Question reference: S6W-18069
- Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for North East Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
- Date lodged: 18 May 2023
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Current status: Answered by Patrick Harvie on 5 June 2023
Question
To ask the Scottish Government for how long it had been planning to pause the current Warmer Homes Scotland scheme ahead of relaunching a new one.
Answer
It has always been planned for new referrals for Warmer Homes Scotland to close before the contract with the current managing agent ends on 29 September 2023, to exit the contract in a managed way and allow for all customer journeys to be completed.
We must always assume there may be a change in supplier when conducting a fair and open procurement. A similar pause occurred in 2015 when the service moved from Scottish Gas to Warmworks.
While the new contract builds on the existing WHS scheme it will be an entirely separate scheme with a different offer to customers and different requirements of customers, the managing agent and suppliers. The managing agent is required to procure their supply chain post contract award, and therefore will require a 4-6 month mobilisation period. This also factors in any TUPE implications and is used to build their IT system and ensure that all associated scheme documentation is in place before the contract begins.
Improvements will continue to be installed in customers’ homes up until the end of the current Warmer Homes Scotland contract on 29 September 2023. The new contract will launch on 2 October 2023, and Home Energy Scotland are currently accepting applications for this scheme.
This support sits alongside other help, such as our Area Based Schemes which provide local delivery of energy efficiency improvements and our Home Energy Scotland grant scheme.