Decision details

The Cabinet considered the report of the Head of Compliance and Regulation which provided details of the proposed method of procurement and the basis of tender evaluation for the provision of electoral printing for the Merseyside authorities of Knowsley, Liverpool, St Helens, Sefton, Wirral and the associate authorities of Halton, Preston and West Lancashire, and sought delegated authority for the acceptance of the most advantageous bids received.

Decision Made: That

(1)       approval be given to proposed method of procurement and evaluation as set out within the report;

(2)       the Head of Regulation and Compliance be granted delegated authority to award the Contracts resulting from the procurement exercise; and

(3)       it be noted that the proposal was a Key Decision but had not been included in the Council's Forward Plan of Key Decisions.  Consequently, the Leader of the Council and the Chair of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee (Regulatory, Compliance and Corporate Services) had been consulted under Rule 27 of the Access to Information Procedure Rules of the Constitution, to the decision being made by the Cabinet as a matter of urgency on the basis that it was impracticable to defer the decision until the commencement of the next Forward Plan because the current print expires on the 30 June 2017 and sufficient time is required to undertake the necessary procurement process to ensure a new contract can be in place from the 1 July 2017.

Reasons for Decision:

The Returning Officer and Electoral Registration Officer had a statutory responsibility for the administration of elections and referenda and the compilation of the electoral register. These services require the sourcing of specialist printing in the form of poll cards, ballot papers, postal vote packs, annual canvass forms and other statutory documents.

A collaborative approach had been undertaken by all the Merseyside authorities on the administration and delivery of elections and electoral registration since 2004. As a result of this collaboration, the costs to each authority have been reduced due to economies of scale. Other authorities outside of Merseyside have recognised this approach in terms of offering best value and consistency in delivery of the service. As such, Halton, Preston and West Lancashire Councils have requested to be included in the process, which will strengthen the group and attract greater efficiencies.

Alternative Options Considered and Rejected:

That each authority, within the group, undertakes an individual procurement process. However, a recent joint procurement exercise to produce and print a booklet for the Liverpool City Region Combined Authorities Mayoral Election delivered a 30% saving on projected costs.