Issue - meetings

That Members are assured that the remedial actions identified will, if implemented, address the control weaknesses identified.

The Chief Officer (Governance) presented a report on the findings of an Internal Audit review on procurement following adoption of the revised Contract Procedure Rules (CPRs).  The report was to give reassurance on contract management which had been an area of concern for the Committee.

A ‘Green/Amber’ assurance level had been given on the review and the findings were summarised.  The Chief Officer provided more detail on work to address actions relating to the central recording of contractor performance, the contract register and mandatory training for officers.

Sally Ellis commented on the need for prompt implementation of actions.  The Chief Officer explained that the recommendation in the report reflected that follow-up actions were subject to monitoring and that any not completed by the target date would be reported to the Committee in the usual way.

Councillor Johnson referred to the agreed action on the prohibited use of Approved Lists and was informed that this would be followed up to remind officers of the correct way in which contractors should be appointed.

Councillor Woolley asked about the approach to dealing with contractor underperformance which impacted on officer time.  The Chief Officer said that a range of escalating measures were incorporated within contracts and that the preferred option was to work with the appointed contractor to identify improvements.  He spoke about the various considerations involved such as whether the contract was of a specialist nature, however the ultimate sanction was to terminate the contract.

RESOLVED:

That Members are assured that the remedial actions identified will, if implemented, address the control weaknesses identified.