Issue - meetings

Members considered a report which sought approval of the recommendations from the ICT Programme Board for projects outside the scheme of officer delegation.

Members were informed that the collection of Council Tax and NNDR, Benefits processing and Benefit overpayment was administered by Revenues Customer Services and Benefits, using a software package “Civica”, which had been in place since 1996 with various upgrades over the years.  All other North Yorkshire Revenues and Benefits teams use the Northgate system, as did the East Riding of Yorkshire Council.

Civica had seen over recent months a decline in their client base and there was concern that at any time they could terminate the product with short notice.  Such a scenario would probably necessitate a rushed conversion to another supplier with a risk of reduced performance during the changeover.

Annexed to the report was the business case for the Northgate system.  It was stated that the Council could procure a new system through pre-tendered national framework agreement with Northgate (Catalist).  This achieved competitive pre-tendered prices without necessitating a full EU procurement exercise which could take up to a year to complete. The cost of the project would be met from the Council’s capital programme 2009/12.

Resolved:

i)                    That the Committee approve a waiver of the Council’s Contract Procedure Rules such that procurement of the Northgate Revenues and Benefits IT system be undertaken using the Office of Government Commerce Catalist Framework Contract.

ii)                  That the Committee approves delegated authority to the Corporate Director (s151) in consultation with the Chairman of Policy and Resources Committee to appoint suppliers or contractors.

Reason:

To ensure that the Revenue and Benefits service does not suffer the adverse effect of any future termination of the Civica product, and in order to achieve revenue efficiency savings.

Councillor Woodward asked that his vote against the recommendations be recorded.

PART ‘B’ – MATTERS REFERRED TO COUNCIL