Mark Whitehead 19 June 2018

Councils double number of fire safety tenders in wake of Grenfell

The number of councils tendering for fire safety work has shot up in the year since the Grenfell disaster, according to the latest figures.

Local government buyers published twice as many fire safety tenders in the last 12 months compared to the previous year, according to public sector marketplace specialists Tussell.

The company says there has also been a 39% increase in the number of fire safety tenders published by housing associations.

The tenders cover all aspects of fire safety work including inspecting or installing smoke alarms, fire doors and sprinkler systems, carrying out general consultancy and maintenance.

Local government has seen the biggest increase in fire safety tenders in the public sector in past year in the public sector, according to the company.

Council buyers issued 98 tenders in the last 12 months compared to 53 published by schools, universities and other institutions, 39 by housing associations, 20 in the NHS and 11 in central government.

In total the number of fire safety tenders published since Grenfell has gone up 56%, from 142 to 221.

Tussell's founder Gus Tugendhat told LocalGov: 'It is heartening to see that Grenfell has prompted long overdue investment in fire safety across the public sector, especially in local government.

'Grenfell was a terrible tragedy but there may be at least one ray of light in that it has prompted local government and the public sector as a whole to look at fire safety that bit more carefully.'

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