This report seeks approval of the council’s Public Realm Services model and to delegate authority for the procurement and associated requirements relating to IT, fleet, depots and demobilisation of the current contract.

The cabinet member for community services and assets introduced the report.

It was noted that in April the cabinet report approved the termination of the current public realm contract and set out the reasons for that decision. The June cabinet report approved the operating model for the purposes of market engagement which was carried out during the summer. It was highlighted that the findings of the market arrangement were summarised in appendix 1.   It was confirmed that appendix 2 set out the operation model proposed to be adopted by the council and forms the basis for the procurement during 2025.

It was confirmed that the current contractor had been kept informed with developments and have committed to supporting the transition to the new arrangements. 

It was noted that following procurement, it is proposed to return to cabinet towards the end of 2025 to secure permission and the new contract being operational from the 1st of June to 2026.

There were no comments from Cabinet members.  

Group leaders gave the views of their groups. Parties were supportive but noted it was a challenging timeline and concerns were raised regarding management of the contract.  It was noted that further plans regarding transition and handover would be welcomed to avoid a repeat of the previous handover.  It was positively noted that the contract will be aligned with the carbon and biodiversity targets, and it was queried if social value would be activated when awarding the contract.  It was raised whether the bereavement services would be kept in house. 

In response to the queries it was acknowledged that a smooth transition was important, and the cabinet member was confident that the timeline allowed sufficient time to complete the tender.  It was noted that the previous contractor did not transition well due to ongoing litigation at the time. It was acknowledged that social value will be embedded in the contract.  It was confirmed that bereavement services will be part of the tender but it can be retained back to the council, and only grounds maintenance and grave digging would be included in the tender. 

That Cabinet

a)    Cabinet adopt the Public Realm Services model set out in Appendix 2;

b)    Cabinet delegates authority to the Corporate Director Economy and Environment to;

i.               undertake the procurement of the Public Realm Services model set out in Appendix 2 within the allocated budget;

ii.              agree and award of all necessary leases to enable the provision of the Public Realm Services in consultation with property services;

iii.            procure and purchase or lease the fleet of vehicles to enable the provision of the Public Realm Services with the Director of Finance;

iv.            agree and implement the demobilisation of the current Public Realm Contract;

v.              make all operational decision to implement the above recommendations.