Agenda item

Report of the Group Director of Operations.

Pursuant to Minute the Cabinet C123/Apr/22, the Cabinet Member with the Resources Portfolio introduced the report of the Chief Executive (previously circulated) requesting that consideration be given to the Annual Procurement Plan (also previously circulated); the assessment of contracts that are considered to be strategic or non-strategic; updating Members on the outcome of procurements that were previously designated as Strategic; and the decisions taken by the Procurement Board to waive the Contract Procedure Rules.

The submitted report stated that any contract award decision with a value below £100,000 was delegated to officers; the annual Procurement Plan detailed all the existing and new contracts that were over £100,000 which required a tender process; and that for those contracts which were over £100,000 and considered strategic, the final contract award decision would be approved by Procurement Board and reported to Cabinet.  It was reported that one additional contract had been designated as strategic and included in the annual Procurement Plan (also previously circulated).

Particular reference was made at the meeting to the current position with regard to two contracts that were previously designated as strategic namely the supply of materials and products for the repair and maintenance to Council housing and buildings and to the Railway Heritage Quarter.  A request was also made for more information on contracts where Contract Procedure Rules had been waived.  The Cabinet Member with the Resource Portfolio responded thereon.

RESOLVED – (a)  That the assessment of strategic and non-strategic contracts as presented in Appendix 1 of the submitted report, be approved, and it be agreed that:

(i)     further reports/ updates on the procurement process for those contracts designatedas strategic(including decisionsmade bythe ProcurementBoard) be brought to Cabinet;

(ii)     thecontract award decisionsfor thosecontracts designatedas non-strategic, as detailed at Appendix 1 to the submitted report, be delegated to the appropriate Directorate; and

(iii)     thecontract awarddecisions forthose contractsdesignated asstrategic, asdetailed at Appendix 1 of the submitted report, be delegated to the Procurement Board to approve and report back to Cabinet.

(b)  That thecontents ofthe submitted report, inrespect ofthe updateof strategic procurements, Procurement Board waiver decisions, and Social Value, be noted.

REASONS – (a) In respect of strategic/non-strategic contracts, the recommendations are supported by the following reasons:-

(i)         theContract ProcedureRules requireCabinet to approvethe designationof contracts as strategic and non-strategic;

(ii)       contractsdesignated strategicare ofhigh valueand highsignificance inrespect ofthe impact on residents, Health and Safety and public safety; and

(iii)     thecontracts designatednon-strategic areof alower valueand lowersignificance in respect of the impact on residents and public safety.

(b)  In respectof ProcurementBoard waiverdecisions, therecommendations aresupported by the following reasons: -

(i)      inorder tocomply withthe ContractProcedure Rules.

(ii)    toprovide Cabinetwith informationabout thedecisions madeby theProcurement Board.

(iii)  tosupplement thereports that aretaken toCabinet aboutproposed spendover £100,000,that areset outin theAnnual ProcurementPlan andthe in yearupdate to that report.