Issue - meetings

To award the Contract to the recommended tenderer for the provision of Advertising Services for Statutory Notices to commence on 1 November 2013 for a period of 3 years, with an option to extend for a further period of 1 year. The Report provides details of the procurement process, including the results of the evaluation process, and in conjunction with the Part 2 Annex (item 20), demonstrates why the recommended Contract award delivers best value for money.

Due to the commercial sensitivity involved in the contract award process, the names and financial details of the potential suppliers have been circulated as a Part 2 Annex (item 20).

[The decisions on this item can be called in by Council Overview and Scrutiny Committee]

1.         That the background information, as set out in the submitted report be noted.

2.       That the award of the contract be agreed, following consideration of the procurement process set out in item 20, the Part 2 Annex.

Reasons for Decisions

The existing contract will expire on 31 October 2013.  A tender process has been completed, and the recommendations arising out of the above process provide best value for money for the Council following a thorough evaluation process. The procurement activity is expected to deliver savings of 10% per annum through the use of composite notices, closer working relationships, targeted distribution and alternative designs requiring less advertising space. Also, the contract ensures the Managed Service Provider passes on all discounted rates that the newspapers offer.

The new contract rates are in line with the current rates but the difference is they are fixed for the contact duration; therefore the projected spend is £540,000 per annum, compared to the current spend of £600,000 per annum, without incurring any inflationary costs.

[The decisions on this item may be called in by the Council Overview and Scrutiny Committee]

The Cabinet Member for Business Services introduced the report, which set out the recommendations to award a contract for the provision of Advertising Services for Statutory Notices to commence on 1 November 2013 for a period of 3 years, with an option to extend for a further period of 1 year. The report provided details of the procurement process, including the results of the evaluation process, and in conjunction with the Part 2 Annex (item 20), demonstrated why the recommended contract award delivered best value for money and was more cost effective than an in-house alternative.

She also confirmed that the proposed contract would provide sufficient flexibility should there be any future changes in legislation which may alter the requirement for advertising in newspapers. However, Members acknowledged, as set out in the EIA, that some elderly residents had limited access to the internet and relied on the local press to inform them of local issues.

RESOLVED:

1.         That the background information, as set out in the submitted report be noted.

2.       That the award of the contract be agreed, following consideration of the procurement process set out in item 20, the Part 2 Annex.

Reasons for Decisions

The existing contract will expire on 31 October 2013.  A tender process has been completed, and the recommendations arising out of the above process provide best value for money for the Council following a thorough evaluation process. The procurement activity is expected to deliver savings of 10% per annum through the use of composite notices, closer working relationships, targeted distribution and alternative designs requiring less advertising space. Also, the contract ensures the Managed Service Provider passes on all discounted rates that the newspapers offer.

The new contract rates are in line with the current rates but the difference is they are fixed for the contact duration; therefore the projected spend is £540,000 per annum, compared to the current spend of £600,000 per annum, without incurring any inflationary costs.