Issue - meetings

Report of the Head of Law and Administration on a review of the Procurement Boards.

(1)   In view of the fact that Executive Members were now able to exercise delegated decisions through Executive Member Decision Notices, Cabinet agreed that the General Procurement Board can be disbanded for the reasons set out in the report. Following Council approval of necessary changes to the Constitution, the approval process for procurements will be undertaken in accordance with the table in section 3.12 of the report.

(2)   Cabinet recommended to Council that the Constitution is amended to reflect any approved consequential changes in the report, including Executive Member and Officer delegations.

(3)   Cabinet also recommended to Council that the Contract Procedures Rules are amended to reflect the approved changes, as outlined in the report.

Report of the Head of Law and Administration on a review of the Procurement Boards.

(1)        The Decision Taken

RESOLVED:

(unanimous)

(1)  In view of the fact that Executive Members were now able to exercise delegated decisions through Executive Member Decision Notices, Cabinet agreed that the General Procurement Board can be disbanded for the reasons set out in the report. Following Council approval of necessary changes to the Constitution, the approval process for procurements will be undertaken in accordance with the table in section 3.12 of the report.

(2)  Cabinet recommended to Council that the Constitution is amended to reflect any approved consequential changes in the report, including Executive Member and Officer delegations.

(3)  Cabinet also recommended to Council that the Contract Procedures Rules are amended to reflect the approved changes, as outlined in the report.

(2)       Reasons for the Decision

The change would require amendments to both the Council’s Constitution and Contract Procedure Rules.

The General Procurement Board was established in 2018 with a view to involving members in the procurement process.

In practice, and in the light of experience, the existence of the board had added delay and inefficiency to the process.

Members had in reality been able to provide little effective input to a process that is highly formulaic.  Discussions had almost invariably been about issues unrelated to procurement.

The fact that the General Procurement Board recommended to Cabinet has then created Cabinet agenda items.  Furthermore, the timescales involved meant that the related pre-Cabinet agenda items had frequently been discussed before the General Procurement Board had made a recommendation, adding confusion. 

As noted in the report, little member involvement in procurement existed in other Hertfordshire authorities.

Cross-party member involvement in major projects would be maintained, where it is considered appropriate, and can add value.  But this will be with a view to involving members in the project as a whole, not just the procurement aspects.

The recommended changes should be seen as part of the Council’s modernisation process.  The proposed revised approval process was set out in Table 3.12 of the report.