Agenda item

This report considers and evaluates options for delivery of the Revenues and IT Support Service when the existing contractual arrangements with Capita Business Services Ltd (“Capita”) end on 30^th April 2019 and makes recommendations accordingly. 

RESOLVED:

16.1    The invitation of tenders for the provision of the Business Rates Service (“NNDR”) including associated customer service, IT Support for the Academy IT System and printing for the NNDR service on the basis of the pre-tender considerations referred to in paragraph 5.2.2 and further defined within Appendix F of the Cabinet report, be approved;

16.2    Officers evaluating tenders referred to in resolution 16.1 above on the basis of the evaluation criteria set out in Appendix F of the report, be approved;

16.3    The return of Council Tax Service and associated IT Support (including support for the Northgate IT System, Debtsys for Housing Benefit Overpayments and View 360 electronic document management system) to in-house provision at the expiry of the existing Revenues and IT Support Services contract, be approved, based upon the options appraisal set out within this report; 

16.4    Cabinet noted that subject to resolution 16.3 above, printing services for the Council Tax and Benefits Services be procured by the Council (the timing of such procurement to form part of detailed transition plans in order to minimise risk of service disruption at contract expiry);  

16.5    Authority be delegated to the Strategic Director Resources in consultation with the Deputy Leader to agree variations to the existing Revenues and IT Support Services contract to permit discrete areas of the existing contract package to be returned to in house provision before the contract expiry date, if appropriate; and

16.6    Growth of £0.2m arising from resolution 16.3 above be approved as set out within paragraph 3.8 and Section 6 (Financial Implications) of the Cabinet report.  

Councillor Margaret McLennan, Deputy Leader of the Council, introduced the report asking Cabinet to consider and evaluate options for delivery of the Revenues and IT Support Service when the existing contractual arrangements with Capita Business Services Ltd (“Capita”) end on 30 April 2019. 

Councillor McLennan stated that the options appraisal has shown a strong case for the retender of Business Rates as this offers the best prospects for strong performance with more robust resilience and less risk. She stated that the options appraisal has also indicated that the overall prospects for Council Tax collection performance improvement are stronger if the service returns to in house provision as this option offers the opportunity to directly control and develop the service in accordance with Brent’s wider strategic objectives, in particular a more corporate approach to debt recovery and implementation of the Digital Strategy. Cabinet noted that the options appraisal has also indicated that a retender of the service may not achieve improved collection performance without increased investment through a higher contract price.   

Cabinet noted that an in house Council Tax service would offer greater flexibility in terms of integrating Revenue collection with Benefits operations particularly as the working age Housing Benefit caseload starts to migrate to Universal credit from 2019.  It would also allow greater flexibility in implementing a more corporate approach to debt recovery and implementation of the Digital Strategy.

RESOLVED:

16.1    The invitation of tenders for the provision of the Business Rates Service (“NNDR”) including associated customer service, IT Support for the Academy IT System and printing for the NNDR service on the basis of the pre-tender considerations referred to in paragraph 5.2.2 and further defined within Appendix F of the Cabinet report, be approved;

16.2    Officers evaluating tenders referred to in resolution 16.1 above on the basis of the evaluation criteria set out in Appendix F of the report, be approved;

16.3    The return of Council Tax Service and associated IT Support (including support for the Northgate IT System, Debtsys for Housing Benefit Overpayments and View 360 electronic document management system) to in-house provision at the expiry of the existing Revenues and IT Support Services contract, be approved, based upon the options appraisal set out within this report; 

16.4    Cabinet noted that subject to resolution 16.3 above, printing services for the Council Tax and Benefits Services be procured by the Council (the timing of such procurement to form part of detailed transition plans in order to minimise risk of service disruption at contract expiry);  

16.5    Authority be delegated to the Strategic Director Resources in consultation with the Deputy Leader to agree variations to the existing Revenues and IT Support Services contract to permit discrete areas of the existing contract package to be returned to in house provision before the contract expiry date, if appropriate; and

16.6    Growth of £0.2m arising from resolution 16.3 above be approved as set out within paragraph 3.8 and Section 6 (Financial Implications) of the Cabinet report.