The London Borough of Hackney has opened a Dynamic Purchasing System (DPS) for emergency accommodation, and it’s open to local hotels, B&Bs and guest houses. The Council wants to stop spot purchasing rooms at standard commercial rates. Instead, it’s looking for accommodation providers to come on board through a contract, agree corporate rates, and offer discounts for longer stays.
The DPS runs for two years initially, with the option to extend by one more year. Providers can apply at any point during that time.
What services are required?
The Council needs short-term emergency accommodation for adults with care needs. These are people who’ve had a Care Act assessment and are waiting for their status to be processed, or waiting for their own home to be ready (often because of renovations or other works).
The DPS is split into two lots:
- Lot 1, Block booking of beds: rooms reserved in advance within the borough.
- Lot 2, Individual fixed rate beds: rooms supplied on a per-night basis at a fixed agreed rate.
Pricing isn’t set at DPS level. Bidders submit their own rates through the Pricing Schedule, and the Council is specifically looking for corporate rates and longer-term booking discounts, not nightly walk-up prices.
What is it solving?
Spot purchasing has been the Council’s main route for emergency accommodation, and it isn’t working well for either side. It’s expensive for Hackney, and it makes occupancy hard for hotels and guest houses to plan around.
This DPS fixes that in three ways. It brings predictable pricing in through agreed corporate rates. It gives accommodation providers a steady booking pipeline they can plan around. And it sets one consistent standard for quality, safeguarding and reporting across every provider on the list, which matters when the people being placed are vulnerable adults.
Who is it ideal for?
This DPS is built for operational hotels, B&Bs and guest houses in Hackney or bordering areas. You need at least twelve months of trading history at the property, audited accounts, the right insurance, and the policies and certifications listed below. If you can tick those boxes, this is a straightforward route into a regular booking relationship with the Council.
Because the DPS stays open throughout its lifetime, you don’t need to rush. Operators who aren’t ready yet can apply at a later assessment window once they’ve built up their trading history or sorted their paperwork.
Service type and user group
The service is emergency accommodation for adults aged 18 and over with care needs, including older adults aged 65 and over.
The people being placed cover a wide range of circumstances:
- Hospital discharges
- People with no recourse to public funds (NRPF)
- Pregnant women
- Victims of domestic abuse and trafficking
- Older adults aged 65 and over, people with disabilities, learning difficulties, or mental illness
One important point: providers on the DPS must accept NRPF referrals. You can’t opt out of that cohort.
Lot structure
There are two lots. Lot 1 is block booking, where rooms are held in advance. Lot 2 is per-night spot purchase at a fixed agreed rate. You can apply for one lot or both, depending on how flexibly you can manage your room availability.
Location restriction
Properties must be within Hackney or its borders. Out-of-borough accommodation isn’t accepted, so check your property’s location against this rule before going any further.
Mandatory eligibility requirements
These are the Council’s pass-or-fail conditions. If you miss any of them, your application won’t progress.
- Pass all pass-or-fail SQ questions on the financial assessment.
- Meet all insurance requirements, including valid cover for using the premises as temporary accommodation.
- Submit audited or published accounts for at least the most recent year. Forecasts or projections aren’t accepted.
- Be an operational hotel, B&B or guest house. Planned or prospective businesses don’t qualify.
- Have operated from the same accommodation for at least 12 months.
- Accept referrals, including those with no recourse to public funds (NRPF).
- Provide valid gas and electrical safety certificates.
- Have a Health & Safety policy in place.
- Notify the Council within 24 hours of any occupancy issues.
- Submit monthly statements and invoices by the 7th of each month.
Room specifications
Every room placed under the DPS must include:
- Lockable rooms with ensuite or single-use bathrooms
- Central heating, smoke alarms and CO alarms
- Bed and bedding (changed weekly), storage, TV, fridge and kettle
- Adequate lighting and refuse facilities
What should providers have in place?
Beyond the basics above, the Council expects every provider to have the following ready before applying:
- Audited or published accounts covering the most recent year (no forecasts).
- Valid insurance that covers using the premises for temporary accommodation and placements.
- Required certifications and policies: Health and Safety Policy, Fire Risk Assessment or inspection, Electrical and Gas Safety Certificates, and a Proprietor DBS (Basic).
- Operational services: weekly room cleaning and bedding changes, basic toiletries on arrival, food warming facilities, key and belongings management, daily occupancy checks, and on-site security or reception.
- Safeguarding and reporting routines, including the 24-hour notification rule for occupancy issues and a clear contact route into the Council’s adult social care commissioning team.
- Billing systems that can produce monthly statements and invoices by the 7th of each month, every month.
Watch: tender summary video
If you want to speak to a sales manager about your application, book a consultation with the AssuredBID team. We’ll talk through your property, where you stand against the pass-or-fail tests, and your bid strategy. Our specialist bid writers can then support your submission, whether you’re applying in the next assessment window or at a later one.
To review the full eligibility criteria, lot details, pricing schedule and submission process, visit BIDSuite: Hackney Emergency Accommodation DPS.
