Issue - meetings

Report of Corporate Director for People

Claire Moores, Whynott Transport Manager, presented the report and stated the following:

(i)  as part of a transformation of the department and services, the Education Division sought authorisation to continue to procure transport for school travel. The main service areas utilising Social Care Transportation (including SEND Home-to-School), School Trips Transport and Council Staff Transportation services are Passenger Transport Service, Why Nott? Transport and the Theatre Royal and Royal Concert Hall;

(ii)  approval would enable establishment of a DPS (Dynamic Purchasing System) for the contracting and supply of transportation from external transport operators;

(iii)  Nottingham City Council’s Passenger Transport Service was now part of the Education Department, but has always functioned as a specialised transport provider for SEND and Vulnerable Pupils, Adult Social Care and other Adult and Children’s Services. Part of the home to school and adult day care specialised transport is provided internally by a fleet of 56 specially adapted passenger carrying vehicles. However, the majority of transport requirements were commissioned by a back office team from a range of local, private, specialised passenger transport operators and private hire operators. The value of the total contracts awarded in one year could be up to £3.7m, spread amongst a number of passenger transport operators and private hire operators that can provide the services within the Nottingham City area;

(iv)  Nottingham City Council’s Why Nott? Transport, based in Curriculum and Enrichment, has a history of over 10 years of successfully supporting schools and Academies to access educational visits, school swimming and ice skating lessons. The service allows schools to secure the best price for their journey through a competitive process within a pool of pre-approved transport providers. The value of the total contracts awarded in one year could be up to £450,000, spread amongst a number of passenger transport operators and private hire operators that can provide the services within the Nottingham City area;

(v)  Theatre Royal / Royal Concert Hall presents around 675 performances each year, attracting audiences in excess of 600,000. The service area is looking for suppliers of private hire vehicles mainly, but not exclusively, to enable staff to get home after their shifts end. The need for this could be 7 days a week from about 10.30pm through to 6am the following morning, depending on the production playing. This service would also extend to journeys for visiting company and cast between the location that they are staying for the week/night, as well as press engagements at local radio and TV stations. The value of the total contracts awarded in one year could be up to £12,000, spread amongst a number of passenger transport operators and private hire operators that can provide the services within the Nottingham City area;

(vi)  the Council’s updated Contract Procedure Rules (Article 18 of the Constitution) and the Public Contract Regulations 2015 (PCR’s) stipulate that contracts should be aggregated where possible, in the event of multiple departments were procuring the same services, to maximise economies of scale and avid dis-aggregation of contracts and  ...  view the full minutes text for item 66