Issue - meetings

To receive and consider report 78/07 of the Strategic Director and Chief Finance Officer. 

Introduction and Report Summary

The Vale has been working for a year with West Oxfordshire District Council (WODC) and South Oxfordshire District Council (SODC) with a view to jointly procuring the next contract for waste collection services. A recent report produced for the Oxfordshire Waste Partnership indicated that this was the lowest risk / best option for Oxfordshire Waste Collection Authorities (WCAs) in terms of achieving financial efficiencies within the time frame of placing new contract(s) in 2009/10.

The Vale’s Deputy Director for Contracts and Procurement is currently exploring two options for delivering the new contract(s) – a tri-partite approach by WODC, SODCl and the Vale; or support for the South East Centre of Excellence, who are aiming to put in place Regional Framework Agreements for use by WCAs in the South East.

Joint working between the three authorities would be greatly facilitated by a Memorandum of Understanding committing each authority to the joint procurement exercise, to be signed by each participating authority as part of the governance arrangements.

The contact officer for this report is Steve Bishop, Strategic Director (Chief Finance Officer) 01235 540332.  steve.bishop@whitehorsedc.gov.uk

Recommendations

(a)              The Executive approves that the Council should sign a Memorandum of Understanding committing the Council to a joint procurement exercise for waste collection services; and,

(b)              The Executive delegates authority to the Strategic Director (Chief Finance Officer) in consultation with the Head of Legal Services and the Portfolio Holder for Waste Procurement to agree and sign a suitably worded Memorandum of Understanding on Joint Waste Procurement. 

(Time: 4.13pm to 4.29pm)

The Executive received and considered report 78/07 of the Strategic Director and Chief Finance Officer regarding the joint procurement of Waste Management Services.  The Vale had been working for a year with West Oxfordshire District Council and South Oxfordshire District Council to jointly procure the next contract for waste collection services.  A recent report produced for the Oxfordshire Waste Partnership indicated that this was the lowest risk/best option for Oxfordshire's waste collection authorities in terms of achieving financial efficiencies within the time frame of placing new contract(s) in 2009/10. 

Two options for delivering the new contract(s) were being explored: a tri-partite approach by West and South Oxfordshire and the Vale; or support for the South East Centre of Excellence to put in place Regional Framework Agreements for use by waste collection authorities in the South East. 

If the joint working option was chosen by the three authorities, this would be greatly assisted by a Memorandum of Understanding.  The Memorandum would be signed by each participating authority as part of the governance arrangements.  This was not a legally binding document but would show strong commitment by each authority to the joint procurement exercise, hopefully leading to the signing of a legal agreement later. 

In answer to a question, the Strategic Director reported that it was clearly understood by all parties that the joint working option would lead to significant savings through the use of a single contractor, a common contract specification, and a single client monitoring team reporting to all three Councils.  These elements would form part of the Memorandum of Understanding.  When asked if other Councils could be part of this arrangement, it was reported that other authorities could join the arrangement later if they wished but to reach agreement with more than three Councils in the short timescale available was unlikely. 

Members supported the proposed joint procurement on the basis that the Memorandum of Understanding set out the need to use a single contractor, a common contract specification, and a single client monitoring team. 

RESOLVED

(a)              that a Memorandum of Understanding be signed committing the Council to a joint procurement exercise for waste collection services with South and West Oxfordshire District Councils; and

(b)              that authority be delegated to the Strategic Director and Chief Finance Officer, in consultation with the Head of Legal Services and the Portfolio Holder for Waste Procurement, to agree and sign a suitably worded Memorandum of Understanding on Joint Waste Procurement.