Under the local authority new build programme it has taken on average eight weeks for a local authority to become a pre-qualified partner. The pre-qualified partner status allows an organisation to bid for investment funding from the Homes and Communities Agency.
The first bid round for the programme opened for four weeks, closing on 31 July 2009. I launched a second bid round on 28 September 2009. From the opening of the bid round local authorities were invited to complete their pre-qualification questionnaire (PQQ) and the agency commits to giving the local authority a decision on assessment within eight weeks of receipt.
For the bid round 1 all PQQs received from local authorities have been assessed within that time frame.