Decision details

Women in Tech – Nwes contract variation

Decision Maker: Assistant Director for Area Regeneration

Decision status: Recommendations Approved

Is Key decision?: No

Is subject to call in?: No

Decision:

For the Assistant Director for Regeneration to approve the variation under Contract Standing Order 10.02.1(a), of the Service Concession Contract awarded to NWES Property Services Ltd (Nwes) for the delivery of an additional project, ‘Women in Tech’, from Wood Green Works (WGW) at 40 Cumberland Road. The variation, an additional £47,500, to carry out building work and purchase capital assets and furniture, will enable Nwes to secure £250,000 of funding from Deutsche Bank UK to invest in the ‘Women in Tech’ scheme.

Reasons for the decision:

The delivery of this project in Wood Green will make a significant contribution to the Council’s aspiration to revitalise the area and deliver on its strategic objective to rebalance its economy and support sectors and industries that are identified as growth sectors. The Council is keen to support skills development in the digital and new technology sectors.

By exclusively targeting women, the ‘Women in Tech’ scheme will help address the current income and employment opportunities imbalance between women and men in the borough.

As Nwes is currently undertaking building work at 40 Cumberland and has builders on site, it will make commercial and logistic sense to use the current team of operatives to carry out the necessary building and adaptation works.

There is also a time constraint in that the funder, Deutsche Bank, is expecting the project to start imminently. We risk losing this project as alternative options e.g. going to the market and procuring the building work will result in further delays.
The cost of the building work, the capital asset and furniture required to deliver the project is £47,500. It will be jointly funded by the Wood Green Regeneration Team, (£17,500 from capital budget) and the Economic Development and Growth service (£30,000 from ‘Employment Resilience Reserve’ pot).

Alternative options considered:

This is a unique opportunity to bring £250K of investment into the borough and deliver an interesting project in line with the Council’s priorities. This initiative will further raise the profile of Wood Green as a hub for creative and Tech sector entrepreneurship.

Apart from the financial contribution, the Deutsche Bank offers a whole host of ‘soft’ benefits including marketing, mentoring for entrepreneurs, industry speakers, placements for trainees and apprenticeship opportunities.


Publication date: 10/01/2019

Date of decision: 10/01/2019

Accompanying Documents: