Issue - meetings

To consider a report by Councillor Rhys Thomas, Lead Member for Housing and Communities (copy enclosed) seeking approval to proceed with a Direct Award contract to Sustainable Building Services for energy retrofit works.

RESOLVED that Cabinet –

(a)       directly award the contract to the contractor currently undertaking Phase 1 of the works based on the competitive rates via the Welsh Procurement Alliance Energy Framework as agreed by Procurement, and

(b)       that the 5-day call in period requirement prior to implementing the Cabinet decision is waived on the basis that the current contract ends on 30 September 2022 and any delay in contract award will lead to additional costs and programme delays leading to the risk of missing grant stipulated spending deadlines.

Councillor Rhys Thomas presented the report seeking approval to proceed with a Direct Award contract to Sustainable Building Services for energy retrofit works.

In line with the council’s planned capital maintenance work, Welsh Government funding had been secured for optimised retrofit works for energy saving in homes and the benefit of tenants.  Previous funding had enabled Phase 1 energy works to 55 houses on Rhydwen Drive and the intention was to use the latest funding to continue those works for a further 44 houses along the street.  Details of the improvement works and benefits of continuing the scheme had been set out and it was recommended that Cabinet approve the award of a contract through the Welsh Alliance Framework to enable the contractor currently on-site to continue with the work into Phase 2.  The Phase 1 contract ended on 30 September and therefore Cabinet had been asked to approve immediate implementation of the contract award given any delay would lead to additional costs and programme delays.

Cabinet praised the excellent work that had already been carried out with the council being at the forefront in progressing energy improvement works, particularly in one of the most deprived areas in Wales, with tenants benefiting from lower energy bills at a time of fuel insecurities.  Cabinet also welcomed the community benefits in terms of training and apprenticeships, including 12 local apprentices, and members were keen for the council to continue to support those apprentices to ensure they obtained good qualifications and secured future employment.  The Lead Officer Corporate Property and Housing Stock confirmed that whilst similar works had been carried out by other local authorities, Denbighshire remained at the forefront.  Phase 2 would enable the 12 apprentices from Phase 1 to continue their employment and gain relevant qualifications by the end of the second phase.  Assurances were also given that the apprentices would be supported to gain full time employment following completion of the works, and reference was made to Working Denbighshire as a further means of providing help to ensure the apprentices secured further employment if it was not possible for them to be taken on by the current contractor on-site.

In terms of the contract award and potential waive of the 5-day call in period, the Lead Officer confirmed that if Cabinet approved the contract award it would give confidence to the contractors and others in the supply chain that the award would be imminent and ensure a seamless transition to Phase 2.  The Monitoring Officer provided some legal context and provision in the council’s constitution to waive the call in for urgent decisions where the reasons for the urgency had been set out.

Cabinet considered the report recommendations and it was subsequently –

RESOLVED that Cabinet –

(a)      directly award the contract to the contractor currently undertaking Phase 1 of the works based on the competitive rates via the Welsh Procurement Alliance Energy Framework as agreed by Procurement, and

(b)      that the 5-day call in period requirement prior to implementing the Cabinet decision is waived on the basis that the current contract ends on 30 September 2022 and any delay in contract award will lead to additional costs and programme delays leading to the risk of missing grant stipulated spending deadlines.