Decision Maker: Executive

Outcome: Recommendations Approved

Is Key Decision?: Yes

Is Callable In?: Yes

Date of Decision: November 11, 2025

Purpose: To seek approval from the Executive to go out to procurement for the electoral services printing and mailing contract

Content: RESOLVED   KEY DECISION   That the Executive:   i)        Approved the procurement of specialist electoral print and mailing services for the period of 1st April 2026 to 31st March 2027 to the value of £500,000.   ii)      Authorised the Director of Law and Governance in consultation with the Executive Member for Finance, Efficiency and Change to procure and award the contract(s) necessary for the implementation of election specialist print and mailing services in-line with the procurement routes and maximum budget outlined in this report.     Reasons for Recommendations - Failure to identify a new print supplier and procure a new contract would have an adverse impact on service provision and the ability of the Electoral Registration Officer, Returning Officer and North Northamptonshire Council to deliver successful elections/referenda.  It is imperative that the statutory duties of the Returning Officer and Electoral Registration Officer as appointed by North Northamptonshire Council are delivered to avoid legal challenge and to maintain confidence in electoral process and the delivery of elections. Printing materials for election and electoral registration is a highly specialised service with a limited pool of suppliers that can produce high volumes, meet tight deadlines and adhere to changing legislative requirements.   Alternative Options considered:   •           Do Nothing – The Electoral Registration Officer and Returning Officer has a statutory duty to prepare and issue documents as defined in legislation for electoral registration and election purposes.  On expiration of the current contract, the production and despatch of election and electoral services documentation would have to be undertaken by North Northamptonshire Council’s in-house printing service.  The specialist nature, quantities and tight lead times would make this impractical.  There would be limited opportunities to optimise savings created by economies of scale that large print companies can utilise by ordering and despatching in bulk. The Council does not currently have the specialist printing equipment, resource or capacity to effectively and efficiently deliver production of electoral documents.  The associated risk of operational failure could lead to potential legal challenge and significant reputational damage caused by failure to deliver, potentially jeopardising the integrity of any election/referenda result and eroding confidence in the democratic process.   •           Extend the existing contract – The provisions within the existing contract do not make provision for an extension beyond the end date, 31st March 2026. The extension periods for the current contract have already been utilised during the contract   •           Procure new supplier through an existing framework via Direct Award - Using a compliant framework agreement to make a Direct Award is a legally permissible route that would enable a contract to be in place in the short term (April 2026 to March 2027). This option would meet both the requirements of procurement legislation and enable a supplier to be in place from expiration of the existing contract.  It would also ensure continued provision that meets the fluctuating and urgent demands of the service. A provider would be selected from a list of compliant suppliers that have already demonstrated their ability to successfully deliver electoral printing and mailing services. Based on preliminary enquiries the existing framework has limited suppliers and is not considered the preferred approach due to limited competition.   •           Procure a longer-term contract. This option has the benefit of ensuring service stability over the longer term from a specialist supplier but does not support future proposals to align all electoral services contracts from 2027 onwards.  A longer-term contract was rejected on the basis that the contract would not align with existing systems and other contract end dates for a coordinated whole scale procurement of print, software and other digital electoral services in 2026/2027.