Cabinet considered approval of proposed service groupings for re-procurement and the proposal to strengthen the client team by bringing highways inspection, programme management and quality monitoring back ‘in house’.

Councillor Haseler, Cabinet Member for Planning, Parking, Highways & Transport explained that the cabinet paper outlined options and recommendations for the future highway maintenance service delivery model, when the current Volker Highways contract expired on 1 April 2024. It was recommended that a procurement exercise was undertaken in order to obtain contracted services for the majority of activities and functions. It also recommended strengthening the in-house client team by delivering highway inspections, programme management and quality monitoring ‘in house’. It was suggested that re-procurement be undertaken for three separate contract groupings:

•           Highway maintenance

•           Street cleansing (including public conveniences)

•           Highways professional services

Councillor Haseler explained that in 2017, the Council entered a five-year highways management and maintenance contract with Volker Highways Ltd to provide a range of services with further 2 year extension until 31 March 2024. This was the maximum that the contract could be extended. The current commissioned service contained the following core elements:

·       Highway and Bridge Inspections

·       Highway and Bridge Repairs

·       Drainage and gully clearance

·       Winter Service

·       Street Cleansing

·       Project Delivery

·       Tree Inspections

Within the Cabinet report table two set out where the services sat prior to outsourcing in 2017 and recommendations of where they should sit going forward based on the review. The rationale for bringing certain aspects back in house was to provide greater quality and cost control for the Council. The proposal recommended that the majority of elements were delivered by external providers because they were specialist technical activities e.g. technical bridge assessments or construction functions such as winter gritting delivery/ road resurfacing. A paper recommending award of the contracts was planned to be considered by Cabinet in September 2023 with any cost implications being considered in the budget setting process for 2024/25.

Councillor Johnson seconded the proposal.

Councillor Rayner commented that Highways was the one aspect of Council delivery that affected every resident and noted that the Residents Survey showed that 89% of those that responded were satisfied with the area they live in.

Councillor Hilton reflected that Customer Enquiries was proposed to move in house and supported the paper as he considered it was optimum for the Council to own that interface.

Councillor L. Jones agreed with the recommendation as she had previously called in the outsourcing decision in 2017 and supported the change which she hoped would provide better ongoing customer service.

Councillor Werner stated that he considered it was the wrong decision in 2017 and supported the move to bring these services back in house.

Councillor Johnson commented that the administration was not ideologically opposed to outsourcing when it was appropriate and provided best value.

Councillor Hasler concluded by thanking colleagues for their support and the officer team for pulling the proposals together including market and external engagement.

RESOLVED UNANIMOUSLY that

i)          the report be noted and

ii)         the proposed service groupings for re-procurement and the proposal to strengthen the client team by bringing highway inspections, programme management and quality monitoring back ‘in house’ be approved.