Hull City Council has opened a Pseudo-Dynamic Purchasing System (Pseudo-DPS) for the provision of Temporary Accommodation services. It’s administered through the YORtender e-procurement portal, and it’s an open DPS process, meaning providers can apply throughout the framework’s lifetime.

The estimated contract value is £7,258,386, with the arrangement running under the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 Light Touch Regime. Awards are made through Direct Award based on user choice and need, so this isn’t a fixed-share framework. If your accommodation matches the requirement of an incoming placement, you get the call.

The DPS opened on 20 February 2025 with the initial 30-day submission period ending on 24 March 2025. Applications remain open throughout the eight-year term, so providers can join at any point.

What services are required?

The service is statutory temporary accommodation for households assessed as homeless under Housing Act 1996 (Part 7). Hull City Council operates its own temporary accommodation units first. This DPS is used when no suitable accommodation is available within the Council’s own provision, so the volume flowing through it will vary with demand and the Council’s in-house capacity.

The DPS provides access to a range of properties for individuals and families within Kingston upon Hull who have been assessed as being owed a statutory temporary accommodation duty. Our temporary accommodation tender writing service supports providers bidding into arrangements like this across England and Wales.

Fixed nightly rates apply:

Rates are inclusive of all charges. Payment for a single person is only at the single room rate regardless of room size allocated, and only for one bedroom regardless of how many bedrooms are in the property. Hotel placements are awarded on a nightly rate basis with preference given to those closest to self-contained accommodation rates.

There’s also an Out of Hours Enhancement of £50 if a placement is made between 8pm and 8am. That’s paid whether the service user actually presents or not. Rates may be reviewed annually in line with CPI at the Authority’s sole discretion.

What is it solving?

Three connected pressures sit behind this DPS. First, statutory homelessness duty: Hull City Council must provide temporary accommodation to eligible homeless households, and the Council’s in-house units can’t always meet demand. Second, supply flexibility: rather than spot-purchasing hotel rooms at market rates, the DPS gives the Council a pre-approved pool of providers to draw from at fixed rates. Third, quality consistency: by setting property standards, DBS requirements and operational obligations up front, the Council avoids placing vulnerable households in accommodation that fails Housing Act 2004 or HMO standards.

For the households being placed, the goal is safe, decent, well-managed accommodation during a period of statutory homelessness, rather than placements that compound vulnerability.

Who is it ideal for?

This DPS is built for Housing Associations, Private Landlords, Lettings Agents, hoteliers and other capable organisations with suitable emergency or temporary accommodation in or near Hull. You don’t need to be Hull-based, but your properties need to be either within the Hull boundary or close enough to it that placements can be made without disrupting the household’s access to work, school, healthcare and support networks.

Applications go through the Standard Selection Questionnaire (SSQ). The Council will assess your qualification through the SSQ, so you need to be ready to evidence your track record, financial standing and operational capacity. If you’d like to see how we have supported providers to win similar accommodation-based tenders, our case studies set out the outcomes achieved across supported and temporary accommodation contracts.

Service type and user group

The service is statutory temporary accommodation for people assessed by the Council as being owed a temporary accommodation duty under Housing Act 1996 (Part 7). This includes:

• Single households
• Couples
• Families with children (the PRN template references “Number of Children (under 16)” and “Cot Required,” so families with young children and infants are within scope)

Referrals may include applicants with complex needs, defined as someone with two or more needs affecting physical, mental, social or financial wellbeing. This can include mental health issues, substance misuse, learning disabilities, social isolation, offending behaviour, trauma and poverty. Providers should be ready to accept placements from this cohort. For providers whose service crosses over into wraparound accommodation with support, our supported accommodation tender writing service is set up to handle those combined bids.

Lot structure

Three lots and bidders may express interest in any or all categories:

• Lot 1: Short Term Accommodation (Shared Housing). Fully furnished en-suite or shared bathroom rooms with communal kitchen facilities and space.
• Lot 2: Short Term Family Accommodation. Fully furnished 1+ bedroom properties.
• Lot 3: Hotel Accommodation. Used when other accommodation is unavailable.

Location

Properties will usually be within the geographical boundaries of Hull City Council, although those close to Hull may be considered. Accommodation should ideally be within reasonable distance of a bus route or railway station and local amenities. This isn’t a rigid inside-the-borough rule, but placements further out will need to justify accessibility for the household.

Mandatory eligibility requirements

These are the pass-or-fail conditions:

• Fully furnished, self-contained (or shared with the right facilities) property meeting the standards below.
• DBS compliance where staff will have direct and unsupervised contact with service users. Costs of DBS checks are borne by the provider.
• Housing Act 2004 compliance. No category 1 hazards.
• HMO legislation compliance where the property is an HMO, including local prescribed standards.
• Provider status. You must be a Housing Association, Private Landlord, Lettings Agent, hotelier or other capable organisation with suitable emergency or temporary accommodation.
• Standard Selection Questionnaire (SSQ) completion.

Insurance requirements

Providers must hold:

• Employers Liability: minimum £5,000,000
• Public Liability: minimum £10,000,000
• Professional Indemnity: minimum £1,000,000 per occurrence for each event, when providing professional services. Must be maintained for a minimum of six years following expiration or earlier termination of the agreement.

Insurance certificates should be available for viewing at inspections.

Property specifications

Every property placed under the DPS must be good-quality, clean, safe, well-managed and fully-furnished, including:

• Kitchen with cooking facilities
• Toilet and washing facilities
• Washing machine
• Beds with linen and towels
• Utilities included (gas, electric, water)
• Council tax included
• Heating
• Natural light and ventilation
• Decent decoration
• Good repair internally and externally
• Free from Housing Act 2004 hazards
• Window locks above ground level
• Secure for privacy

Operational obligations

This is where the DPS gets specific. Providers are required to:

• Visit accommodation regularly to ensure households have stayed, carry out welfare checks and report concerns immediately.
• Ensure licence conditions are adhered to and check for necessary repairs.
• Advise the Housing Access Service immediately of any anti-social behaviour.
• Keep “in and out” records and send them weekly to the Housing Access Service using the template provided.
• Ensure the service is accessible 365 days a year with a staffing contingency plan.
• Have processes for dealing with emergencies and serious incidents during and outside normal working hours.
• Take full responsibility for damage and repair work during the call-off agreement.
• Ensure accommodation is fit for human habitation with annual gas safety checks, compliance with furniture and fire safety regulations and other applicable legislation.

Timeline and key dates

What should providers have in place?

• Property portfolio meeting the specifications above, in or close to the Hull boundary.
• Compliance certification: gas safety, electrical safety (EICR), fire safety, HMO licensing where applicable, and evidence of no Housing Act 2004 category 1 hazards.
• DBS-checked staff where direct contact with service users applies.
• 365-day accessibility with a documented staffing contingency plan.
• Welfare check and reporting protocols aligned to the Council’s Housing Access Service template.
• Out-of-hours response for emergencies and serious incidents.
• Financial standing to satisfy the SSQ.
• Insurance at the levels detailed above.
• Fast response capacity: you must reply to Placement Request Notices within one calendar day of receipt.

For further reading on how outcomes-based commissioning, framework structures and pass-or-fail thresholds are shaping accommodation tenders, visit our blog.

Watch: tender summary video

Next steps

If you want to speak to a sales manager about your application, contact the AssuredBID team. We’ll talk through your property portfolio, your position against the SSQ, your operational readiness for the Housing Access Service reporting requirements, and your bid strategy. Our specialist bid writers can then support your submission through the YORtender portal.

To browse all current opportunities we’re tracking, visit our open tenders page.