Issue - meetings

RECOMMENDED:   1)      That the amended Contract Standing Orders be approved.

2)       That delegated authority be granted to the Chief Executive in consultation with the Leader and the Monitoring Officer, to make minor changes from time to time to make CSO consistent with legal requirements, changes in Council structures and personnel and best practice;

3)       That delegated authority be granted to the Leader, appropriate Portfolio Holder, and the Chief Executive, to add a section on compliance with the Council’s Environmental Policy, when that policy has been completed and adopted.

Reason for Decision

To ensure that the Council’s purchasing and disposal procedures continue to reflect best practice in order to obtain best value and to guard against corruption, discrimination and breaches of public procurement regulations.

Cabinet considered a report which explained that since the current version of Contract Standing Orders was approved by Council on 24 September 2015 there have been several changes in procurement policy.   These changes took account of the Council’s current Procurement Strategy adopted in April 2018, the transition to electronic tendering and the focus on social value. Contract Standing Orders had been reviewed and amendments were proposed that included measures to take account of the changes mentioned above.  It was explained that once the Council’s Environmental Policy had been approved it would be incorporated into the document.

The Procurement Officers, in particular the Procurement Trainee, were thanked for their work on the review, and for the work on single use plastics in the contractual framework.

In response to question it was confirmed that invoices were paid within 30 days, but where possible, local suppliers were paid faster than that.

Following a question on Brexit and the references to EU regulations in the document it was noted that the EU tender system would be replaced by a UK one. 

RECOMMENDED:   1)      That the new version of Contract Standing Orders be approved.

2)       That delegated authority be granted to the Chief Executive in consultation with the Leader and the Monitoring Officer, to make minor changes from time to time to make CSO consistent with legal requirements, changes in Council structures and personnel and best practice;

3)       That delegated authority be granted to the Leader, appropriate Portfolio Holder, and the Chief Executive, to add a section on compliance with the Council’s Environmental Policy, when that policy has been completed and adopted.

Reason for Decision

To ensure that the Council’s purchasing and disposal procedures continue to reflect best practice in order to obtain best value and to guard against corruption, discrimination and breaches of public procurement regulations.