Agenda and minutes

Report of the Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care and Health providing an update on the work that is currently underway and planned in order to further address the consideration of an alternative organisational approach to the delivery of directly provided social care services, attached.

The Committee considered the report of the Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care and Health providing an update on the work that is currently underway and planned in order to further address the consideration of an alternative organisational approach to the delivery of directly provided social care services. (Copy of the report circulated with the agenda and appended to the signed minutes).

RESOLVED that the Committee requested an update at a future meeting.

Report of the Senior Manager – Customer and Business Improvement, providing information and the opportunity for the Committee to discuss how the City Council could, within the law, make it easier for small voluntary, community and private sector organisations to tender for Council contracts, or to run council services in line with the Localism agenda, attached.

The Committee considered the report of the Senior Manager – Customer and Business Improvement, providing information and the opportunity for the Committee to discuss how the City Council could, within the law, make it easier for small voluntary, community and private sector organisations to tender for Council contracts, or to run council services in line with the Localism agenda. (Copy of the report circulated with the agenda and appended to the signed minutes).

Mr John Spiers, Senior Manager – Property, Procurement and Contract Management made a presentation to the Committee that made the following points :

• that the Council’s procurement process was shaped by a broad range of requirements set out in legislation and as such this impacted upon the complexity of any procurements and could therefore been seen to be overly bureaucratic. As such there would be a need to reduce the legislative burden if the objectives of “The Big Society” are to be fully achieved;
• that 53% of the Councils spend was with Small or Medium Enterprises (SME’s) and 3^rd Sector Voluntary Organisations;
• that in terms of supplier registrations of the procurement e-sourcing system, 81% were SME’s and the 3^rd Sector;
• that the City Council’s Pre-Qualification Questionnaire (PQQ) had been amended and reduced from 54 pages to 16 pages and was frequently compared with our neighbouring authorities to establish best practice; 
• that much of the 3^rd Sector complaints related to the contracts and awards of funding below £100,000.  This procurement is currently managed directly by the Directorates themselves. The Committee were advised that investigations into the possibility of centralising the procurement process for contracts under £100,000 was being undertaken at present;
• that 65% of requests for expressions of interest and PQQ’s were from SME’s and the 3^rd Sector however, there is a concern that only 25% of the responses to invitation to tender were from SME’s and the 3^rd Sector (albeit 44% of those who did tender were successful);
• that meetings with Communities Manager and representatives from the voluntary sector had taken place resulting in reviewing just how the present system could be adjusted to facilitate a higher return rate of PQQ’s;
• that there is a plan to work closer with SME’s and the 3^rd Sector and that will:

·  establish frequent meetings with 3^rd sector and SME’s via local business forums and or other channels such as Chamber of Commerce, Fed of Small Businesses;

·  enable quarterly attendance, reviews with 3^rd sector forums/groups to provide notification of forthcoming SCC procurement opportunities and procurement feedback on learning points re. PQQ/Tender submissions etc;  

·  widen the use of SCC’s internet to publicise procurement opportunities (sub £100k spend);

·  enable the SCC to hold a Procurement Conference with a theme focussed on how to do business and work closer with the Council.

RESOLVED that the presentationbe noted and the information provided be entered into the Inquiry’s file of evidence.

Report of the Senior Manager – Customer and Business Improvement providing the Overview and Scrutiny Management Committee the opportunity to examine the content of the Forward Plan attached.

The Committee considered the report of the Senior Manager – Customer and Business Improvement providing the Overview and Scrutiny Management Committee the opportunity to examine the content of the Forward Plan. (Copy of the report circulated with the agenda and appended to the signed minutes).

RESOLVED

(i)  that the Committee noted the report of the Cabinet Member for Housing, detailing the proposed Cabinet decision relating to Housing Revenue Account Land Sales; and

(ii)  that the Committee noted the report of the Cabinet Member for Housing detailing the 2012/2013 Grants to Voluntary Organisations

Report of the Senior Manager – Customer and Business Improvement, detailing actions and monitoring progress of the recommendations of the Panel, attached.

The Committee noted the report of the Senior Manager – Customer and Business Improvement, detailing actions and monitoring progress of the recommendations of the Panel. (Copy of the report circulated with the agenda and appended to the signed minutes).