Bernicia Group Voids & Minor Works Framework Announcement

Bernicia Group has launched a new Voids & Minor Works procurement, creating an estimated £26.5 million opportunity for contractors delivering refurbishment, repairs and property improvement works across North East England.

The procurement will appoint a suitably qualified and experienced contractor, or potentially multiple contractors, to support Bernicia in maintaining and improving its housing portfolio. This includes bringing vacant properties back to Bernicia's Lettable Standard alongside a wider programme of minor, planned and reactive property works.

With requests to participate closing at 12pm on 11 September 2026, contractors interested in the opportunity have a relatively short window to review the requirements, assess their suitability and prepare.

What is the Bernicia Voids & Minor Works Framework?

The Voids & Minor Works procurement has been launched by Bernicia Group, a housing provider operating across North East England.

The contract has an estimated total value of £26.5 million including VAT and is expected to commence on 4 January 2027.

The initial contract term will run for two years, until January 2029. However, Bernicia has included the option to extend the arrangement for three further periods of 24 months, meaning the successful contractor or contractors could potentially remain in place until January 2035.

The contract may be awarded to either a single supplier or multiple suppliers, with works operating using the NHF Schedule of Rates.

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What Services Will the Contract Cover?

The procurement covers a broad range of property refurbishment, repair and improvement works across Bernicia's housing portfolio.

A key part of the contract will be completing the works required to bring vacant properties up to Bernicia's Lettable Standard, helping properties to be re-let as quickly and efficiently as possible.

The scope may include:

• General property repairs
• Refurbishment works
• Decoration
• Kitchen replacements
• Bathroom replacements
• Electrical works
• Plumbing works
• Flooring
• External works
• Compliance-related activities
• General building repairs.

Alongside void property works, successful contractors may also be required to deliver a wider range of minor property works and refurbishment projects.

These could include:

• Kitchen and bathroom renewals
• Damp and mould remediation
• Fire safety improvements
• Fencing
• Property adaptations
• Communal area improvements
• Environmental works
• Planned property improvements
• Reactive property improvements.

The breadth of the requirement means suppliers will need to consider not only their technical experience, but also their ability to coordinate different trades, resources and supply-chain partners across a varied programme of work.

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Who is the Opportunity Relevant To?

The procurement is particularly relevant to contractors operating within North East England with experience in housing, refurbishment, repairs and maintenance.

This could include:

• Property maintenance contractors
• Building and refurbishment contractors
• Social housing contractors
• Multi-trade contractors
• Voids specialists
• Kitchen and bathroom contractors
• Planned and reactive maintenance providers.

Suppliers should carefully review the full tender documentation before deciding whether to participate, particularly to ensure they can demonstrate the necessary capacity, experience and resources to meet Bernicia's requirements.

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What Will Bernicia Be Looking For?

Bernicia has stated that the successful contractor or contractors will be expected to work collaboratively with the organisation to deliver high-quality workmanship, excellent customer service, value for money and continuous improvement.

Performance will be monitored through KPIs covering areas including:

• Void turnaround times
• Quality
• Customer satisfaction
• Health and safety
• Sustainability
• Social value delivery.

Contractors will also be expected to provide suitably skilled resources, robust supply-chain management and responsive service delivery.

For potential bidders, these areas provide an early indication of the evidence they may need to demonstrate throughout the procurement process.

Rather than relying on generic statements about service quality or experience, suppliers should consider what measurable evidence they can provide around previous contract performance, turnaround times, customer outcomes, health and safety, resource management and social value delivery.

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How Will Bids Be Evaluated?

The published award criteria are weighted:

Price – 60%

Quality – 40%

With price representing 60% of the evaluation, contractors will need to develop a commercially competitive and sustainable approach to delivery.

However, the remaining 40% quality weighting remains significant.

A competitive price alone will not demonstrate how a contractor intends to achieve Bernicia's requirements around quality, responsiveness, customer satisfaction, health and safety, sustainability and social value.

Suppliers should therefore ensure their commercial approach and quality submission work together to demonstrate both value for money and confidence in delivery.

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Preparing for the Procurement

Requests to participate are already open, meaning interested contractors should begin assessing the opportunity as soon as possible.

Key areas to consider include:

Reviewing your experience

Identify previous contracts and projects that demonstrate relevant experience in voids, housing refurbishment, repairs, planned works and multi-trade delivery.

Gathering evidence

Start identifying measurable evidence that demonstrates successful delivery. This could include relevant KPIs, turnaround performance, customer satisfaction, health and safety performance and previous contract outcomes.

Assessing resources

Consider whether your existing workforce and supply chain can provide the skilled resources and responsive service required across Bernicia's housing portfolio.

Reviewing social value and sustainability

Bernicia has specifically identified both sustainability and social value within its performance expectations. Suppliers should therefore consider how they can demonstrate meaningful and measurable outcomes in these areas.

Developing your commercial approach

With price accounting for 60% of the evaluation and the contract operating using the NHF Schedule of Rates, early commercial planning will be particularly important.

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Procurement Timeline

The current procurement timetable includes:

• Tender Notice Published – 10 August 2026
• Deadline for Requests to Participate – 11 September 2026 at 12pm
• Estimated Award Decision – 4 December 2026
• Contract Commencement – 4 January 2027
• Initial Contract End – 3 January 2029
• Potential Final Contract End – 3 January 2035

The procurement is being conducted using a competitive flexible procedure under the Procurement Act 2023. Full details of the stages and steps involved are provided within the tender documentation.

Submissions must be made electronically through Bernicia's InTend procurement portal.

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How Bid Writing Service Can Help

Preparing for a significant housing and refurbishment opportunity requires more than simply responding to tender questions.

Suppliers need to understand the requirements, identify the right evidence, develop clear win themes and demonstrate how their proposed approach will deliver measurable benefits for the contracting authority and its customers.

At Bid Writing Service, we can support contractors throughout the procurement process, including:

• Bid planning and strategy
• Tender qualification
• Evidence mapping
• Case study development
• Quality response writing
• Social value responses
• Sustainability responses
• Compliance reviews
• Bid review and editing
• Final submission management.

Whether you're an established social housing contractor or looking to expand your presence within the public sector, our team can help you develop a compliant, evidence-led and compelling submission.

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Get Ready for the Bernicia Voids & Minor Works Opportunity

With an estimated value of £26.5 million and a potential contract period extending to 2035, Bernicia's Voids & Minor Works procurement represents a significant opportunity for contractors operating across the North East.

However, requests to participate close at 12pm on 11 September 2026, giving interested suppliers a limited period to assess the opportunity and prepare.

Contractors that use this time to review their experience, gather strong evidence, assess their resources and understand the evaluation requirements will be better positioned as the procurement progresses.

If you're considering participating in the Bernicia Group Voids & Minor Works procurement, Bid Writing Service can support you from initial planning through to final tender submission.

Get in touch with our team today to discuss how we can support your framework application: info@bidwritingservice.com