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19-21 Broad Street | St Helier Jersey | JE2 3RR
Connétable M. K. Jackson
Chairman Environment, Housing and Infrastructure Scrutiny Panel By Email
24th August 2020
Dear Chairman,
Residential tenancy deposit scheme – mydeposits Jersey contract renewal
I am writing in response to your letter of 13th August regarding the procurement process relating to the appointment of the tenancy deposit scheme administrator. I have provided responses to your questions below.
The Procurement Strategy details that the contract was published on the Government e-portal. Can you advise what encouragement is given to local companies to check the e-portal? Were any measures taken to further advertise the contract, in order to gain maximum exposure to local companies?
The Public Finance Manual requires that a contract notice must be advertised on the e-sourcing portal for a minimum of 10 days in order to encourage competition within Jersey and to promote new initiatives. The tenancy deposit scheme tender was advertised on the portal from Monday 3rd February 2020 to Friday 6th March 2020.
The Finance Manual also states that other sources of advertising should also be considered to ensure full competition. This was achieved by publishing a news release to which I have include a link:
https://www.gov.je/news/2020/pages/tenancydepositschemetender.aspx
The news release was published in the local media. One example from the time includes:
https://www.itv.com/news/channel/2020-02-05/jersey-government-search-for-company-to-take-on- tenancy-deposit-scheme
- How was the length of the five-year contract determined (3 years, plus 2 year for good performance)?
The maximum length of a Government of Jersey contract is five years. Any contract that requires a longer length would require an exemption. Most standard contracts are for three years with an option to extend for a further two years. The reason for this is to allow changes in the market; price, law or technology. It also allows for competition and ensures that the Government is obtaining value for money.
After three years, the situation may have changed from the time that the contract was placed and so the option to extend may or may not be taken up depending on the relationship with the
supplier, contractual performance or the circumstances in the marketplace. With a contract fixed for longer than five years, both parties are tied in and so it is difficult to allow for changes.
- What are the Key Performance Indicators given to Mydeposits Jersey? Please could you provide details of this, along with documentation detailing Mydeposits Jersey past performance and KPIs?
The Key Performance Indicators were set out in the Invitation to Tender. I have reproduced the KPIs below alongside mydeposits Jersey's performance in 2018-2019.
Area of performance | Target | Indicator (% of cases) | Mydeposits Jersey 2018-2019 |
Responses to customer enquiries and complaints | 14 working days from receipt | 100% | 100% |
Response to request for information as to deposit held in Scheme (Reg. 24) | 3 working days from receipt | 100% | 100% |
Confirmation given to landlord of protection when deposit paid into Scheme | 2 working days from receipt | 100% | 100% |
Confirmation given to tenant(s) upon landlord paying deposit into Scheme (Reg. 31(3)) | 2 working days from receipt | 100% | 100% |
Return of undisputed deposit (Reg. 14) | 5 working days | 100% | 100% |
Resolution of dispute by the ADR service | 28 working days from referral of dispute | 90% | 100% |
Notification of dispute resolution decision | 2 working days from decision | 100% | 100% |
Return of deposit following notification of dispute resolution or Court decision | 5 working days from receipt of decision, unless review requested | 100% | 100% |
Accept or reject request for review of adjudicator decision in dispute resolution | 5 working days from receipt of request | 100% | 100% |
Complete review of adjudicator decision | 10 working days from referral | 90% | 100% |
All required monthly, annual reports, and requests for information provided to the Minister for Children and Housing | Within specified timeframe | 100% | 100% |
- What measures will you put in place to further gauge and assess user experience of mydeposits Jersey going forward?
Mydeposits Jersey encourages customer feedback online feedback via the Trustpilot system. An enhanced customer satisfaction survey will also be introduced for post-calls before the end of the year.
All calls and e-mails to the Jersey scheme are also monitored and reviewed by the customer services quality team, as well as any complaints. This feedback is reviewed and any training needs that arise from the review would be provided to the team or coached on a one-to-one basis. Mydeposits Jersey further monitors user experience on its website and collects and reviews statistics and analytics for this. Information is also received from Citizens Advice Jersey every month that is used to improve the service and communications.
Members of the mydeposits Jersey team were also, prior to Covid-19, visiting the island to meet with agents every 2-months, which was used for feedback and satisfaction purposes. Two dispute resolution workshops were held for landlords and tenants in 2018/2019.
- Does mydeposits Jersey employ local Jersey residents?
Mydeposits Jersey does not employ residents locally. Owing to the small size of the scheme, there is not sufficient demand to base a member of staff in the island. The mydeposits Jersey scheme does, however, have a team dedicated to the Jersey scheme in its UK operation. This is to ensure that landlords and tenants are able to contact a member of staff who understand the specific needs of landlords, tenants and agents in Jersey.
There is also a partnership arrangement between mydeposits Jersey and Citizens Advice Jersey to provide face-to-face support on matters relating to deposit protection. Mydeposits Jersey works closely with Citizens Advice Jersey to offer training and support to their advisors and also to help raise awareness of the scheme and its requirements.
As we move to establish a Housing Advice Service, there will be further opportunities to strengthen the support available to landlords and tenants in relation to the scheme and tenancy- related matters generally.
I hope my response to these questions is helpful for the Panel, but I would be happy to assist with any further questions or information that you
Yours sincerely
Senator Sam Mézec
Minister for Children and Housing D +44 (0)1534 440624
Email s.mezec@gov.je