Issue - meetings

The Cabinet approved and supported the proposal to make an addition to our Sustainable Procurement Proposal and include the social value measures as part of our contract assessment arrangements.

The report was submitted by Cllr Menna Trenholme.

DECISION

The Cabinet approved and supported the proposal to make an addition to our Sustainable Procurement Proposal and include the social value measures as part of our contract assessment arrangements.

DISCUSSION

It was explained that there was a need to revise the Council's Procurement Policy following an addition to the usual criteria that assessed contracts based on price and quality which ensured social value measures considerations.

It was reported that assessing social value measures had been trialled by undertaking pilot schemes across several fields within the Council. It was ensured that this had allowed a better understanding of the new system and it was assured that the proposed system supported the aim of buying locally by:

·       Offering a transparent and quantitative way of assessing social value as a basis for awarding contracts.

·       Selecting from a series of local social measures per contract.

·       Reporting against the progress of realising social value proposals.

It was noted that the Welsh Government had not provided national guidance or a decision on the use of this methodology, which had been flagged as a risk within the report. It was detailed that the Future Generations Commissioner and the Government wished that Local Councils addressed the objectives of the Well-being of Future Generations Act through this methodology, but it was noted that no direction or suggested best practice had currently been demonstrated. Frustration was expressed about this barrier since lack of guidance led to inconsistency between Local Authorities. Despite this, it was considered that this lack of guidance was an opportunity for the Council to shape the controls in the best possible manner for Gwynedd.

It was confirmed that the next steps in the process would be to revise the Sustainable Procurement Policy and introduce a new Procurement Policy. It was recognised that it was possible that it would need to be amended when the implications of implementing the Social Partnership and Public Procurement Act (Wales) 2023 became clear.

It was explained that this change was an important and significant step to keep the benefit local and that adding social value considerations ensured the best decisions for Gwynedd communities via the procurement process.