Agenda item
Extension of Environmental Services Contract with Ubico
Purpose:
To seek approval for a two-year extension to the existing contract for Domestic Waste and Recycling collections, Trade Waste and Recycling collections, Street Cleansing, Grounds maintenance, Bulky Waste collections, Pest Control & Dog Warden service and Bin deliveries to 31 March 2024.
Recommendation:
That Council be recommended to authorise the extension of the current Ubico contract by two years, from 1 April 2022 until 31 March 2024.
Minutes:
The Cabinet received and considered the report of the Business Manager, Contracts which updated Members on the Ubico contract for Domestic Waste and Recycling collections, Trade Waste and Recycling collections (includes markets), Street Cleansing, Grounds maintenance, Bulky Waste collections, Pest Control & Dog Warden service and Bin deliveries. This contract was due to end on 31 March 2022 and the report put forward a recommendation to extend the agreement term by two years to 31 March 2024.
West Oxfordshire District Council (WODC) along with Forest of Dean District Council (FoDDC), Cotswold District Council (CDC) and four other partners in Gloucestershire were shareholders in Ubico Limited, a Teckal company designed to deliver environmental services, offering better value for money than commercial contracts.
The report advised that feedback from service managers confirmed that Ubico performed well and delivered a good level of service, within the time constraints set by the Council. Collection accuracy was high at 99.92%, and there was a good relationship between officers in Publica and Ubico which had been crucial over the time of the pandemic. A short update on the last six months of service delivery was attached at Annex A to the report.
The alternative options available to Councillors was provided at section 2.2 of the report with a Pro’s and Con’s summary detailed at section 3.
Councillor MacRae proposed the report as laid out and thanked the Managing Director of Ubico, Beth Boughton, and her staff for their hard work and assistance over some very trying months. He acknowledged that officers were undertaking an Environmental Services Improvement Plan, which would be considered by the Environment Overview and Scrutiny Committee. Councillor MacRae highlighted an amendment relating to the decision by Cotswold District Council to extend their contract with Ubico by five years instead of two as detailed.
The proposal was seconded by Councillor Harvey, who endorsed the good service provided by Ubico.
Councillor Cotterill queried the cost of replacement vehicles falling to the Council, and was advised that these were Council vehicles and its responsibility to replace when they reached the end of their usable life.
In response to a query from Councillor Levy, Councillor MacRae assured him that officers were in discussions about how to make savings and deliver services more efficiently throughout the shareholder group.
Having considered the report and having heard from the officers present, Cabinet approved the recommendations.
DECISION: That Council be recommended to authorise the extension of the current Ubico contract by two years, from 1 April 2022 until 31 March 2024.
REASONS: To ensure the Council continued to lead the way in protecting and enhancing the environment by taking action locally on climate change and biodiversity.
OPTIONS: The Council can choose to enact the contract extension with Ubico or retender the contract with an alternative provider. However, given the risks surrounding the economy as a result of the Coronavirus pandemic and Brexit, it would be unlikely to receive competitive bids, when compared with that currently being paid to Ubico.
Supporting documents:
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