Issue - meetings

To receive a report from the Cabinet Member for Environment and Transport and the Corporate Director for Growth, Environment and Transport which asks the Committee to consider and endorse, or make recommendations on the proposed decision to re-procure and delegate to the Director of Highways, Transportation and Waste authority to award contract/s for the urban grass, shrubs & hedges service.

Andrew Loosemore (Head of Highways Asset Management) and Richard Diplock (Soft Landscape Manager) were in attendance for this item.

(1)  Officers introduced the report which dealt with the soft landscape urban grass shrubs and hedges contract (Maidstone, Dartford, Canterbury and Thanet) which would end on 31 December 2017. The contract value was estimated at £325-350k per year.  A Key Decision was required to award the contract/s for this discretionary service as the value of the contract, including optional extensions exceeded £1m.  

(2)  In response to questions the Cabinet Member and officers advised that:

·         It was intended that this reprocurement would result in local contractors being appointed.

·         Small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) should be well placed to bid for these local contracts

·         It was hoped that more parish and town councils would come on board with the project over time, although it was noted that in urban areas there were often no local councils in place.

(3)  Resolved that the Committee endorse the proposed decision of the Cabinet Member for Environment and Transport to re-procure and delegate to the Director of Highways, Transportation and Waste authority to award contract/s for the urban grass, shrubs & hedges service.