Issue - meetings

The Cabinet Member considered the exempt information.

The Chair of Overview and Scrutiny has been informed that it was impracticable to give 28 days’ notice of the decision. It was originally envisaged that a Cabinet approval would not be required. The report unfortunately could not be prepared in time for the January Cabinet meeting. If the decision was delayed until the February Cabinet meeting, the programme would slip so that the Council would not achieve timely vacant possession of 40 Cumberland Road and this would jeopardise the timeline for the Enterprise Hub, which would mean the Council would no longer gain Greater London Authority grant funding of approximately £800,000 towards this initiative.

The Chair of Overview and Scrutiny has been informed that it was impracticable to give 28 days’ notice of the decision. It was originally envisaged that a Cabinet approval would not be required. The report unfortunately could not be prepared in time for the January Cabinet meeting. If the decision was delayed until the February Cabinet meeting, the programme would slip so that the Council would not achieve timely vacant possession of 40 Cumberland Road and this would jeopardise the timeline for the Enterprise Hub, which would mean the Council would no longer gain Greater London Authority grant funding of approximately £800,000 towards this initiative.

The Cabinet Member for Finance and Transformation considered the report which sought approval to award the contract for the Refurbishment and Fit out of 48 Station Road Ground & 3rdFloor to enable relocation of departments currently occupying 40 Cumberland Road.

The Cabinet Member was informed that, in November 2021, Cabinet had approved to undertake refurbishment works to Alexandra House and 48 Station Road to ensure that the Council had suitable office space for its workforce. The current proposal was for refurbishment works for the Ground Floor and 3rdFloor of 48 Station Road. These works were being accelerated ahead of the main refurbishment as they provided for the early relocation of services from 40 Cumberland Road which would enable the Council to gain vacant possession of 40 Cumberland Road.

It was noted that an option to delay the current proposal to take place as part of the main programme of works had been considered but had not been recommended as it would prevent the relocation of the current departments occupying 40 Cumberland Road – who would occupy the Ground and 3rd Floors of 48 Station Road. This location had been earmarked for redevelopment in a Regeneration-led project that had secured Greater London Authority (GLA) funding. It was highlighted that the GLA funding was time bound and that vacant possession of 40 Cumberland Road must be completed by 30 April 2022. It was added that delays in the current proposal would also impact the timeline for the overall accommodation programme.

In relation to the procurement process, officers explained that this had been undertaken through the South East Consortium Framework. It was noted that a framework facilitator pre-vetted suppliers on a defined list and ranked them based on quality, price, and value. This allowed the Council to make a Direct Award to a top tier contractor, which was compliant and considerably reduced the appointment time. The Cabinet Member enquired about the value of Direct Awards. Officers noted that an independent consultant had generated a cost plan for the works, based on market rates, which allowed the council to discuss any disparities with the contractor’s pricing. Also, it was commented that this contractor has been used by the council in the past and had performed satisfactorily.

The Cabinet Member enquired whether the proposed contractor had any local connections and whether they would employ local people. Officers explained that the contractor was based in London but not in Haringey specifically. It was noted that the contractor had continually employed staff rather than sub-contractors and the Cabinet Member asked that every effort was made to seek to negotiate maximum employment of employees and suppliers from the borough.

The Cabinet Member stated that, as a general rule, it was important to undertake competitive tenders unless absolutely unavoidable and also to recruit locally as much as possible but accepted the urgency around issues of funding and programming in this case.

The Cabinet Member RESOLVED

1.    In accordance with Contract Standing Order 16.02, to approve the award of  ...  view the full minutes text for item 110