Purpose

To consider and approve operations delivery
for Chelveston Operating Centre.

Content

RESOLVED
 
KEY DECISION
 

That the Executive:
 
a)     
Approved the recommendation to transfer services
currently provided by the external provider in respect of waste
collection and cleansing, to an in-house operating
model.
 
b)     
Delegated authority to the Executive Director of
Place and Economy in consultation with the Executive Member for
Highways, Travel and Assets to make decisions required to undertake
activities relating to the project to transfer the service
in-house.
 
c)     
Included as part of the Council’s MTFP and
budget for 2025/26 additional funding for the increased costs
relating to the transfer back to an in-house model as set out in
the report.

 
 
Reason for Recommendations – This option fulfils the
Council’s ambition to have a consistent waste collection and
street-cleaning service delivered through an in-house model. It
will enable the Council to seek internal efficiencies between the
teams to assist with offsetting the increased demand, and cost, for
delivering the services to a growing population.
 
Alternative Options Considered
–
 
Extend the contract for a
period up to 7 years (at any intervals mutually agreed with the
contractor): The provider has indicated
that they would be interested in any extension between 2-7 years.
This would result in having one operating area delivered through a
contracted model whilst all other areas are delivered through an
in-house service. In terms of implementation, this option requires
the least resource to deliver and presents the fewest operational
risks to the Council as the service would be uninterrupted and
continue as currently. Most of the existing fleet could be run for
a further two years, with increased maintenance costs, and the
procurement of some specialist vehicles for food waste and street
cleaning. Any longer extension would require new fleet for waste
collections. The contractor would be willing to amend the routes to
blend them with NNC’s other operating centres to maximise the
efficiency across the area e.g. they could take on some areas in
the Wellingborough area and give up some to the Corby
area.
 
Re-procure for a new
external supplier: This option is not
possible to deliver within the required timescale. A short
extension of two years of the existing contract would enable the
Council to carry out this exercise across all service areas to
procure a single provider. This would enable the Council to
determine whether the service can be provided more cost effectively
by an external provider than the in-house service. It would also be
possible to undertake this option in the future, once all service
areas were operating within the in-house model.
 
Transfer the service to new,
wholly owned Council company: This option
is not possible to deliver within the required timescale. A short
extension of two years of the existing contract would enable the
Council to assess this option, and if advantageous, look to
implement it across all its service areas. It would also be
possible to undertake this option in the future, once all service
areas were operating within the in-house model.