 households, Interserve will deliver planned and responsive repairs and maintenance to residential and corporate buildings; estate services to local areas; cyclical works, and; building refurbishment between lettings.

Residents will benefit from greater flexibility in the service with new ways to report a repair, being implemented as the contract develops, such as via SMS text message and online, in addition to the traditional routes currently available. Residents will also be able to select a 2 hour time slot for their repair to be carried out.

-- Advertisement --

Many of these improvements have been incorporated into the service thanks to valuable feedback from residents and the involvement of a specially created resident panel that helped design the service and select Interserve as the preferred supplier. Resident involvement will continue throughout the contact, due to East Thames and Interserve's joint intention to put residents at the heart of the service and involve them in monitoring performance and setting standards.

The contract will also see benefits extended to the wider community via local recruitment targets, training and employment opportunities and a unique package of support for local long term unemployed residents who have found it difficult to find work.

East Thames director of development and property, Geoff Pearce, said: "We are very much looking forward to working with our new partners Interserve and welcome their customer centred approach to delivering our repairs service.

"Thanks to the feedback we've received from our residents, we have been able to work, together with Interserve, to design a service that better meets the needs of our customers, while delivering value for money and a significant contribution to East Thames' local employment aims."

(CD/GK)