To ask Cabinet to approve the new Commissioning and Commercial Strategy which sets out the Council’s approach to Commissioning, Procurement and Contract Management and the future strategic commissioning and commercial objectives to support the delivery of Corporate Plan priorities.

Cabinet considered a proposed commissioning and commercial strategy, which set out the Council’s approach to commissioning, procurement and contract management.  The Head of Commercial Services explained the key commissioning principles as set out on page 136 of the agenda, and the main purposes of the strategy, given in paragraph 10.2 of the report.  

The following principal points were raised in the ensuing discussion:

·           Value for money, staying within budget, giving clear expectations, and providing a proper audit trail were essential elements of commissioning, and there should be a proven ability to demonstrate these elements to the public.

·           The Head of Commercial Services gave assurance that more measures would be put in place to further effective contract management, including developing a commissioning toolkit, establishing a robust contract management system, and bringing in tighter financial controls and strategic analysis. 

·           In response to a question, the Head of Commercial Services advised that the Council was in the process of recruiting qualified procurement officers by three means, namely: a specialist recruitment drive, a system of developing staff to fill given roles through a “grow your own” system, and a graduate trainee scheme. 

·           Given the current budgetary pressure, members welcomed information on decommissioning as part of the strategy, and commented that there was also  merit in exploring avenues of income generation. 

RESOLVED:     that the new Commissioning & Commercial Strategy 2013-2016, at Appendix A to the report, be noted.