The much maligned part privatisation of some Cornwall Council’ services has taken another step forward.
Cabinet members have agreed, with one against, to issue an invitation to BT, the only remaining company, to submit a formal tender for the procurement of a "strategic partner for support services.
Members at today’s extraordinary meeting of the cabinet considered a report outlining the work which has been carried out to develop the revised proposal following the decision of the full Council on 11 December.
They also discussed a final report from the single issue panel set up to scrutinise the procurement, whose members, according to the council, recommended unanimously that the council should go ahead with inviting BT to bid.
As well as developing the revised proposal, the Council has been holding discussions with partners, including Peninsula Community Health and Cornwall Foundation Partnership Trust, over the potential implications of the decision by the Royal Cornwall Hospital Trust to withdraw from the proposal.
A spokesman for the council said that these discussions have been "positive" and that Peninsula Community Health has confirmed they want to remain part of the procurement.
The revised £14.4m contract, which the council claims will offer "guaranteed savings and new jobs in Cornwall", covers a range of services, including IT support, document management, invoice processing, payroll and employment support and improving information sharing.
Following today’s decision, BT will be asked to submit their bid later this week. This will be evaluated against a set range of criteria, including financials, job creation, trading and inward investment and service delivery and quality.
A report setting out the results of the evaluation will then be brought back to a meeting of the cabinet later this month, which will decide whether to award a contract.
If the Council decides to award a contract to BT, formal consultation with staff would begin on April 1, with the majority of staff expected to transfer in July. The revised proposal will involve the transfer of 303 FTE staff from the council and Peninsula Community Health.
Related links:
Cornwall Council shared services privatisation plan: Latest
Cornwall Council rejects full 'joint venture' project, opts for compromise
Leader condescending on ‘risky’ privatisation plan
Deputy leader resigns over privatisation row
Privatisation at council could be costly mistake
Cornwall Council privatisation plan dealt a fresh blow
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