Issue - meetings

To receive a report from the Head of Operations on the procurement of a Joint Materials Recycling Facility.

Endorsed the Councils commitment to the procurement, subject to all RECAP partners agreeing to the appointment; endorsed the procurement and appointment of a Contractor to deliver a joint materials recycling facility for bulking, sorting and onward processing/sale of recyclable materials for all participating partners; approved the RECAP Advance Partnership Working Charter and Governance Agreement; agreed that the final Invitation of Tender document for the project be considered by the Overview and Scrutiny Panel (Environmental Well-Being) prior to final approval by the Cabinet and if necessary a special meeting be called for that purpose in order to meet the timetable for the joint procurement; endorsed the nomination of a preferred supplier by Peterborough City Council, in collaboration with the participating partners, for the provision of the services of bulking, sorting and onward processing/sale of recyclable materials contract on behalf of Peterborough City Council and the RECAP participating partners and approved the RECAP approach to the Waste Framework Directive and Waste Regulations for the collection of recyclate materials streams from 2015.

With the aid of a report by the Head of Operations (a copy of which is appended in the Minute Book) the Cabinet considered a proposal by the Recycling Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Waste Partnership (RECAP) to jointly procure a materials recycling facility to manage and process all the recycling materials collected across Cambridgeshire and Peterborough. The proposals relates only to bulking, sorting and onward processing/sale of recyclable materials.

In considering the information in the report, Executive Councillors discussed the risk associated with the contract and sought assurances that the authority would benefit from being part of a combined procurement with other local authorities.  Having referred also to the lack of any financial justifications in the report, the Cabinet  

RESOLVED

(a)  that, subject to all RECAP partners agreeing to the appointment, the Council’s commitment to the procurement and appointment of a Contractor to deliver a joint materials recycling facility for bulking, sorting and onward processing/sale of recyclable materials for all participating partners, be endorsed;

(b)  that the RECAP Advance Partnership Working Charter and Governance Agreement, appended to the report now submitted,  be approved;

(c)  that the final Invitation of Tender document for the project be considered by the Overview and Scrutiny Panel (Environmental Well-Being) prior to final approval by the Cabinet and if necessary a special meeting be called for that purpose in order to meet the timetable for the joint procurement;

(d)  that the nomination of a preferred supplier by Peterborough City Council, in collaboration with the participating partners, for the provision of the services of bulking, sorting and onward processing/sale of recyclable materials contract on behalf of Peterborough City Council and the RECAP participating partners be endorsed; and

(e)  that the RECAP approach to the Waste Framework Directive and Waste Regulations for the collection of recyclate materials streams from 2015, as set out in Appendix 3 of the report, be approved.

To receive a report from the Head of Operations on the procurement of a Joint Materials Recycling Facility.

(Councillor D M Tysoe, Executive Councillor for Environment, was in attendance for consideration of this item).

The Panel gave consideration to a report by the Head of Operations (a copy of which is appended in the Minute Book) proposing the joint procurement of a material recycling facility operator to manage and process all the recycling materials collected across Cambridgeshire and Peterborough. In introducing the report, the Executive Councillor for Environment reported that the proposal had been developed by the Recycling in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough (RECAP) Waste Partnership and would confirm the waste collections authorities’ commitment to continuing with it.

Having been advised that the proposals related to the bulking, sorting and onward processing of recyclable materials, the Panel gave consideration to the possibility that requirements for the presentation of materials might influence the way in which they were collected. Members therefore, sought assurances that the level of service in Huntingdonshire would not be lowered and that any “levelling” would be to at least the District’s current standards. Similarly, the Panel expressed the view that requirements for the delivery of materials for recycling should not restrict the future development of the service nor the Council’s ability to change the way in which it was delivered should that be necessary in the future.

It was confirmed that the proposals related to “back office” functions and would not affect the delivery of front line services. Whilst market forces would influence the level of income generated, the overall risk would be no greater than if the District Council let its own contract. There was some concern over awarding the contract to a single organisation, which would be in a strong negotiating position. In response, the Executive Councillor for Environment indicated that separate contracts might be put in place for different types of recyclate. This would mitigate the risk of dealing with one company. The possibility that partners might wish to withdraw from the contract was a further area of concern. Members received assurances that the terms of the contract would be legally binding and that financial penalties would be imposed in such cases.

Members drew attention to the fact that the proposal did not contain any reference to scrutiny of the new arrangements. It was suggested that the Governance Agreement should be amended to include provision for scrutiny of the contract and its effect on the waste collection service individually or collectively by the partner local authorities. In considering the recommendations referred to in Section 1 of Annex 1 of the report, the Panel suggested that recommendation 3 should be amended to refer to the fact that the decision to award the contract should be made by the Head of Operations after consultation with the Executive Councillor for Environment. The Executive Councillor for Environment accepted this suggestion. Whereupon, it was

RESOLVED

  that the Cabinet be recommended to:-

(a)  agree that the Council is committed to the procurement and appointment of a contractor to deliver joint material recycling facility services for bulking, sorting and onward  ...  view the full minutes text for item 27