Issue - meetings

Report of the Chief Executive on a progress update on the expiry of the Sopra Steria Contract.

(1)   Cabinet noted progress in preparation for the end of the contract for the three service strands.

(2)   Cabinet approved the insourcing of the Contact Centre and Reception service.

Report of the Chief Executive on a progress update on the expiry of the Sopra Steria Contract.

(1)        The Decision Taken

RESOLVED:

(unanimous)

(1)  Cabinet noted progress in preparation for the end of the contract for the three service strands.

(2)  Cabinet approved the insourcing of the Contact Centre and Reception service.

(2)       Reasons for the Decision

The Council has a contract with Sopra Steria to cover Revenue and Benefits, the Contact Centre, and provision of Information technology services. (ICT).  This will expire in December 2022.

A cross-party member board was established in October 2020 to oversee the replacement of the contract.  Rather than replacing the contract on a like-for-like basis, it was decided to split the replacement into three distinct components.

For Revenues and Benefits, it had been decided to explore entering into a partnership with East Herts, rather than undertaking a new third party procurement.

For the contact Centre, the unanimous view of the cross-party board was to insource the operation, and then to explore the ways in which other similar contact centre functions within the Council could be integrated into a single function, generating efficiencies.

For the ICT component, a delivery partner had been procured, and the Council are working on preparing for the end of the Sopra Steria contract.

Unlike the General Procurement Board referred to in Agenda item 7A, it was not envisaged that this cross-party member board would be disbanded, as it provides valuable member oversight of the wider project.