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Agenda item

Publica Update

Purpose

To provide an update from Publica on commissioning and procurement and on progress made in response to the Publica Board Review carried out in 2020.

 

Recommendation

To note the report.

 

Minutes:

The Committee received a report from the Managing Director of Publica, which provided an update on commissioning and procurement and on progress made in response to the Publica Board Review carried out in 2020.

 

Councillor Joe Harris provided the Committee with an overview of the importance of ensuring that the commissioning process was effective.

 

The Committee noted the unique commissioning model currently in place as part of the existing arrangements with Publica.

 

The Committee noted the recent appointments made to the Publica Board of Directors.

 

Mr Britton outlined the report and answered a number of questions from Members relating to the following topics:

 

The Committee noted the relationship between the Council and Publica, in that the role of Publica was to commission and procure services on behalf of the Council.

 

The Committee further noted the importance of an effective commissioning process which would ensure that procured services met the Councils requirements.

 

The Committee noted that one of the primary aims of Publica was to ensure it was an excellent organisation to work for. Members acknowledged the importance of achieving this objective to ensure that the best possible candidates were appointed to work for the business (and retained), thereby providing an excellent service on behalf of the Council and to the residents of the District.

 

Members specifically noted the work being undertaken to recruit planning staff to the Council, acknowledging the staff shortages in this area at local authorities across the country.

 

The Committee noted that the Local Government Mutual was a route to market in relation to insurance providers. The Dynamic Purchasing System (DPS) was another route to market, specifically in relation to service providers who had completed a procurement process so they could appear on the DPS service providers list and be easily accessed by local authorities to procure services.

 

The Committee noted that work was being undertaken to produce a comprehensive database of service contracts and their associated expiry dates. This would ensure that effective commissioning could take place in advance of new contracts being procured in the future.

 

In relation to procurement, the Committee acknowledged that the Social Value Act would enable the Council to procure services not only based on cost, but also based on the social benefits associated with a contract. A briefing note around social contracts would be provided to the Committee.

 

 

 

The Committee expressed a view that service providers should be sourced locally wherever possible.

 

In relation to procurement frameworks and contracts, the Committee noted that quotes for services could be obtained in a relatively swift manner where urgency was important (the hiring of agency staff on a short-term basis for example). This method was not always the correct route to market and a full procurement process would be followed for other services and contracts.

 

The Committee further noted that work had been undertaken to identify areas where additional resources were required across the Council and the associated measures required to address any staff shortages. This robust process would be undertaken on an annual basis going forwards.

 

The Committee noted that the Member Representative Board (MRB) was related to the shareholders of the Publica company.

 

The Committee noted that both the Publica and Council Audit Committees received similar reports with both having very defined roles, functions and responsibilities. In relation to the Overview and Scrutiny Committee, Members noted it was this Committee who played a role in holding Publica to account – Publica did not have its own standalone Overview and Scrutiny Committee.

 

The Committee further noted that the Council’s senior management team were provided with performance information on a regular basis so that any issues could be identified and managed. Members and the Committees on which they sat could also raise any performance issues after receiving and analysing performance data submitted to them via reports.

 

RESOLVED that the Committee noted the report.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Supporting documents:

 

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