Issue - meetings

The Committee had before it a report by the Director of Communities, Housing and Infrastructure which provided details on the current and forecast level of spend on the domestic gas central heating (annual servicing, maintenance and repairs) framework and provided an overview of a proposed procurement strategy for the award of a new contract.

The report recommended:-

that the Committee –

(a)       in accordance with Regulation 4.1.2 of the Council’s new Procurement Regulations, notes the current overspend and approves the forecast overspend on the contract and the reasons for this;

(b)       approve an extension of up to 31 October 2017 for the current Gas Central Heating Maintenance Framework contractor, as a risk control measure.  During this time, a fresh tender for the contract which outlines a detailed strategy for procuring a new contractor, assessing tenders based more on quality than price, and allowing for a transition period, will be developed and implemented;

(c)        instruct the Head of Procurement, under Regulation 4.2.2 of the Council’s Procurement Regulations to designate the required Delegated Procurer(s) within Communities Housing and Infrastructure, in order to conduct procurements for a new Works contract, and to agree to award, amend or vary the proposed contract detailed in this report;

(d)       to approve the total estimated expenditure for the new contract as detailed in this report, in accordance with Regulation 4.1.1.3 of the Council’s Procurement Regulations;

(e)       to note that the Gas and Cyclical Maintenance Team has achieved 100% rating in gaining access to carry out the annual gas checks to each property within 12 months of the previous visit (a statutory requirement) and is anxious not to risk losing this critical performance;

(f)        to note the specific risks associated with this contract, in particular, the risks and potential consequences of not continuing to test 100% of properties annually; and

(g)       to note that in order to move away from accepting unrealistically low tenders, and consequently encountering financial claims and disputes, the Council will likely see a rise in the cost of accepted tender sums.

The Committee resolved:-

(i)         to approve the recommendations;

(ii)        that officers provide information to Councillor Reynolds in relation to whether the VAT element could be claimed back on subsistence for accommodation/meals; and

(iii)       that an update report in relation to the contract be brought back to the Committee on 30 November 2017.