The Re
contract commenced on the 1st October 2013 and allows
for a review at the end of year four. The contractual arrangements
for conducting the review are set out in clause 37.4 of the
contract.
Clause 37.4 of the Re contract expressly provides for
this year four review and expressly
allows for modification to the contract resulting from that review.
Therefore, any agreed changes to the contract will be in line with
the Public Contract Regulations 2015 as long as the changes do not
alter the overall nature of the contract.
The
Performance and Contract Management Committee on 7th
January 2016 established a Member-led Working
Group to oversee the year three review of the Customer and Support
Group (CSG) contract. At its meeting on 5th January
2017, the Committee agreed to that the remit of the established
Member-led Working Group be extended to provide oversight of the
Year Four Re Contract Review and that it continues to meet, as
required, to fulfil that purpose.
The role
of the Working Group will be to provide Member oversight to the
Year Four Re Contract Review, including:
·
providing strategic direction to the
Review;
·
agreeing the overall aims, objectives and desired
outcomes of the Review;
·
considering and challenging the evidence;
·
agreeing
the recommendations to Committee.
This contract provides the following services
on behalf of the Council:
1) Development and
Regulatory Services (DRS), including:
Planning and Development Management;
Regeneration;
Strategic Planning;
Building Control;
Land Charges;
Environmental
Health;
Trading Standards and Licensing; and
Cemetery and Crematorium.
2) Highways services including:
Network Management;
Traffic & Development; and
Transport.
The review
process is designed to give both parties an opportunity
to: consider what is working well;
identify areas for improvement; and to consider the changing needs
and priorities of the Council. It is
intended that the Review will commence in January 2017, with a view
to it being substantially completed by July 2017. It is further intended that the Review will be
conducted in a similar manner to the CSG Contract Review, with the
collection and consideration of evidence leading to constructive
dialogue with Capita Business Services Ltd, to agree any changes
required to the contract.
The contract
changes agreed will need to be authorised by the relevant officer
in line with the Council’s constitution and documented in a
Deed of Variation or similar legal form to ensure that they are
legally binding on both parties.
The Re review is an opportunity to assess the
performance and service delivery from the first four years of the
contract and to ensure that the contract is best placed to meet the
future needs of the Council.
The review will look at ways to improve
service delivery and residents’ experience of using the
services, as well as identify approaches to income generation and
opportunities for savings in response to the changing needs of the
Council and the borough.
The Council would like to hear the views of
residents, traders and local businesses about the contract in
respect of:
·
Their experiences of using and interacting with the
services provided under the contract, in particular: highways; planning; environmental services
(environmental health, trading standards etc.); and cemetery and
crematorium
·
Suggestions for how these services might need to
change to meet the changing needs of residents
·
Any other aspects of the operation of the
contract
As part of the review, a meeting of the Member
Working Group will be held in public on Tuesday 25th April 2017 at
7.00pm at Hendon Town Hall.
Members of the public may submit their views
on the services provided through the contract to Councillors in the
form of a written statement. It would
be helpful if this include a brief description of the level of
interaction there has been with the service concerned (for example,
one instance, or regular contact over a period of
time). Members of the public may also
address Councillors at the public meeting on the 25th April.
At the meeting, Councillors may wish to ask
questions to clarify the points being made. The Council will not respond to individual
submissions, but will consider them as part of the overall evidence
base that will inform the outcomes of the review.
The deadline for submission of written
statements and requests to address the meeting is 10.00am on
Thursday 20th April 2017.
For further information about how to get
involved, and to submit submissions please contact Michael
Van-Yeboah
(michael.vanyeboah@barnet.gov.uk 0208 359 5337).
The Group has discretion to determine its own
working arrangements. For this review,
they have decided to hold one meeting in public. The Council is committed to conducting the
contract review openly and transparently, while balancing the need
to conduct consideration of its commercial negotiating position
privately. The Performance and Contract
Management Committee will receive regular reports on the progress
of this contract review and will consider any recommendations made
by the Working Group in due course.