Agenda and draft minutes

To receive the notes of the meeting held on 11 March

The notes of the meeting held on 11 March were received.

To brief the Group on the proposed development of industrial units before it is submitted to Cabinet on 6 June. The Group will receive a presentation from the Head of Property & Facilities

The Head of Property & Facilities gave a presentation to the Group on the proposal to develop eight small industrial units at Oakhurst Business Park.  These would be built on a vacant plot owned by the Council.  Planning permission had already been granted and there was proven demand within the District for units of this scale.

Investment for the project was allocated from the Council’s investment portfolio budget, and there would be a return on capital through rental income. 

The Head of Property & Facilities explained the procedure for choosing a contractor to carry out the work.  There would be a closed tender process involving companies with experience of delivering similar projects in the south east.   The Cabinet Member had been consulted on this tender process, which also had the approval of the s151 Officer and the Monitoring Officer.  The Director of Corporate Resources confirmed that the Report to Cabinet on 6 June would confirm that this procedure adhered to the Council’s constitution.   

The Head of Property & Facilities and the Director of Corporate Resources clarified a number of details in response to questions from the Group. 

The Group were supportive of the proposal.  The Cabinet Member commented that this was a sound investment that had been budgeted for, and an excellent site for small business units. 

The result of the tender process with recommendations regarding the contract award would be considered by Cabinet on 6 June.    

The Head of Technology Services will brief the Group on the new contract award which will be required for a new telephone system for the Council.  The proposal will be considered by Cabinet on 6 June 

The Head of Technology Services advised the Group that the contract with the Council’s telephone system supplier had ended. Costs had increased as a result but the level of service had declined.    

The intention was to go out to tender for a replacement telephone system with a view to procuring a robust system using the G-Cloud framework. 

In response to questions from the Group, the Head of Technology Services explained that the current supplier had been taken over by a larger company which had increased prices considerably.  Members were also advised that the contract would be funded from the Technology Services Budget.  The tender process should secure a competitive price for a two year contract with an option to extend for a further two years.

The Group were supportive of the proposal to procure a replacement telephone system.  The result of the tender process with recommendations regarding the contract award would be considered by Cabinet on 6 June with the view to having the system installed and fully operational by the end of 2019.

The Head of Technology Services will brief the Group on the contract award process for this renewal before it is considered by Cabinet on 6 June

The Head of Technology Services advised the Group that the Microsoft Licensing Agreement, which had to be renewed every three years, was due to expire in August 2019.  This agreement was a legal requirement and covered software on all Council computers used for administrative functions.

Members were advised that the licence would be funded from the Technology Services Budget. 

The Group were supportive of the proposal.  The tender process would commence in May. The result of the tender process with recommendations regarding the licencing agreement would be considered by Cabinet on 6 June.

To note the Forward Plan extract for the Finance and Assets Portfolio

The Group noted the Forward Plan extract for the Finance & Assets portfolio.