Issue - meetings

To consider amendments to the Standing Orders for Contracts, following a recent review to reflect changes in procurement practices.

RECOMMENDED:

(a)     That the revised Contract Standing Orders, as attached as Appendix 1 to Report Item 13 to the Cabinet, be approved; and

(b)     That the Service Manager (Legal) in consultation with the Executive Head of Governance and Regulation be delegated authority to make minor changes to Contract Standing Orders.

(c)     That the scheme of delegation of powers to officers be updated to reflect the changes in the revised Contract Standing Orders.

Members were advised that the Standing Orders for contracts needed to be revised to reflect current procurement processes.  In addition, it was proposed to increase contract threshold values, for example to allow Service Mangers to let contracts up to £15,000 (currently £5,000); and also the threshold requiring contracts to be openly advertised from £25,000 to £50,000.  This would allow the contracts to be made available to suppliers in the local economy, while allowing open advertising to widen competition should that be required.  The proposed changes to threshold values were summarised in Annex A to the revised Contracts for Standing Orders. All contracts over £25,000 value would be overseen by the procurement team to vet the supplier selection process and ensure best value and service considerations were in place.

It was proposed that there should be greater clarity under the “Gateway Review” process to ensure that all procurement projects over the value of £25,000 were properly defined and project managed; that there was effective communication about the project; that roles and responsibilities were identified and assigned; and the opportunities and risks were identified.

RECOMMENDED:

(a)     That the revised Contract Standing Orders, as attached as Appendix 1 to Report Item 13 to the Cabinet, be approved; and

(b)     That the Service Manager (Legal) in consultation with the Executive Head of Governance and Regulation be delegated authority to make minor changes to Contract Standing Orders.

(c)     That the scheme of delegation of powers to officers be updated to reflect the changes in the revised Contract Standing Orders.