ADD2812 Procurement of the IT contract for the Mayor’s housing mobility schemes 2026-28

Housing Moves

1.1.    Housing Moves, launched in May 2012, is the Mayor’s scheme to enable housing association and council tenants in London to move from one borough to another (approved through Mayoral Decision (MD) 522). The scheme was refocused in July 2022, to prioritise victims/survivors of domestic abuse and former rough sleepers, rather than social tenants more widely (approved through MD2951).

1.2.    Housing Moves is now providing a valued source of accommodation for the above-mentioned groups. Currently, 244 domestic abuse victims/survivors are registered with the scheme; between October 2019 and January 2026, it achieved 187 moves for this group. In addition, 373 former rough sleepers (people with a history of rough sleeping, who are moving on from supported accommodation) are registered, with 283 moves between May 2019 and January 2026.

Seaside & Country Homes

1.3.    Seaside & Country Homes (SCH) enables older social tenants to move out of the capital, freeing up between 150 and 180 family-sized homes each year. These homes can then be used by social landlords to house Londoners in need. Over 3,000 tenants are currently registered on the SCH scheme. It creates significant financial savings for London boroughs; and provides a positive and popular housing option for older Londoners. It was established in 1968; the Mayor brought it into the GLA (from the Department for Communities and Local Government) in 2011, saving the scheme from threatened closure (approved through MD558). Since 1 April 2013, SCH has been funded by the London boroughs on a fee-per-letting basis (approved through MD1070).

1.4.    Both schemes are underpinned by an IT system whose functionality includes:

•    online customer applications (both schemes)
•    property advertisements and bidding (Housing Moves only)
•    anonymising domestic abuse applicants (Housing Moves only)
•    matching applicants to properties (SCH only)
•    reporting and monitoring tools (both schemes).

1.5.    The IT system for Housing Moves and (subsequently) SCH was developed by Home Connections Lettings Ltd, and is a much-enhanced version of its off-the-shelf, choice-based lettings system. Home Connections has provided the hosting and support for both schemes. Initial IT development, hosting and support costs for each scheme were approved through MD552 and Director’s Decision (DD) 851 respectively. The initial IT development and support for Housing Moves was procured through a competitive process; support for SCH was added as a variation to the original contract. The contract was renewed on 1 April 2018 as a single-source reprocurement through the reseller’s framework (approved through MD2209). We extended the contract for two more years, as allowed within that contract; the extensions were approved through DD2521. The current contract was procured via the GCloud process as a call-off 13 contract for two years, with the option to extend by 12 months (approved through DD2622). We exercised this option in March 2025 (approved through Assistant Director’s Decision (ADD) 2751). 

1.6.    Current contractual arrangements for hosting, support and IT development end on 31 March 2026. There are compelling reasons for ensuring technical support for both schemes so they can operate beyond this date:

•    They are both strategically important to London, and play a key role in helping to meet current Mayoral priorities.

•    They assist in delivering Mayoral mandates (including Building more homes and Accommodation and wider support for those who need it most), specifically in relation to:

o    tackling rough sleeping, including freeing up much-needed accommodation with support for rough sleepers ready to move on from hostels or other services
o    supporting victims/survivors of domestic abuse
o    facilitating mobility and tackling under-occupation – particularly for older Londoners through SCH
o    freeing up family-sized homes that can be used to house Londoners in need.

•    There is overwhelming support from London’s boroughs and housing associations for both schemes. All boroughs, except one, participate in (and fund) SCH. In addition, over 60 housing associations support applications to SCH. The G15 group of housing associations also contributes properties to Housing Moves.

•    There is a high level of demand, among Londoners, for SCH – over 3,000 applicants are currently registered for SCH, and there are high numbers of new applications each year.

•    The refocused Housing Moves scheme is providing valuable additional housing options for: 

o    domestic abuse victims/survivors
o    tenants who were originally allocated their home via the Clearing House service, and are ready to move to independent living.

1.7.    The TfL procurement team has advised that we procure the contract using the GCloud procurement process. GCloud offers a fixed price for the services over the contract term, so there will be no increases in that time. Termination without cause is a standard clause in GCloud contracts; this gives the GLA the flexibility to terminate, if required, by giving 30 days’ notice. The TfL reseller framework is an alternative procurement option; but this would incur a cost increase, from the resellers, of up to 3 per cent. The current contract, procured using the GCloud procurement process, was awarded to the most economically advantageous supplier capable of providing the relevant services required by the GLA.

1.8.    The GCloud 14 procurement process involves shortlisting suppliers via search terms; and then assessing the suppliers’ advertised services, to determine that meets the GLA’s requirements and budgetary constraints. The GLA must have a set of requirements in place before running the search terms, so that the services can be assessed accurately and quickly. For this process, we confirmed the requirements and ran the search terms to shortlist suppliers. Of these, Home Connections Ltd was deemed the most capable of delivering the service within the budget put forward.

1.9.    We propose to offer the new contract to Home Connections Ltd, to provide hosting and support at a fixed cost for two years (with an option to extend by 12 months). The expected cost for the two-year contract is broken down in the table below:

Costs for IT hosting and support have been budgeted for the next three years; there is budget available to cover this cost.

1.10.    The new contract needs to be confirmed as soon as possible, to ensure both schemes can continue beyond 31 March 2026. This is because: 

•    boroughs have already been invited to purchase a maximum number of lettings for SCH during 2026-27; addendums to the SCH contracts between each borough and the GLA are already being issued

•    the Housing Mobility team is already advising G15 landlords how many properties they will need to contribute to the Housing Moves scheme in 2026-27.

1.11.    It would be unwise to devote further resources to IT development, or enter into contractual arrangements with the boroughs, without some certainty around future IT provision for both schemes.

1.12.    This ADD will be signed by the Executive Director of Housing and Land. This is because the Specialist Housing and Services unit (which includes the Housing Mobility team that runs the housing mobility schemes) recently moved into the Executive Director’s direct reporting line. The unit is led by a Head of Service, rather than an Assistant Director. The decision nonetheless still falls within the financial threshold of an ADD. 

2.1.    The key objective of this contract is to enable Housing Moves and SCH to continue. This is to deliver the policies and outcomes set out in paragraphs 1.1 to 1.3, above.

3.1.    Under section 149 of the Equality Act 2010, as public authorities, the Mayor and the GLA are subject to a public-sector equality duty and must have ‘due regard’ to the need to:

•    eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment and victimisation
•    advance equality of opportunity between people who share a relevant protected characteristic and those who do not
•    foster good relations between people who share a relevant protected characteristic and those who do not.

3.2.    Protected characteristics under section 149 of the Equality Act are age, disability, gender reassignment, pregnancy and maternity, and civil partnership (but only in respect of the requirements to have due regard to the need to eliminate discrimination), race (ethnic or national origins, colour or nationality) religion or belief (including lack of belief), sex and sexual orientation.

3.3.    As those with the protected characteristics of age, race and disability are over-represented among existing social tenants, the proposal in this paper is likely to have positive impacts on these groups.

3.4.    Moves through the SCH scheme will release between 150 and 180 family-sized homes each year. These can then be used by social landlords to house Londoners in need, including those mentioned at paragraph 3.3.

3.5.    The Housing Moves scheme will support victims/survivors of domestic abuse to move to a safe location. Characteristics of victims/survivors of domestic abuse (national figures) are as follows:

•    Gender: women are much more likely than men to be victims of high-risk or severe domestic abuse. Three-quarters of domestic abuse homicide victims in London between 2005 and 2020 were women.

•    Age: younger people are more likely to be subject to interpersonal violence. Most high-risk victims are in their 20s or 30s. Those under 25 are the most likely to suffer interpersonal violence.

•    Pregnancy: nearly one in three women who suffer from domestic abuse during their lifetime report that the first incidence of violence happened while they were pregnant.

•    Separation: domestic abuse is highest amongst those who have separated, followed by those who are divorced or single.

•    Drug and alcohol use: victims of abuse have a higher rate of drug and/or alcohol misuse (whether it starts before or after the abuse); at least 20 per cent of high-risk victims of abuse report using drugs and/or alcohol.

•    Mental health: 40 per cent of high-risk victims of abuse report mental health difficulties.

3.6.    Informed by the London Domestic Abuse Safe Accommodation Needs Assessment, the Mayor’s Domestic Abuse Safe Accommodation Strategy highlights that London faces some specific challenges in supporting survivors of domestic abuse. This is particularly the case when meeting the needs of some Black and Minority Ethnic groups; LGBTQ+ people; young women; Deaf and disabled people; male survivors; and people with multiple disadvantages. As outlined above, those with the protected characteristics of sex, age, pregnancy and disability are over-represented among victims/survivors of domestic abuse.

3.7.    The Housing Moves scheme also supports people with a history of rough sleeping to move to a permanent home. The Mayor’s Rough Sleeping Plan of Action has been subject to an Equalities Impact Assessment (EqIA). Headline insights include the following. 

•    Non-UK nationals have consistently represented approximately half of all people seen rough sleeping in London. In 2024-25, 47 per cent of people rough sleeping in London were UK nationals.

•    Homeless and housing insecurity disproportionately affects people from Black and minority ethnic communities. In 2024-25, 24 per cent of people sleeping rough in London were Black or Black British.

•    In London, in 2024-25, 50 per cent of people sleeping rough had a mental health support need; 59 per cent had an alcohol or drug-related support need; and 30 per cent had more than one of alcohol, drugs and mental health support needs.

•    The most recent data from the Combined Homelessness and Information Network for 2023-24 makes the following observations of those seen sleeping rough in London:

o    17 per cent were female
o    56 per cent were aged 26-45 
o    11 per cent were under 26 
o    12 per cent were over 55.

3.8.    Those with the protected characteristics of race and disability are over-represented among rough sleepers. Former rough sleepers who are ready to move on from accommodation, with support, make up one of the two groups eligible for Housing Moves. By moving on from this accommodation, allocated through the Clearing House service, they will free up properties for those ready to move on from hostels. This, in turn, will free up hostel space for those on the streets. This is likely to have positive impacts on Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic Londoners, and those with disabilities. As most people sleeping rough are men, more men than women are likely to access these services.
 

4.1.    The contract needs to be confirmed as soon as possible, to ensure both schemes continue to operate beyond 31 March 2026.

4.2.    Both schemes are strategically important to London. They play a key role in helping to meet current Mayoral priorities relating to: 

•    the supply of affordable housing, and domestic abuse safe accommodation
•    ending rough sleeping in London.

4.3.    An independent evaluation of Housing Moves, completed in early 2022, included consideration of the equalities impacts of the scheme. The Department for Communities and Local Government (as it was named at the time), which previously operated the scheme, undertook an EqIA of SCH in 2009. The GLA then made a further assessment.

4.4.    The IT hosting and support contract is necessary to support the GLA to run the two schemes, as described in 1.4. The contract is not linked to a specific project in a Mayoral delivery plan; rather, it plays a key role in assisting to meet the priorities in the Mayor’s mandates.

4.5.    There are no conflicts of interest to note from any of those involved in the drafting or clearance of this decision form.
 

5.1.    This ADD seeks approval, from the Assistant Director of Housing and Land, to spend up to £52,000 on IT hosting and support services required for the Mayor’s housing mobility schemes. The spend will be spread across 2026-27 (£25,000) and 2027-28 (£27,000). The contract will include an option for a 12-month extension (further GLA approval will be required for this).

5.2.    This is expected to be funded from the planned SCH 2026-27 and 2027-28 budgets, funded via income from boroughs. To mitigate any risk of the contract lacking enough income in future years, GCloud contracts give the GLA the flexibility to terminate, if required, by giving 30 days’ notice (see paragraph 1.7, above). 
 

7.1.    The procurement will be completed to the following timetable.