Issue - meetings

1.      That an extension of council’s existing waste and recycling collection contract with Biffa be approved, in line with the extension provisions contained within the current contract, (CAB3202 November 2019) for a period of eight years, which is compliant with the Public Contracts Regulations 2015.

2.      That authority be delegated to the Strategic Director, in consultation with the Director of Finance and Director of Legal, to finalise the contract extension and secure the necessary provisions to ensure the Council can fully comply with the national Simpler Recycling programme. 

3.      That in light of the local government reorganisation, a clause into the existing contract be included allowing the novation of the existing contract to a new organisation, and to ensure that any contact extension allows the same.

Councillor Cramoysan introduced the report which set out proposals to extend the waste collection contract to ensure continuity in respect of forthcoming LGR proposals and also fulfil the council’s stated aim to go greener faster. 

At the invitation of the Leader, Councillors Lee and Bolton addressed Cabinet as summarised below.

Councillor Lee

Councillor Lee acknowledged the team's high performance and the success of the food waste collection rollout, but questioned the strategic decision to lock the council into an eight-year extension without first testing the market. He expressed concern that this long-term commitment might restrict the flexibility of any new unitary authority and suggested that a shorter extension or the inclusion of break clauses would be preferable.   He also highlighted the possible financial risks in relation to potential drops in recycling revenue following national policy reforms and called for a full impact analysis of recent service changes before committing to the contract extension.

Councillor Bolton

Councillor Bolton also acknowledged the work of the team but queried the timing of the proposed extension, four years before the existing contract expired. He considered that making such a significant decision on behalf of a future unitary authority denied that new body the chance to design its own systems or benefit from increased economies of scale.  He believed that the proposal contradicted the council's broader TC25 goals and questioned whether it would drive innovation or help the district go greener faster.

Councillor Cramoysan, together with the Corporate Head of Service Place and Strategic Director responded to the comments made including confirming that a benchmarking exercise had been undertaken and officers were assured the proposal offered the best value for money at the current time.  The time and expense involved in retendering a contract of this size was also emphasised. 

Cabinet and other members present confirmed they did not wish to go into exempt session to consider further the contents of the exempt appendix.

Cabinet agreed to the following for the reasons set out in the report and outlined above.

RESOLVED:

1.              That an extension of council’s existing waste and recycling collection contract with Biffa be approved, in line with the extension provisions contained within the current contract, (CAB3202 November 2019) for a period of eight years, which is compliant with the Public Contracts Regulations 2015.

2.              That authority be delegated to the Strategic Director, in consultation with the Director of Finance and Director of Legal, to finalise the contract extension and secure the necessary provisions to ensure the Council can fully comply with the national Simpler Recycling programme. 

3.              That in light of the local government reorganisation, a clause into the existing contract be included allowing the novation of the existing contract to a new organisation, and to ensure that any contact extension allows the same.