Assisted Living Solutions, Kitchens and Appliances framework

The Repairing Standard is the minimum condition standard that social landlords in Scotland must meet under the Housing (Scotland) Act 2006. It requires properties to be wind and watertight, in reasonable repair, and to have working installations for water, gas, electricity, and sanitation. While the standard doesn’t require landlords to supply white goods in all tenancies, where appliances are provided as part of the tenancy they need to be in working order. More practically, the Repairing Standard creates pressure to resolve appliance failures promptly, particularly where they affect a tenant’s ability to cook, wash, or maintain hygiene. Lot 1 of the framework provides a compliant route to replace domestic appliances quickly, with suppliers able to deliver, install, remove old appliances, and recycle from receipt of order.

The Scottish Social Housing Charter expects landlords to provide housing that meets the needs of tenants, including disabled and older residents. The Equality Act 2010, which applies across Great Britain, places duties on social landlords to make reasonable adjustments for disabled people. The Housing (Scotland) Bill currently progressing through the Scottish Parliament includes provisions on accessible housing that will strengthen these obligations further. Lot 5 of the framework gives Scottish landlords a compliant route to procure stairlifts and through-floor lifts for planned works, new build schemes, investment programmes, and reactive repairs. The sole supplier on Lot 5, Stannah, has been manufacturing stairlifts for over 48 years and provides 24-hour emergency response and 24/7/365 maintenance attendance.

A stairlift fits a motorised seat to a rail running along an existing staircase. It’s quicker to install, typically from 12 working days, requires no structural alteration, and suits properties where a resident needs to move between floors but doesn’t use a wheelchair indoors. A through-floor lift creates a platform that travels vertically through an opening cut in the floor, allowing a wheelchair user to move between levels without transferring to a seat. Through-floor lifts accommodate wheelchairs and scooters, provide faster floor-to-floor travel, and enable fully independent access for wheelchair users, but they do require structural work and have higher installation costs. The right choice depends on the resident’s specific mobility needs, the property layout, and whether wheelchair access between floors is required. PfH Scotland can help you work through the specification if you’re unsure which solution is appropriate. 

Care and Repair Scotland is the network of local Home Improvement Agencies that helps older and disabled homeowners and private tenants access adaptations. For social landlords, the relevant funding route is typically through the Scottish Government’s Scheme of Assistance or, for tenants requiring adaptations, Registered Social Landlords’ own capital programmes and local authority Private Sector Housing Grant. Social landlords are expected to manage adaptations under their own programmes, which means they need compliant procurement routes for the equipment involved. The framework provides that route for stairlifts and through-floor lifts under Lot 5, with the flexibility to accommodate both planned programmes and urgent reactive requests. 

Lot 2 covers commercial laundry equipment for communal settings including sheltered housing, extra care schemes, and any shared laundry facility. Organisations can choose to purchase equipment outright or use a rental arrangement. The all-inclusive rental package covers new equipment, installation, servicing, duct cleaning, and breakdown cover for a single fixed monthly payment with no wear and tear clause, which means predictable costs with no unexpected repair bills. Breakdown cover runs seven days a week including bank holidays with an eight-hour response time. Removal and recycling of decommissioned equipment is included. For housing associations managing communal laundry across multiple sites, the rental option simplifies budgeting and removes the risk of large unplanned maintenance costs. Four suppliers are available on Lot 2: Wolf, JLA, Washco, and Girbau. 

PfH Scotland supports members throughout the process from initial requirement definition through to contract management. For direct awards, we help you define the scope of works and approach the appropriate supplier. For mini-competitions, we provide template call-off documentation, specification assistance, and evaluation support. Our Quantum platform gives you ongoing spend visibility and contract performance data throughout the framework term. If you’re planning an adaptations programme or a communal facilities upgrade across multiple sites, getting PfH Scotland involved early means we can help you structure the procurement to get the best outcome, whether that’s a direct award for a straightforward stairlift requirement or a mini-competition for a larger kitchen refurbishment programme.