Agenda and minutes

Councillor Collins – Other Council business

Councillor McDonald - Personal

Councillor Mellen – Other Council business

Councillor Urquhart - Personal

None

To confirm the minutes of the meeting held on 12 September 2017

The minutes of the meeting held on 12 September 2017 were confirmed as a correct record and signed by the Chair.

The Committee was informed that, in the future, updates from the voluntary and community sector would be provided by Louise Craig, Chief Executive Nottingham Community Voluntary Service, on a quarterly basis.

Update from the Provider Performance and Development Manager

Kaj Ghattaora, Market Strategy and Development Manager, provided a verbal update on the supply and delivery of stationary and computer consumables.  She informed the Committee that there was financial analysis of the current position and this was linked to wider work to look at all corporate contracts and identify the need for expenditure.  It was intended to hold a consolidated contract with the relevant provider and recharge departments for their expenditure.

The Committee discussed opportunities for reducing cost by restricting colour printing and expressed a desire to see this implemented as soon as possible.

Update from the Head of Commissioning

Christine Oliver, Head of Commissioning, provided a verbal update on the Crime and Drugs Partnership contract approval. She informed the Committee that the Portfolio Holder for Adults and Health had requested that a review was undertaken two months after the contract was approved.  The review was ongoing and savings were continuing to be found.  There was a savings target of £6million to be found from the Public Health budget for 2018/19 and Crime and Drugs Partnership savings would be joined up with that.  There were five significant services due to go out to tender shortly and it was anticipated that these would achieve cost savings.

Report of the Director of Commissioning and Procurement

Christine Oliver, Head of Commissioning, introduced a report on the Nottingham City Council Procurement Plan 2017-2022 which set out the Council’s planned programme of procurement activity for all goods, works and services over that five year period.

RESOLVED to:

(1)  note the Nottingham City Council Procurement Plan 2017-2022;

(2)  note that the Procurement Plan is indicative of planned procurement activity and timescales, which may be subject to change dependent on the outcomes of the strategic commissioning process, service budgets and priorities and the full consideration of procurement options for each requirement; and

(3)  note that the outcomes of procurement activity undertaken in accordance with the Plan during 2017/18 will be reported at the end of the year.

Reasons for decision

The Procurement Plan:

a)   is a key mechanism in the implementation of the Nottingham City Council Procurement Strategy 2014-17, enabling the planning of procurement activity to deliver the Council’s strategic priorities:

·  Grow the local economy

·  Drive increased local job opportunities for local people

·  Deliver effective value for money for our citizens

·  Lead as an Early Intervention City

·  Lead as a Green City;

b)  enables the Council to secure value for money, manage financial resources effectively and align its commissioning and procurement activity with the Council’s Medium Term Financial Plan, through a planned approach and robust financial analysis for each project.  A strategic category management approach in key areas of spend will maximise the value of spend and generate savings wherever possible for client departmental budgets;

c)  supports compliance with the Public Procurement Regulations and the Contract Procedure Rules of the Council’s Financial Regulations by enabling procurement activity to be planned and undertaken within the duration of existing contracts.  This will minimise the need for dispensation from the Financial Regulations to be sought to extend contracts beyond their expiry date without formal tendering being undertaken, other than in genuinely exceptional circumstances.  This is particularly important in relation to goods and services that are subject to the full application of the European Procurement Directives;

d)  provides information for internal and external stakeholders about planned procurement activity and presents a clear, transparent and robust process of procurement planning.  It facilitates joint working with partner organisations and collaboration in procurement activity.  It allows other service departments (such as Legal Services) to include support for procurement activity in their work plans;

e)  supports the Council’s commercialism agenda by enabling potential ‘make or buy’ opportunities to be identified in a timely way in advance of existing contracts being due for renewal.  It facilitates the forward planning of ‘make or buy’ considerations by the Make or Buy Panel; and

f)  informs provider markets about forthcoming opportunities to bid for contracts with the Council; enabling potential suppliers to prepare for these and enabling market development support to be offered.

The Council’s long term programme of procurement activity is currently under review to ensure the alignment of key projects with legal and procurement capacity.  Therefore the Plans detail timescales for procurement activity over the forthcoming year and timescales for  ...  view the full minutes text for item 40.

Report of the Corporate Director of Commercial and Operations

Paul Ritchie, Lead Procurement Officer, introduced the report on the procurement of cleaning consumables.  The Committee welcomed the approach of carrying out a joint procurement exercise with Derby City Council and suggested that opportunities for other joint procurement activities with Derby City Council should be explored.

RESOLVED to:

(1)  go out to tender for cleaning consumables and award the contract for a period of 4 years to the most economically advantageous tender received;

(2)  delegate the award of the contract to the Corporate Director Commercial Operations; and

(3)  carry out a joint procurement with Derby City Council, with Nottingham City Council leading the tendering exercise.

Reasons for decision

The decision will enable the Council to provide a clean and safe environment to work and live in.  The joint procurement with Derby City Council will increase the spend on cleaning consumables and it is anticipated that this increase in economies of scale will enable savings to be achieved for both local authorities.

Other options considered

The option of doing nothing was considered but rejected because the Council has an on-going demand for cleaning consumables.