Issue - meetings

The Committee considered a report providing details of the operation of the recently introduced revised procedure for delegated decisions to waive Contract Procedure Rules and non-compliances with Contract Procedure Rules.

From 29^th May 2012, a new procedure had been introduced whereby the signing of delegated decision and non-compliance forms was a standing item on the weekly Corporate Management Team agenda. Decision authors attended, together with those support staff who signed off the report, to explain the necessity for any waiver of the rules. All forms were signed off by Legal, Procurement and Finance Officers, as well as the decision-taking Officer along with the relevant Head of Service and Portfolio Holder.

From 29^th May to 4^th September there had been 13 Delegated Decision forms considered by Corporate Management Team, of which 12 had been approved and only 1 rejected. Over the same period, there had been 10 Non-Compliance forms considered by Corporate Management Team, of which 9 had been approved and only 1 rejected.

As part of the new process for all Non-Compliances, Corporate Management Team would ensure that appropriate intervention was made and action taken to avoid recurrence. This was aimed at changing the previous organisational culture in which insufficient attention and rigour was given to ensuring proper compliance.

RESOLVED

That

(1)  the revised procedure and update on Delegated Decisions and Non-Compliances be noted;

(2)  it be noted that further reports on the process, and its robustness, will be brought to the Committee as part of the regular monitoring of the Annual Governance Statement Action Plan; and

(3)  the appropriate member/officer working group be invited to consider specific examples of delegated decisions and non-compliance.