Fortem has secured repairs and maintenance contracts worth up to a total of £329.9m with five housing associations across England, all beginning in the first half of 2019
The repairs and maintenance contractor’s raft of wins kicked off in February, with the extension of its ongoing contract with PA Housing by 4,000 London homes, in a deal that runs until June 2022.
In April, it began delivering a 10-year, £6m per annum contract with Onward, along with a 10-year £3.5m to £4m per annum contract with Anchor Hanover.
A further two contracts will go live this month: a 15-year deal with Stonewater, which starts at £4.2m per annum, rising to £8m by its third year; and a 10-year deal with Equity Housing Group and Johnnie Johnson Housing, amounting to £2.7m in its first year, and £12m per annum for the following nine years.
In order to provide its tailored, local services to its new clients and their customers, Fortem will be forming a new North East-based team, as well as opening business hubs in the North West and South West, each with its own dedicated workforce. Work will also be delivered via its established hubs in the South East, West Midlands and Yorkshire.
Fortem specialises in providing work and training opportunities to people living in its local communities, and its new contracts will result in hundreds of additional work placements being offered to individuals from all walks of life.
The contractor’s award-winning apprenticeship scheme will be extended to at least 78 additional apprentices over the term of the new arrangements; and with Fortem’s current apprenticeship retention rate being more than 97%, the vast majority of these new recruits are set to benefit from long-term employment with the organisation.
Fortem’s success in the first six months of 2019 is set to continue throughout the year and into 2020, with it recently having been awarded a place on the government’s Crown Commercial Service framework, through which it will be considered for Defence Housing Maintenance Services contracts.
Mick Williamson, managing director of Fortem, said: “2019 is going to be an incredible year for Fortem, in which we will see our business not only expand its geographical presence but also strengthen its core works offering of integrated housing repairs, maintenance and planned works.
“Our business growth will not only create many opportunities for people living in our local communities across the country, but it will also create a good number of exciting opportunities for our existing colleagues to take on new challenges, and for us to unleash the full value of our ‘grow our own’ people strategy.”
Andrew Brown, regional director for Greater Manchester & Cheshire East at Greater Manchester-based housing association Onward, for which Fortem is now delivering responsive repairs and void repairs to 10,393 homes, said: “Having gone through a rigorous procurement process and subsequently successfully mobilising this contract, we are confident that, in Fortem, we have the right partner to grow with us and deliver the level service our customers deserve, making a positive difference in their communities.”
Winston Williams, director of property at Anchor Hanover, for which Fortem is providing planned asset maintenance and investment works to 5,200 homes in its West Region, spread across 20 counties from Birmingham to the Isles of Scilly, said: “We’re pleased to be working with Fortem in the delivery of our Asset Investment Programme delivering improvement works to our many customers.
“As a not-for-profit charitable organisation, we reinvest the money we make into our retirement properties and care homes in order to provide the high-quality services our customers want and expect.”
