Issue - meetings

Report of the Director for Culture, Strategy and Engagement. To be introduced by the Cabinet Member for Finance and Corporate Services.

To award a contract for the ongoing provision of agency staff, as the existing contract is expiring.

The Cabinet Member for Finance and Corporate Services introduced the report. It was explained that the Council was committed to building a motivated, collaborative, and community-focused workforce. However, it was explained that there would be circumstances that necessitate the employment of agency workers, but stressed that this was not the Council’s preferred mode of employment. It was explained that the Council should employ agency workers where there was a strong business need, which would primarily be to help facilitate shorter-term or finite projects, and to address unavoidable skill shortages in order to maintain services to residents. 

It was explained that all directorates were working to ensure that there is a solid reason for every agency assignment and that no new workers were recruited without prior consideration of all alternative options. It was explained that the measures taken over the last year decreased the numbers and level of expenditure on agency workers and this effort would continue to be a strong focus for senior managers. 

It was explained that the contract represented the best value way to engage agency workers, and that it was important to note that there was no minimum spend and no penalties or increased costs if the Council did not spend up to the authorised contract value.

In response to comments and questions from Cllr Emery, the following information was shared:

• It was explained that the recruitment of all agency staff was resultant of difficulties to recruit permanently. Discussions had ben had with agency staff to encourage take up of permanent roles, but that this was not always taken up in key areas.
  
  
• Reduced spend of contract significantly, and that the service was working to drive these costs lower. While it was stressed that this may suffer from variation, it was stressed that work was being undertaken to reduce the number of agency staff and the costs resultant wherever possible.

RESOLVED:

That Cabinet:

1.     Approved the award of a contract for temporary agency provision and permanent agency recruitment support to Matrix on a neutral vendor basis, under Lot 1a – Neutral Vendor of ESPO’S Managed Services for Temporary Agency Resources Framework to appoint a single service provider under the MSTAR4 Framework.

2.     Approved the contract award for 2 years with the option to extend for 2 further periods each of 2 years up to a maximum term of 6 years. Cabinet is being requested to approve the contract spend for the first two-year period of this contract. A further report will be brought to Cabinet prior to the end of this initial period, to authorise the extension period and further contractual spend if required.

3.     Approved the contract spend of £88,636,000 to cover the initial 2-year contract period

          The estimated value is based on current spend and considering future market rates, insourcing and pay increases. As this contract is demand led, if agency demand reduces then  ...  view the full minutes text for item 115