Purpose

This report details the business justification and contract strategy for the purchase of library lending materials for a 4-year (2 years + 2 years) period from 1st April 2024.  This report recommends the purchase of lending materials via the Central Buying Consortium (CBC) library framework which is currently being retendered by West Sussex County Council (WSCC).  Camden currently use an existing CBC framework which is due to end on 31st March 2024, this is working well and has presented no problems to Camden.  The market is very limited in terms of suppliers, but the process will be an open tender process and the tender will be issued at the end of September and evaluated on 50% pricing and 50% technical. The Contract Review Group have reviewed the current specification and no significant changes are required. The replacement CBC framework agreement will have the following Lots, all of which will be used by Camden: Lot 1 made up of Lot 1a Adult Fiction, Lot 1b Adult Non-fiction such that bidders have to bid for both, Lot 2 Childrens fiction and non-fiction, Lot 3 Audio Visual materials. Suppliers can bid for all Lots or any combination of Lots.  The outcome of this tender process will be known in December 2023 with mobilisation January to March 2024.

Local councils have to abide by the Public Libraries & Museums Act 1964 which makes public library services a statutory duty for local authorities.  The key points of this act for Camden Council is that it must:

• Provide a comprehensive and efficient library service for all persons in the area that want to make use of it.
• Lend books and other printed material free of charge for those who live, work or study in the area.

Library materials may be borrowed, free of charge by those that live, work, visit or study in the London Borough of Camden. In 2022-2023 (April to March) more than 241k physical items were borrowed from Camden Libraries and in the same year, there were 603k visits made to Camden Libraries. 

Not all of the stock fund is spent through the CBC framework as we purchase digital resources from alternative suppliers. Additional revenue reserves have been allocated for 24/25 and 25/26 so estimated spend through the framework over the four-year period will be £450k. The use of the framework provides flexibility, as Camden are not required to commit to minimum order volumes or spend via the framework agreement so if budgets fluctuate over the contract term this will not pose an issue.

The use of the CBC framework agreement will allow Camden to achieve discounts on the recommended retail price (RRP), this allows Camden to maximise their purchasing power within a set budget. The actual level of discount against RRP will be based on the outcome of the tender exercise and the materials purchased by Camden.

The procurement strategy report is being presented to the Director of Recreation for approval in line with Contract Standing Orders. 

Decision

THAT the Director of Recreation approves the procurement strategy, which is for the Council to use the Central Buying Consortium library framework agreement, led by West Sussex County Council. The procurement strategy for the CBC includes a price/quality split of 50%/50% and contract term of 2 years plus 2 years of extension for an estimated aggregate value (including extensions of £450k).