Issue - meetings

The Chairman of the Finance & Corporate Services Select Committee, Councillor John Riley, presented the Committee’s report into procurement – securing value for our residents, which was warmly received by the Cabinet.

RESOLVED:

That Cabinet welcomes the Select Committee’s report and its findings, which seek to enhance procurement processes and practices in Hillingdon. Furthermore, Cabinet agrees to delegate decisions on taking forward the implementation of the Committee’s specific recommendations to the Cabinet Member of Finance.

Reasons for the decision

Cabinet outlined its support for the Committee’s review, offering practical and effective recommendations to support the Council’s approach to procurement and authorised the Cabinet Member to consider their future implementation.

The Cabinet Member for Finance expressed gratitude to the Select Committee for their thorough work in regard to procurement, which had been carried out over the course of a year and had yielded several important recommendations. It was acknowledged that the procurement team bore a heavy burden of compliance, especially given recent legislative changes. The importance of striking a balance between compliance and value addition was underscored by the Cabinet Member, with a commitment to implementing the Select Committee's recommendations to achieve this balance.

The Leader expressed his gratitude and welcomed the recommendations on the need to prioritise contracts based on risk and value, along with transparency in managing contracts and reducing rollover contracts.

Alternative options considered and rejected

Cabinet could have decided to reject some, or all, of the Committee’s recommendations or pursued alternative routes by which to progress the objectives of the review.