Content

RESOLVED
that Cabinet -
 

(a)   
agrees to enter into a Collaboration Agreement for the delivery of
joint procurement services for a three-year period on substantially
the same terms as set out in Appendix A of the Portfolio
Holder’s report (A.2) with:

 

·          
Braintree District Council

·          
Castle Point Borough Council

·          
Epping Forest District Council

·          
Essex County Council

 

(b)   
authorises the Director for Governance, being responsible for the
Council’s corporate procurement function, to sign the final
Collaboration Agreement on behalf of the Council;

 

(c)   
agrees that Essex County Council should be the Accountable Body
under the Collaboration Agreement acting as Lead Party, which
includes responsibility for the day-to-day management of the
service and its financial administration and managing seconded
staff;

 

(d)   
notes that the Collaboration Agreement provides for annual
contributions from the Council, which can be met from within
existing budgets, although subject to review as part of the annual
budget setting cycle to respond to changes such as inflationary
increases;

 

(e)   
notes that further secondment or employment of staff to Essex
County Council to support Essex Procurement Partnership, is fully
and jointly funded by its Member Authorities;

 

(f)    
supports exploration of additional resource to support the legal
support to the Essex Procurement Partnership, in particular for
procurement and contract legal advice;

 

(g)   
endorses the continuous improvement approach as identified seeking
views on the existing partnership and joint working through an
internal questionnaire to feed into the arrangement for the next
three years;

 

(h)   
approves the Procurement Strategy for recommendation onto Full
Council for adoption as required by the Council’s Policy
Framework; and.

 

(i)    
instructs Officers to regularly update the Portfolio Holder for
Assets and Community Safety, as being responsible for procurement
on the content and quality of the Council’s Contract Register
and Procurement Project Pipeline ensuring it is kept up to date,
enabling Council projects and business as usual can be delivered
through the approved Essex Procurement Partnership Prioritisation
Approach.