Agenda Document Pack - Finance, Resources and Customer Services Policy Board - 03/04/2025
Renfrewshire Council · 3 April 2025
Back to Finance, Resources and Customer Services Policy Board — 3 April 2025 and its agenda
Text extracted from the council's PDF. Layout and reading order may differ from the original.
Page 1
27/03/2025 Notice of Meeting and Agenda Finance, Resources and Customer Services Policy Board Date Time Venue Thursday, 03 April 2025 10:00 Remotely via MS Teams, Membership Councillor John Shaw (Convener): Councillor Fiona Airlie-Nicolson (Depute Convener): Councillor Alison Ann-Dowling: Councillor Jacqueline Cameron: Provost Lorraine Cameron: Councillor Graeme Clark: Councillor Audrey Doig: Councillor Chris Gilmour: Councillor Edward Grady: Councillor Neill Graham: Councillor Robert Innes: Councillor Bruce MacFarlane: Councillor Sam Mullin: Councillor Iain Nicolson: Webcasting of Meeting This meeting will be filmed for live or subsequent broadcast via the Council’s internet site – at the start of the meeting the Convener will confirm if all or part of the meeting is being filmed. To find the webcast please navigate to https://renfrewshire.public-i.tv/core/portal/home Further Information - online meetings only This meeting is on-line only but is a meeting which is open to members of the public by prior arrangement. A copy of the agenda and reports for this meeting will be available for inspection prior to the meeting at the Customer Service Centre, Renfrewshire House, Cotton Street, Paisley and online at http://renfrewshire.cmis.uk.com/renfrewshire/CouncilandBoards.aspx For further information, please email democratic-services@renfrewshire.gov.uk MARK CONAGHAN Head of Corporate Governance Page 1 of 232
Page 2
27/03/2025 Items of business Apologies Apologies from members. Declarations of Interest and Transparency Statements Members are asked to declare an interest or make a transparency statement in any item(s) on the agenda and to provide a brief explanation of the nature of the interest or the transparency statement. 1 Joint Consultative Board (Non-Teaching) Minute of meeting held on 13 February 2025. 6 - 8 2 Revenue and Capital Budget Monitoring 2024/25 at 7 January 2025 Report by the Director of Finance & Resources. 9 - 22 3 Revenue and Capital Budget Monitoring – Council Overview as at 7 January 2025 Report by the Director of Finance & Resources. 23 - 35 4 Business Services Performance Report Report by the Director of Finance & Resources. 36 - 47 5 Customer Services Performance Report Report by the Director of Finance & Resources. 48 - 53 6 Civic Hospitality Report by the Director of Finance & Resources. 54 - 57 7 Discretionary Housing Payments Policy Report by the Director of Finance & Resources. 58 - 71 8 Digital Strategy 20025/30 Report by the Director of Finance & Resources. 72 - 105 9 Revised ICT Acceptable Use Policy (AUP) Report by the Director of Finance & Resources. 106 - 119 10 Finance & Resources Service Update Report by the Director of Finance & Resources. 120 - 126 Page 2 of 232
Page 3
27/03/2025 11 Chief Executive’s Service – Health & Safety Action Plan & Performance Indicators 2025/26 Report by the Chief Executive. 127 - 131 12 Facilities and Property Services - Service Update Report Report by the Director of Environment, Housing & Infrastructure. 132 - 139 13 Contract Authorisation Report for Processing & Recycling of Mixed Paper and Card (RC-CPU-24-106) Joint report by the Director of Finance & Resources and the Director of Environment, Housing & Infrastructure. 140 - 144 14 Contract Authorisation Report for the Treatment, Recycling & Disposal of Skip Hire Service & Processing & Recycling of Waste (RC-CPU-24-286) Joint report by the Director of Finance & Resources and the Director of Environment, Housing & Infrastructure. 145 - 149 15 Contract Authorisation Report for the Supply and Delivery of 3 x 26 Tonne Low Entry Split Lift Refuse Collection Vehicles (RC-CPU-24-289) Joint report by the Director of Finance & Resources and the Director of Environment, Housing & Infrastructure. 150 - 154 16 Contract Authorisation Report for: Development of Site C1, Dargavel (RC-CPU-24-023) Joint report by the Director of Finance & Resources and the Director of Environment, Housing & Infrastructure. 155 - 159 17 Contract Authorisation Report – School Kitchen Expansion Phase 2 – RC-CPU-24-089 Joint report by the Director of Finance & Resources and the Director of Environment, Housing & Infrastructure. 160 - 166 18 Contract Authorisation Report for Bus Shelter Advertising, Cleaning and Maintenance (RC-CPU-22-212) Joint report by the Director of Finance & Resources and the Director of Environment, Housing & Infrastructure. 167 - 171 Page 3 of 232
Page 4
27/03/2025 19 Contract Authorisation Report for Scottish Procurement Framework Agreement for the Supply of Natural Gas Joint report by the Director of Finance & Resources and the Director of Environment, Housing and Infrastructure. 172 - 175 20 Contract Authorisation Report for: Renfrewshire House Archive Store Roof Concrete Slab Waterproofing Works (RC-CPU-24-070) Joint report by the Director of Finance & Resources and the Director of Environment, Housing & Infrastructure. 176 - 180 21 Four Contracts for Housing Support Services - Provision of a Floating Support Service x 2 RC-CPU-24-251 and RC- CPU-24-268, Provision of a Housing First Service RC- CPU-24-254 and Make it Your Own: 1-2-1 Support (Creative Tenancies) RC-CPU-24-269 Joint report by the Director of Finance & Resources and the Director of Environment, Housing & Infrastructure. 181 - 189 22 Contract Authorisation Report for: Housing Management System Consultancy (RC-CPU-24-237) Joint report by the Director of Finance & Resources and the Director of Environment, Housing & Infrastructure. 190 - 195 23 Contract Authorisation Report: Housing Removal, Relocation and Warehouse Storage Framework – RC- CPU-24-120 Joint report by the Director of Finance & Resources and the Director of Environment, Housing & Infrastructure. 196 - 202 24 Contract Authorisation Report: Flexible Framework for the Provision of Care at Home and Housing Support Services (RC-CPU-23-048) Joint report by the Director of Finance & Resources and the Chief Officer, Renfrewshire Health and Social Care Partnership. 203 - 209 Page 4 of 232
Page 5
27/03/2025 25 Contract Authorisation Report for the Preparation and Supply of Community Meals (Sandwiches)(RC-CPU-24- 276) Joint report by Director of Finance and Resources, Renfrewshire Council and the Chief Officer, Renfrewshire Health and Social Care Partnership. 210 - 213 26 Contract Authorisation Report for Sheltered Housing Fire Alarm Upgrades (RC-CPU-23-189) Joint report by the Director of Finance & Resources and the Director of Environment, Housing & Infrastructure. 214 - 218 27 Contract Authorisation Report for Low Level, Preventative, Health & Wellbeing Services for Older Adults in Renfrewshire (RC-CPU-24-191) Joint report by the Director of Finance & Resources and the Chief Officer Renfrewshire Health and Social Care Partnership. 219 - 222 28 The Provision of a GIS System (RC-CPU-24-266) –Revised liability limits and change of Contract Period Report by the Chief Executive and the Director of Finance & Resources. 223 - 227 29 Contract Authorisation Report for Document Solution Centre Print Devices (RC-CPU-24-210) Report by the Director of Finance & Resources. 228 - 232 Page 5 of 232
Page 6
Minute of Meeting Joint Consultative Board (Non-Teaching) Date Time Venue Thursday, 13 February 2025 15:00 Via Teams Platform, Present Councillor Fiona Airlie-Nicolson, Councillor Audrey Doig, Councillor Chris Gilmour, Councillor Lisa-Marie Hughes, Councillor Sam Mullin. Representing Trades Unions M Ferguson and S Hicks (both UNISON); G Cochrane (UNITE); and G McIntosh (GMB). In Attendance C Dalrymple, Head of Facilities & Property Services, (Environment, Infrastructure & Housing); R Cree, Head of People & Organisational Development, R Laouadi, HR Manager, S Fanning, Strategic Lead Partner (Health & Safety), J Barron, Committee Services Officer and D Cunningham, Committee Services & Licensing Officer (all Finance & Resources). Appointment of Chairperson In accordance with the terms of the constitution of the Joint Consultative Board (Non- Teaching), which stated that the Chair of the Board should alternate between the management-side and the trade unions it was proposed and agreed that Councillor Audrey Doig chair this meeting of the JCB (Non-Teaching). DECIDED: That Councillor Audrey Doig chair the meeting. Item 1 Page 6 of 232
Page 7
Declaration of Interest There were no declarations of interest intimated prior to the commencement of the meeting. Transparency Statement Councillor Gilmour indicated that he had a connection to items 1, 2 and 3 of the agenda by reason of his membership of the union UNITE. However, he indicated that he had applied the objective test and did not consider he had an interest to declare. Councillor Hughes indicated that she had a connection to items 1, 2 and 3 of the agenda by reason of her membership of the union Unison. However, she indicated that she had applied the objective test and did not consider she had an interest to declare. Councillor Mullin indicated that he had a connection to items 1, 2 and 3 of the agenda by reason of his membership of the union GMB. However, he indicated that he had applied the objective test and did not consider he had an interest to declare. 1 Health, Safety and Wellbeing Activities There was submitted a report by the Director of Finance & Resources relative to developments in relation to health, safety and wellbeing issues since the previous meeting of the Joint Consultative Board (Non-Teaching), held on 21 November 2024. The Strategic Lead Partner (Health & Safety) were heard in response to questions on the report, it was advised that there were 83 mental health first aiders. DECIDED: (a) That the report be noted; and (b) That information on the number of mental health first aiders be noted. Sederunt Councillor Mullen joined the meeting prior the follow item of business, and at this point indicated that he had a connection to items 1, 2 and 3 of the agenda by reason of his membership of the union GMB. However, he indicated that he had applied the objective test and did not consider that he had an interest to declare. 2 Details of Grievances There was submitted a report by the Director of Finance & Resources relative to the number of grievances received. The report provided information on grievances at both the informal and formal stages and indicated that there were a total of 10 grievances as at February 2025, an increase of one case since the last meeting of this Board in November 2024. Page 7 of 232
Page 8
The HR Manager was heard in response to questions on the report. DECIDED: That the report be noted. 3 Agency Workers There was submitted a report by the Director of Finance & Resources relative to the number of agency staff employed within the Council as of December 2024 and which detailed the capacity and Services in which they were engageThe HR Manager and Head of Facilities & Property Services were heard in response to questions on the report. The introduction of robotic cleaners within schools was discussed. The Head of Facilities & Property Services advised that these were an addition to assist current staff as they provided additional cleaning hours in schools, they were not a replacement to filling vacant posts, and that a meeting would take place between Managers and Unions shortly to discuss the introduction of this new technology. DECIDED: (a) That the report be noted; and (b) That a meeting would be convened between Managers and Unions regarding the introduction of robotic cleaners, which were to assist staff and not to replace the filling of vacant posts. 4 Date of Next Meeting DECIDED: That it be noted that the next meeting of the JCB (Non-Teaching) would be held at 3pm on 3 April 2025 via the Teams platform. Page 8 of 232
Page 9
___________________________________________________________________ To: Finance, Resources and Customer Services Policy Board On: 3 April 2025 ___________________________________________________________________ Report by: Director of Finance and Resources ___________________________________________________________________ Heading: Revenue and Capital Budget Monitoring 2024/25 at 7 January 2025 ___________________________________________________________________ 1. Summary 1.1 At the close of reporting Period 10 on 7 January 2025, the projected revenue outturn at 31 March 2025 for those services reporting to the Finance, Resources and Customer Services Policy Board is an underspend position of £1.610m (1.7%) against the revised budget for the year. 1.2 The projected capital outturn at 31 March 2025 for projects reporting to the Finance, Resources and Customer Services Policy Board is a break-even position. 1.3 This is summarised over the relevant services in the table below and further analysis is provided in the report and appendices. Revised Annual Budget £000 Projected Outturn £000 Budget Variance (Adv)/Fav £000 Budget Variance % Revenue Finance and Resources 45,647 45,533 114 0.2% Environment, Housing and Infrastructure 24,251 25,592 (1,341) (5.5%) Chief Executive's Service (Estates) 387 550 (163) (42.1%) Miscellaneous 22,012 19,012 3,000 13.6% Total 92,297 90,687 1,610 1.7% Capital Finance, Resources and Customer Services Policy Board 7,175 7,175 0 0% Item 2 Page 9 of 232
Page 10
2. Recommendations 2.1 Members are requested to: a) Note the projected Revenue outturn underspend position of £1.610m; b) Note the projected Capital outturn break-even position; and c) Note the budget adjustments detailed at sections 6 and 7. 3. Revenue Budget Projection – underspend of £1.610m by 31 March 2025 3.1 The tables in Appendix 1 present the projected year-end position for all services reporting to this Board, by both subjective analysis (what the budget is spent on) and objective analysis (which division is spending the budget). Significant variances affecting the projected position are analysed further below. 3.2 It should be noted that the projected outturn position reported here is based on the latest information available, which is subject to change during the financial year. This is the last Budget monitoring report until the outturn position is presented to the Council in June. Budget holders are obliged to seek mitigating action to minimise significant budget variances. 4. Objective Analysis – Significant Variances 4.1 Finance and Resources - £0.114m underspend This forecast position mainly reflects the minor staffing underspend in Internal Audit. 4.2 Environment, Housing and Infrastructure - £1.341m overspend Within Public Building Repairs, there is an anticipated overspend of £1.300m. This is due to the continued inflationary and cost pressures that have been experienced by the service over the last few financial years. The position continues to be closely monitored, and mitigating actions are being taken by management where appropriate. Soft Facilities Management is forecasting an overspend of £0.041m. This is mainly due to the cost of provisions which is continually increasing due to inflationary pressures and as a result, an overspend is expected. However, this overspend is being offset by a projected underspend in employee costs due to the level of vacancies within the service. 4.3 Chief Executive’s Service (Estates) - £0.163m overspend This forecast position mainly reflects an anticipated under-recovery in rental income as a result of a property at Houston Square held vacant as part of the delivery of the Johnstone Vision regeneration programme, together with costs to maintain surplus properties and progress them to sale. Page 10 of 232
Page 11
4.4 Miscellaneous Services – £3.000m underspend As previously indicated to board, there is an anticipated over-recovery of investment interest income owing to interest rates remaining at a level higher than the established income budget, and this is forecast to bring an additional £3.000m of investment income to General Services. 5. Subjective Analysis – Significant Variances 5.1 Employee Costs - £1.339m underspend Environment, Housing and Infrastructure is projecting an underspend of £1.523m, which reflects current high staff turnover and recruitment challenges. This is partly offset by projected overspend in Finance and Resources (£0.184m) mainly due to lower than expected levels of staff turnover. This position is being managed and will continue to be monitored for the remainder of the year. 5.2 Premises Related - £1.990m overspend This projected overspend predominantly relates to repairs and maintenance in Public Building Repairs due the continued inflationary and cost pressures that have been experienced by the service over the last few financial years. It is partly offset by underspends and income elsewhere in the service at present. The position continues to be closely monitored. 5.3 Supplies and Services - £0.786m overspend This projected overspend predominantly sits within Environment, Housing & Infrastructure on work by contractors within Property Services, and provisions within Soft FM. Within Building Services, the costs of work by contractors are recovered through recharge income. Included here is the £0.347m recharge of Building Services’ materials noted in the previous reported position. 5.4 Income - £3.119m over-recovery The main factor in this forecast is the anticipated over-recovery in investment income, as noted in paragraph 4.4 above. 6. Revenue Budget Virements 6.1. Under the Council’s financial regulations, Directors and their nominated officers, in consultation with the Director of Finance and Resources, have certain delegated authority to transfer sums between subjective budget headings within a service division to enable budget management throughout the financial year. This is known as budget virement. Page 11 of 232
Page 12
6.2. Transfers between divisions of the same service / department in excess of £100,000, and transfers between services / departments must be authorised by the respective service Director and the Director of Finance and Resources for submission to the relevant policy board for approval. 6.3. The following budget adjustments reflect key allocations of funding to services, and are therefore for noting only: Revenue Budget Adjustments for noting Objective Heading Subjective Heading Amount (£m) Reason Miscellaneous Employees (5.342) Pay award funding for 24/25 Miscellaneous Premises (0.743) Realignment of non-domestic rates budgets Finance & Resources Employees 1.339 Pay award funding for 24/25 Finance & Resources Support Services 0.088 Additional funding for Scottish Welfare Fund administration costs Environment, Housing & Infrastructure Employees 1.041 Pay award funding for 24/25 7. Capital Budget Projection – break even position by 31 March 2025 7.1 The Capital Investment Programme 2024/25 to 2028/29 was approved by the Council on 29 February 2024. The Finance, Resources and Customer Services approved capital spend for 2024/25 was £9.269m. 7.2 The in-year Capital budget is forecast to break even by 31 March 2025, however, this will be monitored as the projects progress. Further details of the programme can be found in the Capital Monitoring report at Appendix 2. 7.3 Budget adjustments totalling £2.094m have taken place to reflect re-profiling of budget from 2024/25 to 2025/26 due to expected cash flow timings. The revised capital spend for 2024/25 is £7.175m, and details of the adjustments are as follows: Capital Budget Adjustments Project Amount (£m) Reason ICT Infrastructure Maintenance & Renewal Programme (0.051) Reflecting expected timing of HQ audio video equipment refresh in 2025/26. Lifecycle Capital Maintenance Fund (2.043) Largely as a result of timing of deliveries for Kitchen Refurbishments for expansion of free school meals, Page 12 of 232
Page 13
Capital Budget Adjustments Project Amount (£m) Reason and upgrades of various school properties, into summer 2025. Total (2.094) Implications of the Report 1. Financial The projected budget outturn position for Finance, Resources and Customer Services’ Revenue budget is an underspend of £1.610m (1.7%) at 31 March 2025. Income and expenditure will continue to be monitored closely for the rest of the financial year and as far as possible, steps are being taken to mitigate any overspends. The projected outturn position for Finance, Resources and Customer Services’ Capital budget is break-even, after the adjustments outlined at section 7. 2. HR & Organisational Development While staffing budgets form a significant proportion of the Council’s revenue budgets, there are no direct implications arising from the recommendations in this report. 3. Community/Council Planning Community Plan Our Renfrewshire is thriving The Council’s revenue and capital spend ensures that its facilities are fit for purpose and safe for the community, to maximise accessibility. Our Renfrewshire is well Our Renfrewshire is fair Our Renfrewshire is safe Council Plan Reshaping our place, our economy and our future The Council’s revenue and capital spend ensures that its facilities are fit for purpose and safe for the community, to maximise accessibility. Building strong, safe and resilient communities Tackling inequality, ensuring opportunities for all Creating a sustainable Renfrewshire for all to enjoy Ongoing revenue and capital budget monitoring is a tool to enable good financial management so that the Council has resources now and in the future for continued service delivery. Working together to improve outcomes Page 13 of 232
Page 14
4. Legal There are no direct implications arising from the recommendations in this report. 5. Property/Assets The capital expenditure noted in this report will result mainly in lifecycle maintenance improvements to existing properties, replacement of ICT assets and infrastructure and replacement of artificial pitches. 6. Information Technology While ICT assets and revenue costs are included within these reported budgets, there are no direct implications arising from the recommendations in this report. 7. Equality & Human Rights While new areas of spend may impact on particular groups, any such impact would be assessed prior to the spend being incurred, therefore there are no direct implications arising from the recommendations in this report. 8. Health & Safety The capital expenditure noted in this report will result in lifecycle maintenance improvements to existing properties and replacement of ICT assets, which may in some cases rectify health and safety issues. 9. Procurement While Procurement is an important consideration prior to the Council incurring any revenue or capital spend, there are no direct implications arising from the recommendations in this report. 10. Risk The potential financial risk that the Council will overspend its approved revenue budgets for the year is managed at a Council-wide level by the Chief Executive and Directors. 11. Privacy Impact There are no direct implications arising from the recommendations in this report. 12. Cosla Policy Position N/a Page 14 of 232
Page 15
13. Children’s Rights There are no direct implications arising from the recommendations in this report. 14. Climate Change The Council aims to reduce its carbon and other emissions to net zero by 2030, however there are no direct implications arising from the recommendations in this report. List of Background Papers Revenue Budget and Council Tax 2024/25, Council 29 February 2024 The Capital Investment Programme 2024/25 to 2028/29, Council 29 February 2024 Author: Valerie Howie and Lisa Dickie, Finance Business Partners; Alison Burns, Corporate Finance Manager; and Geoff Borland, Finance Manager Page 15 of 232
Page 16
Appendix 1 RENFREWSHIRE COUNCIL REVENUE BUDGET MONITORING STATEMENT 2024/25 1 April 2024 to 7 January 2025 POLICY BOARD: FINANCE, RESOURCES & CUSTOMER SERVICES Objective Summary Annual Budget at Period 8 Budget Adjustments Revised Annual Budget at Period 10 Projected Outturn Budget Variance (Adverse) or Favourable Previous Projected Outturn Variance Movement £000 £000 £000 £000 £000 % £000 £000 Finance and Resources 44,195 1,452 45,647 45,533 114 0.2% 72 42 Environment, Housing and Infrastructure 23,210 1,041 24,251 25,592 (1,341) (5.5%) (867) (474) Chief Executive's Service (Estates) 273 114 387 550 (163) (42.1%) (152) (11) Miscellaneous 28,197 (6,185) 22,012 19,012 3,000 13.6% 3,000 0 NET EXPENDITURE 95,875 (3,578) 92,297 90,687 1,610 1.7% 2,053 (443) Subjective Summary Annual Budget at Period 8 Budget Adjustments Revised Annual Budget at Period 10 Projected Outturn Budget Variance (Adverse) or Favourable Previous Projected Outturn Variance Movement £000 £000 £000 £000 £000 % £000 £000 Employees 88,435 (3,024) 85,411 84,072 1,339 1.6% 1,074 265 Premises Related 14,083 (573) 13,510 15,500 (1,990) (14.7%) (1,136) (854) Transport Related 2,238 (150) 2,088 2,229 (141) (6.8%) (101) (40) Supplies and Services 26,641 8 26,649 27,435 (786) (2.9%) (612) (174) Third Party Payments 2,590 0 2,590 2,567 24 0.9% 23 1 Transfer Payments 46,841 71 46,911 46,854 58 0.1% 6 52 Support Services 749 90 839 851 (12) (1.4%) (34) 22 Depreciation and Impairment Losses 9,182 0 9,182 9,182 0 0.0% 0 0 GROSS EXPENDITURE 190,759 (3,579) 187,180 188,689 (1,509) (0.8%) (781) (729) Income (94,884) 1 (94,883) (98,002) 3,119 3.3% 2,834 286 NET EXPENDITURE 95,875 (3,578) 92,297 90,687 1,610 1.7% 2,053 (443) Page 16 of 232
Page 17
Appendix 1 RENFREWSHIRE COUNCIL REVENUE BUDGET MONITORING STATEMENT 2024/25 1 April 2024 to 7 January 2025 POLICY BOARD: FINANCE, RESOURCES & CUSTOMER SERVICES Objective Summary Annual Budget at Period 8 Budget Adjustments Revised Annual Budget at Period 10 Projected Outturn Budget Variance (Adverse) or Favourable Previous Projected Outturn Variance Movement £000 £000 £000 £000 £000 % £000 £000 Finance and Resources Directorate (864) 18 (846) (908) 62 7.3% 68 (6) Audit Services 610 21 631 548 83 13.2% 70 13 Corporate Governance 3,027 98 3,125 3,033 92 2.9% 48 44 Digital, Transformation & Customer Services 23,352 688 24,040 24,100 (60) (0.2%) (41) (19) Finance and Procurement 4,746 122 4,868 4,838 30 0.6% 8 22 Business Services 8,475 430 8,905 8,905 0 0.0% 0 0 Housing Benefits 1,895 1 1,896 1,895 1 0.1% 2 (1) People & Organisational Development 2,136 72 2,208 2,284 (76) (3.4%) (68) (8) Social care (non-delegated) 818 2 820 838 (18) (2.2%) (15) (3) NET EXPENDITURE 44,195 1,452 45,647 45,533 114 0.2% 72 42 Page 17 of 232
Page 18
Appendix 1 RENFREWSHIRE COUNCIL REVENUE BUDGET MONITORING STATEMENT 2024/25 1 April 2024 to 7 January 2025 POLICY BOARD: FINANCE, RESOURCES & CUSTOMER SERVICES - FINANCE & RESOURCES Subjective Summary Annual Budget at Period 8 Budget Adjustments Revised Annual Budget at Period 10 Projected Outturn Budget Variance (Adverse) or Favourable Previous Projected Outturn Variance Movement £000 £000 £000 £000 £000 % £000 £000 Employees 33,858 1,342 35,200 35,384 (184) (0.5%) (185) 1 Premises Related 2,590 2 2,592 2,562 30 1.2% 63 (33) Transport Related 259 0 259 239 20 7.7% 20 0 Supplies and Services 11,750 0 11,750 11,733 17 0.1% 18 (1) Third Party Payments 1,883 0 1,883 1,860 24 1.2% 23 1 Transfer Payments 46,441 18 46,458 46,398 61 0.1% (7) 67 Support Services 486 90 576 561 15 2.6% 6 9 Depreciation and Impairment Losses 0 0 0 0 0 0.0% 0 0 GROSS EXPENDITURE 97,267 1,452 98,718 98,736 (18) 0.0% (62) 44 Income (53,072) 1 (53,071) (53,203) 132 0.2% 134 (2) NET EXPENDITURE 44,195 1,452 45,647 45,533 114 0.2% 72 42 Page 18 of 232
Page 19
Appendix 1 RENFREWSHIRE COUNCIL REVENUE BUDGET MONITORING STATEMENT 2024/25 1 April 2024 to 7 January 2025 POLICY BOARD: FINANCE, RESOURCES & CUSTOMER SERVICES - ENVIRONMENT, HOUSING AND INFRASTRUCTURE Objective Summary Annual Budget at Period 8 Budget Adjustments Revised Annual Budget at Period 10 Projected Outturn Budget Variance (Adverse) or Favourable Previous Projected Outturn Variance Movement £000 £000 £000 £000 £000 % £000 £000 Building Services 109 0 109 109 0 0.0% 0 0 Public Building Repairs 4,066 74 4,140 5,440 (1,300) (31.4%) (739) (561) Soft Facilities Management Services 18,972 899 19,871 19,912 (41) (0.2%) (128) 87 Property Services 63 68 131 131 0 0.0% 0 0 NET EXPENDITURE 23,210 1,041 24,251 25,592 (1,341) (5.5%) (867) (474) Subjective Summary Annual Budget at Period 8 Budget Adjustments Revised Annual Budget at Period 10 Projected Outturn Budget Variance (Adverse) or Favourable Previous Projected Outturn Variance Movement £000 £000 £000 £000 £000 % £000 £000 Employees 31,392 976 32,368 30,845 1,523 4.7% 1,259 264 Premises Related 3,765 54 3,819 5,756 (1,937) (50.7%) (1,112) (825) Transport Related 1,579 0 1,579 1,740 (161) (10.2%) (121) (40) Supplies and Services 12,638 8 12,646 13,449 (803) (6.3%) (630) (173) Third Party Payments 0 0 0 0 0 0.0% 0 0 Transfer Payments 155 3 158 130 28 17.7% 28 0 Support Services 1,222 0 1,222 1,249 (27) (2.2%) (40) 13 Depreciation and Impairment Losses 0 0 0 0 0 0.0% 0 0 GROSS EXPENDITURE 50,751 1,041 51,792 53,169 (1,377) (2.7%) (616) (761) Income (27,541) 0 (27,541) (27,577) 36 0.1% (251) 287 NET EXPENDITURE 23,210 1,041 24,251 25,592 (1,341) (5.5%) (867) (474) Page 19 of 232
Page 20
Appendix 1 RENFREWSHIRE COUNCIL REVENUE BUDGET MONITORING STATEMENT 2024/25 1 April 2024 to 7 January 2025 POLICY BOARD: FINANCE, RESOURCES & CUSTOMER SERVICES - CHIEF EXECUTIVE'S SERVICE (ESTATES) Subjective Summary Annual Budget at Period 8 Budget Adjustments Revised Annual Budget at Period 10 Projected Outturn Budget Variance (Adverse) or Favourable Previous Projected Outturn Variance Movement £000 £000 £000 £000 £000 % £000 £000 Employees 0 0 0 0 0 0.0% 0 0 Premises Related 1,128 114 1,242 1,325 (83) (6.7%) (87) 4 Supplies and Services 4 0 4 4 0 0.0% 0 0 Transfer Payments 66 0 66 97 (31) (47.0%) (16) (15) Support Services 441 0 441 441 0 0.0% 0 0 GROSS EXPENDITURE 1,639 114 1,753 1,867 (114) (6.5%) (103) (11) Income (1,366) 0 (1,366) (1,317) (49) (3.6%) (49) 0 NET EXPENDITURE 273 114 387 550 (163) (42.1%) (152) (11) Page 20 of 232
Page 21
Appendix 1 RENFREWSHIRE COUNCIL REVENUE BUDGET MONITORING STATEMENT 2024/25 1 April 2024 to 7 January 2025 POLICY BOARD: FINANCE, RESOURCES & CUSTOMER SERVICES - MISCELLANEOUS Subjective Summary Annual Budget at Period 8 Budget Adjustments Revised Annual Budget at Period 10 Projected Outturn Budget Variance (Adverse) or Favourable Previous Projected Outturn Variance Movement £000 £000 £000 £000 £000 % £000 £000 Employees 23,185 (5,342) 17,843 17,843 0 0.0% 0 0 Premises Related 6,600 (743) 5,857 5,857 0 0.0% 0 0 Transport Related 400 (150) 250 250 0 0.0% 0 0 Supplies and Services 2,249 0 2,249 2,249 0 0.0% 0 0 Third Party Payments 707 0 707 707 0 0.0% 0 0 Transfer Payments 179 50 229 229 0 0.0% 0 0 Support Services (1,400) 0 (1,400) (1,400) 0 0.0% 0 0 Depreciation and Impairment Losses 9,182 0 9,182 9,182 0 0.0% 0 0 GROSS EXPENDITURE 41,102 (6,185) 34,917 34,917 0 0.0% 0 0 Income (12,905) 0 (12,905) (15,905) 3,000 23.2% 3,000 0 NET EXPENDITURE 28,197 (6,185) 22,012 19,012 3,000 13.6% 3,000 0 Page 21 of 232
Page 22
Appendix 2 Prior Years Approved Budget Revised Projected Total Approved Projected Expenditure Budget Adjustments Budget Outturn Budget Outurn to 31/03/2024 2024-25 since previous 2024-25 2024-25 to 31-Mar-29 to 31-Mar-29 Project Title Board report £000 £000 £000 £000 £000 £000 £000 CORPORATE PROJECTS ICT Infrastructure Maintenance & Renewal Programme 0 1,247 (51) 1,196 1,196 0 0% 3,369 3,369 0 0% Lifecycle Capital Maintenance (LCM) Fund 0 6,438 (2,043) 4,395 4,395 0 0% 24,051 24,051 0 0% Artificial Pitch Upgrades 1,277 524 0 524 524 0 0% 1,801 1,801 0 0% Digital Infrastructure Provision 1,904 32 0 32 32 0 0% 1,936 1,936 0 0% Commnunity Empowerment Fund 462 552 0 552 552 0 0% 1,014 1,014 0 0% Villages Improvement Fund 274 276 0 276 276 0 0% 550 550 0 0% Greenspaces and Parks 0 126 0 126 126 0 0% 126 126 0 0% Retail Improvement Fund 76 74 0 74 74 0 0% 150 150 0 0% TOTAL FINANCE, RESOURCES & CUSTOMER SERVICES BOARD 3,993 9,269 (2,094) 7,175 7,175 0 0% 32,997 32,997 0 0% *Rolling programmes have a prior year year expenditure of £0 as the expenditure is not directly linked from one year to the next as a singular project. RENFREWSHIRE COUNCIL CAPITAL INVESTMENT STRATEGY - NON-HOUSING SERVICES 1st April to 7th January 2025 POLICY BOARD: FINANCE, RESOURCES & CUSTOMER SERVICES Current Year 2024-25 Full Programme - All years Budget Variance (Adverse) or Favourable Budget Variance (Adverse) or Favourable Page 22 of 232
Page 23
___________________________________________________________________ To: Finance, Resources and Customer Services Policy Board On: 3 April 2025 ___________________________________________________________________ Report by: Director of Finance and Resources ___________________________________________________________________ Heading: Revenue and Capital Budget Monitoring – Council Overview as at 7 January 2025 ___________________________________________________________________ 1. Summary of Financial Position 1.1 At the close of reporting Period 10 on 7 January 2025, the projected revenue outturn position at 31 March 2025 for Council services is an overspend position of £0.467m (0.1%) against the revised budget for the year. Adult Services (HSCP) is projecting an overspend of £3.666m (3.4%), resulting in a combined projected overspend of £4.133m (0.8%). 1.2 The projected capital outturn at 31 March 2025 all services is a break even position. 1.3 This is split between General Fund Services and the Housing Revenue Account (HRA) in the table below, with further analysis provided in the Appendices. Table 1 Revised Annual Budget £000 Projected Outturn £000 Budget Variance (Adv)/Fav £000 Budget Variance % Revenue General Fund Services (Council) 429,285 429,752 (0.467) (0.1%) Adult Services (HSCP) 106,810 110,476 (3,666) (3.4%) Housing Revenue Account (HRA) 0 0 0 0.0% Total 536,095 540,228 (4,133) 0.8% Capital General Fund Services 97,417 97,417 0 0.0% Housing Revenue Account (HRA) 31,380 31,380 0 0.0% Item 3 Page 23 of 232
Page 24
2. Recommendations 2.1 Members are requested to: a) Note the projected Revenue outturn overspend position of £4.133m; b) Note the projected Capital outturn break even position; and c) Note the prudential indicators detailed in section 7 of the report. _________________________________________________________ 3. Revenue Budget Projection – overspend of £4.133m by 31 March 2025 3.1 The projected overspend of £4.133m across all services includes £3.666m for Adult Services (HSCP), leaving a forecast overspend of £0.467m for Council services. 3.2 The tables in Appendix 1 present the projected year-end position for all services, by both subjective analysis (what the budget is spent on) and objective analysis (which division is spending the budget). Significant variances affecting the projected position are analysed further below. 3.3 The projected outturn is based on information currently available, and assumptions made by service budget holders. The final outturn position for the financial year will be reported to Council in June. 4. Significant Variances 4.1 Education & Children’s Services £1.059m overspend This projected forecast includes overspends in Supplies & Services (£0.593m) mainly due to payments to care leavers and increased demand for Care at Home services for children with additional support needs. Overspends in Transfer Payments (£0.761m) relates mainly to Children & Families, in particular Direct Payments and Section 22 payments. The projected overspend in Third Party payments (£0.252m) relates to Fostering and Adoption fees, following the implementation of the national rate for fostering allowances, and services related to Children with Disability, related to projected placement costs. These overspends are partly offset by Employee Costs, currently projecting an underspend of £0.874m, owing to staff turnover and vacancies. Page 24 of 232
Page 25
4.2 Infrastructure, Land & Environment £1.210m overspend The projected overspend predominantly sits within Waste Services (£1.054m), where trade waste income is significantly under-recovered owing to a reduction in demand. There are further cost pressures related to increased software and work by contractor costs within Infrastructure and Assets, and Fleet Services are projecting an overspend that is mainly reflective of the inflationary impact on replacement parts for vehicles and specialist contractors. 4.3 Finance, Resources & Customer Services £1.610m underspend The anticipated underspend is mainly driven by an expected £3.000m increase in investment interest income, owing to the level of interest rates prevailing. This is offset by a forecast overspend in Public Building Repairs of £1.300m due to the continued inflationary and cost pressures that have been experienced by the service over the last few years. The position continues to be closely monitored, and mitigating actions are being taken by management where appropriate. 4.4 Adult Services £3.666m overspend The overspend is mainly due to external care at home packages for both Older People and those with Physical or Sensory Difficulties. This results from increased acuity of patients with more complex needs discharged from hospital, meaning more intensive Care at Home packages are required to support people to remain in their own homes. The overspend is further impacted by inflationary increases as a result of the adult supported living framework renewal in November 2024. Since the last report the overspend has reduced by £0.977m mainly due to vacancy management controls now in place, and further recovery of payments relating to changes in package costs. This forecast position now includes costs associated with the care at home staff regrade. 5. Capital Budget Projection – Housing Services Programme 5.1 The HRA Capital Investment Programme 2024/25 to 2028/29 was approved by the Council on 29 February 2024. For 2024/25, the revised programme totals £31.380m, an increase of £0.518m since Period 8, as a result of acceleration from 2025/26 into 2024/25 in relation to the timing of investment assessments. 5.2 Capital expenditure to 7 January 2025 amounted to £20m, representing 64% of available resources, compared to 72% for the same period in 2023/24. Page 25 of 232
Page 26
5.3 47% of expected capital income has been received to date, compared to 79% for the equivalent period in 2023/24. This difference relates to grant received in 2023/24 for energy efficiency improvements which came in at the start of the year; this has not been awarded for 2024/25. The remainder of expected capital income is expected to come in towards the end of the financial year. 5.4 The projected outturn position, after budget changes, is for the Housing Services Programme to break even (see Appendix 2). However, inflationary impacts of delays to work and related cost estimates are still ongoing and therefore this forecast will be kept under review. 6. Capital Monitoring: Non-Housing Services Programme 6.1 The General Services Capital Investment Programme 2024/25 to 2028/29 was approved by Council on 29 February 2024. For 2024/25, the current revised programme totals £97.417m, a decrease of £6.158m since Period 8, resulting mainly from the net effect of: projects reprofiled from 2024/25 into 2025/26 of £6.158m, mainly as a result of updated cashflow profiles for Lifecycle Capital Maintenance Fund and GAIA Regeneration. 6.2 Capital expenditure to 7 January 2025 totals £64m, representing 66% of the available resources, compared to 72% for the equivalent period in 2023/24. 6.3 Capital income totalling £18m has been received to 7 January 2025. This represents 60% of the total anticipated income, compared to 56% for the equivalent period in 2023/24. 6.4 The projected outturn position after these budget changes is to break even (see Appendix 2). However, the full impact of inflation on capital costs on each project is not yet determined, with increased costs through inflation and compliance expected to increase the risk of overspends across the capital programme. 7. Capital Overview: Prudential Indicators 7.1 The Council is required to set prudential indicators to ensure that its capital investment plans are affordable, proportionate, prudent and sustainable. The current prudential indicators were approved by Council on 12 December 2024. 7.2 The CIPFA Prudential Code 2021 recommends that from 2024/25 a regular update is provided to members noting the current forecasts for prudential indicators compared to those approved at the start of the financial year. These are outlined in 7.4 to 7.8 below. 7.3 The Council approved new Prudential Indicators for 2025/26 as part of the non-housing capital investment programme report agreed by Council on 27 February. Page 26 of 232
Page 27
7.4 Capital Expenditure: The limit on capital expenditure that the Council has set for 2024/25 is shown in the table below. The limit is based on the resources available to fund the capital programmes, split between Housing and Non- Housing Services, but excludes the Public Sector Housing Grant, as this is not considered to be capital spend for the Council. The forecast expenditure is lower owing to the changes outlined at 6.1 above. Approved Plan £m Forecast Expenditure £m Non-Housing 104 97 Housing 31 31 Total 135 128 7.5 Capital Finance Requirement (CFR): The CFR originally planned by the Council for 2024/25 is shown in the table below and is split between Housing and Non-Housing Services. The projected outturn at 31 March 2025 is also shown. Any significant increase in the capital expenditure without planned funding at the point of spend will result in an increase to the CFR. Planned CFR to 31 March 2025 £m Projected CFR to 31 March 2025 £m Non-Housing 462 452 Housing 130 130 Total 592 582 7.6 Operational Boundary: This is the focus of day-to-day treasury management activity within the Council and is an estimate of the most likely, but not worst case, scenario in terms of cashflow. Risk analysis and risk management strategies are taken into account, as are plans for capital expenditure, estimates of the CFR and estimates of cashflow requirements for all purposes. It is possible that this boundary could be breached occasionally, and this should not be regarded as significant. However, a sustained or regular trend of such would be significant and require investigation and action. Planned Operational Boundary to 31 March 2025 £m Projected Operational Boundary to 31 March 2025 £m Borrowing 498 488 Other Long-Term Liabilities 94 94 Total 592 582 Page 27 of 232
Page 28
7.7 Authorised Limit: This is based on the same assumptions as the Operational Boundary, with additional headroom to ensure sufficient capacity to allow for both planned and exceptional cashflow requirements, without breaching the limit. Planned Authorised Limit to 31 March 2025 £m Projected Authorised Limit to 31 March 2025 £m Borrowing 523 512 Other Long-Term Liabilities 94 94 Total 617 606 7.8 Ratio of Financing Costs to Net Revenue: A key measure of affordability is the incremental impact of investment decisions on Council Tax or housing rents. Estimates of the ratio of financing costs to net revenue stream provide an indication of how much of the Council’s revenue budget is committed to the repayment of debt. Approved Ratio of Financing Costs to Net Revenue 2024/25 % Projected Ratio of Financing Costs to Net Revenue 2024/25 % Non-Housing 3.47 3.22 Housing 28.59 28.49 Financing costs include the interest payable with respect to forecast borrowing levels, interest payable on finance leases, interest and investment income, loans fund and finance lease principal repayments and gains/losses on the repurchase or early settlement of borrowing. There is a decrease in the projected ratios due to the updated capital spend profile and interest rate outlook. Revenue streams relate either to the amounts received in terms of government grant and local taxpayers for Non-Housing, or to the amounts received from tenants in respect of housing rents for Housing. 8. Private Sector Housing Grant Programme 8.1. The overall budget provision for this programme is included within the revenue budget. However, in order to monitor the performance of the individual programmes, it is included within capital budget monitoring procedures. 8.2. The Council approved expenditure up to £1.186m for 2024/25. There have been no changes since the previous Policy Board Report. Page 28 of 232
Page 29
8.3. The programme is expected to fully spend by 31 March 2025 and will be contained within the overall resources. Implications of the Report 1. Financial The projected budget outturn position for General Fund Services Revenue budget is an overspend of £4.133m (0.8%) and break-even for the HRA Revenue budget. Income and expenditure will continue to be monitored closely for the rest of the financial year and, where necessary, steps will be taken to mitigate overspends. The projected outturn position for General Fund Services and HRA Capital budgets is a break-even position. The Capital programme will continue to be monitored closely for the rest of the financial year. Any changes to current projections in either Revenue or Capital budgets will be detailed in future reports to this board. 2. HR & Organisational Development While staffing budgets form a significant proportion of the Council’s revenue budgets, there are no direct implications arising from the recommendations in this report. 3. Community/Council Planning Community Plan Our Renfrewshire is thriving The Council’s revenue and capital spend ensures that its facilities are fit for purpose and safe for the community, to maximise accessibility. Our Renfrewshire is well Our Renfrewshire is fair Our Renfrewshire is safe Council Plan Reshaping our place, our economy and our future The Council’s revenue and capital spend ensures that its facilities are fit for purpose and safe for the community, to maximise accessibility. Building strong, safe and resilient communities Tackling inequality, ensuring opportunities for all Creating a sustainable Renfrewshire for all to enjoy Ongoing revenue and capital budget monitoring is a tool to enable good financial management so that the Council has resources now and in the future for continued service delivery. Working together to improve outcomes Page 29 of 232
Page 30
4. Legal There are no direct implications arising from the recommendations in this report. 5. Property/Assets The capital expenditure noted in this report will result in lifecycle maintenance improvements to existing properties and replacement of ICT, infrastructure, and plant and equipment. 6. Information Technology There are no direct implications arising from the recommendations in this report. 7. Equality & Human Rights While new areas of spend may impact on particular groups, any such impact would be assessed prior to the spend being incurred, therefore there are no direct implications arising from the recommendations in this report. 8. Health & Safety There are no direct implications arising from the recommendations in this report. 9. Procurement While Procurement is an important consideration prior to the Council incurring any revenue or capital spend, there are no direct implications arising from the recommendations in this report. 10. Risk The potential financial risk that the Council will overspend its approved revenue budgets for the year is managed at a Council-wide level by the Chief Executive and Directors. 11. Privacy Impact There are no direct implications arising from the recommendations in this report. 12. Children’s Rights There are no direct implications arising from the recommendations in this report. Page 30 of 232
Page 31
13. Climate Change The Council aims to reduce its carbon and other emissions to net zero by 2030, however there are no direct implications arising from the recommendations in this report. 14. Cosla Policy Position - N/a ___________________________________________________________________ List of Background Papers Revenue Budget and Council Tax 2024/25, Council 29 February 2024 The Capital Investment Programme 2024/25 to 2028/29, Council 29 February 2024 ___________________________________________________________________ Author: Alison Burns, Corporate Finance Manager Geoff Borland, Finance Manager (Capital) Page 31 of 232
Page 32
Appendix 1 RENFREWSHIRE COUNCIL REVENUE BUDGET MONITORING STATEMENT 2024/25 1 April 2024 to 7 January 2025 POLICY BOARD: FINANCE, RESOURCES & CUSTOMER SERVICES - OVERVIEW Policy Board - Objective Summary Annual Budget at Period 8 Budget Adjustments Revised Annual Budget at Period 10 Projected Outturn Budget Variance (Adverse) / Favourable Previous Projected Outturn Variance Movement (Adverse) / Favourable £000 £000 £000 £000 £000 % £000 £000 Communities and Housing Services 14,878 413 15,291 15,291 0 0.0% 0 0 Education and Children's Services 257,585 7,218 264,803 265,862 (1,059) (0.4%) (901) (158) Infrastructure, Land and Environment 32,121 1,248 33,369 34,579 (1,210) (3.6%) (1,160) (50) Finance, Resources and Customer Services 95,875 (3,578) 92,297 90,687 1,610 1.7% 2,053 (443) Adult Services 106,460 350 106,810 110,476 (3,666) (3.4%) (4,643) 977 Planning 584 78 662 615 47 7.1% 0 47 Economy and Regeneration 2,306 70 2,376 2,279 97 4.1% 92 5 Chief Executive's Service 20,127 360 20,487 20,439 48 0.2% 35 13 GENERAL SERVICES NET EXPENDITURE 529,936 6,159 536,095 540,228 (4,133) (0.8%) (4,524) 391 Housing Revenue Account (HRA) 0 0 0 0 0 0.0% 0 0 NET EXPENDITURE 529,936 6,159 536,095 540,228 (4,133) (0.8%) (4,524) 391 Page 32 of 232
Page 33
Appendix 1 RENFREWSHIRE COUNCIL REVENUE BUDGET MONITORING STATEMENT 2024/25 1 April 2024 to 7 January 2025 POLICY BOARD: FINANCE, RESOURCES & CUSTOMER SERVICES - OVERVIEW Subjective Summary Annual Budget at Period 8 Budget Adjustments Revised Annual Budget at Period 10 Total Projected Outturn Budget Variance (Adverse) or Favourable Previous Projected Outturn Variance Movement £000 £000 £000 £000 £000 % £000 £000 Employees 363,685 7,759 371,443 367,293 4,151 1.1% 4,391 (241) Premises Related 52,840 421 53,261 55,951 (2,690) (5.1%) (1,699) (991) Transport Related 17,502 (154) 17,348 18,402 (1,054) (6.1%) (960) (94) Supplies and Services 97,014 1,225 98,239 101,190 (2,951) (3.0%) (2,921) (29) Third Party Payments 93,503 589 94,092 99,166 (5,074) (5.4%) (6,767) 1,694 Transfer Payments 100,027 577 100,603 101,766 (1,163) (1.2%) (1,055) (107) Support Services 6,247 92 6,339 6,291 48 0.8% (60) 109 Depreciation and Impairment Losses 27,586 0 27,586 27,598 (12) 0.0% (12) 0 GROSS EXPENDITURE 758,404 10,508 768,912 777,656 (8,744) (1.1%) (9,084) 340 Income (228,468) (4,350) (232,817) (237,428) 4,611 2.0% 4,560 52 NET EXPENDITURE 529,936 6,159 536,095 540,228 (4,133) (0.8%) (4,524) 391 Page 33 of 232
Page 34
Appendix 2 Prior Years Approved Budget Revised Projected Expenditure Budget Adjustments Budget Outturn Total Approved Projected to 31/03/2024* 2024-25 since previous 2024-25 2024-25 Budget Outurn Board report to 31-Mar-29 to 31-Mar-29 £000 £000 £000 £000 £000 £000 £000 EDUCATION & CHILDREN'S SERVICES Education & Children's Services 20,894 30,286 0 30,286 30,286 0 0% 198,480 198,480 0 0% TOTAL 20,894 30,286 0 30,286 30,286 0 0% 198,480 198,480 0 0% COMMUNITIES, HOUSING & PLANNING Housing (HRA) 53,408 30,862 518 31,380 31,380 0 0% 219,144 219,144 0 0% Housing (PSHG) 0 1,186 0 1,186 1,186 0 0% 2,926 2,926 0 0% TOTAL 53,408 32,048 518 32,566 32,566 0 0% 222,070 222,070 0 0% INFRASTRUCTURE, LAND & ENVIRONMENT Environment & Infrastructure 4,137 18,684 (253) 18,431 18,431 0 0% 54,578 54,578 0 0% TOTAL 4,137 18,684 (253) 18,431 18,431 0 0% 54,578 54,578 0 0% ECONOMY & REGENERATION Economy and Development 80,951 17,302 (420) 16,882 16,882 0 0% 105,843 105,843 0 0% TOTAL 80,951 17,302 (420) 16,882 16,882 0 0% 105,843 105,843 0 0% FINANCE, RESOURCES & CUSTOMER SERVICES Corporate Projects 3,993 9,269 (2,094) 7,175 7,175 0 0% 32,997 32,997 0 0% TOTAL 3,993 9,269 (2,094) 7,175 7,175 0 0% 32,997 32,997 0 0% LEADERSHIP Leisure Services 24,924 1,412 0 1,412 1,412 0 0% 28,005 28,005 0 0% Chief Executives 158,319 26,622 (3,391) 23,231 23,231 0 0% 360,395 360,395 0 0% TOTAL 183,243 28,034 (3,391) 24,643 24,643 0 0% 388,400 388,400 0 0% TOTAL ALL BOARDS 346,626 135,623 (5,640) 129,983 129,983 0 0.0% 1,002,368 1,002,368 0 0% MADE UP OF: Non-Housing Programme 293,218 103,575 (6,158) 97,417 97,417 0 0% 780,298 780,298 0 0% Housing Programme (HRA) 53,408 30,862 518 31,380 31,380 0 0% 219,144 219,144 0 0% Housing Programme (PSHG) 0 1,186 0 1,186 1,186 0 0% 2,926 2,926 0 0% PROGRAMME TOTAL 346,626 135,623 (5,640) 129,983 129,983 0 0.0% 1,002,368 1,002,368 0 0% Budget Variance (Adverse) or Favourable Budget Variance (Adverse) or Favourable RENFREWSHIRE COUNCIL CAPITAL INVESTMENT STRATEGY - NON-HOUSING SERVICES 1st April to 7th January 2025 POLICY BOARD: FINANCE, RESOURCES & CUSTOMER SERVICES Current Year 2024-25 Full Programme - All years Page 34 of 232
Page 35
Appendix 2 2024/25 Housing Non Housing PSHG Total Services Services Programme A. RESOURCES AVAILABLE TO FUND CAPITAL PROGRAMME £'000 £'000 £'000 £'000 1. Prudential Borrowing 23,075 61,258 84,333 2a General Capital Grant 13,627 600 14,227 2b. Specific Capital Grant 2,578 1,128 3,706 3. Usable Capital Receipts 940 16,075 17,015 4. Contribution From Current Revenue (CFCR) 4,787 5,329 586 10,702 5 Total Resource Availability 31,380 97,417 1,186 129,983 B. CAPITAL PROGRAMME 6. Resources Available 31,380 97,417 1,186 129,983 7. Current Programme 31,380 100% 97,417 100% 1,186 100% 129,983 100% C. ACTUAL EXPENDITURE VS PROJECTED 8. Resource Availability 31,380 97,417 1,186 129,983 9. Cash Spent at 7 January 2025 19,947 64% 63,812 66% 725 61% 84,484 65% 10. Cash to be Spent by 31 March 2025 11,433 33,605 461 45,499 D. ACTUAL RECEIPTS VS PROJECTED 11. Current Programme (total receipts expected) 3,518 30,830 600 34,948 12. Actual Cash Received at 7 January 2025 1,651 47% 18,457 60% 474 79% 20,582 59% 13. Receipts to be received by 31 March 2025 1,867 12,373 126 14,366 RENFREWSHIRE COUNCIL 2024/25 CAPITAL BUDGETS MONITORING SUMMARY REPORT TO 7th JANUARY 2025 Page 35 of 232
Page 36
_________________________________________________________________ To: Finance, Resources and Customer Services Policy Board On: 3 April 2025 ___________________________________________________________________ Report by: Director of Finance and Resources ___________________________________________________________________ Heading: Business Services Performance Report ___________________________________________________________________ 1. Summary 1.1 This report details performance across key Business Services functions including revenue collection and benefit administration for the period ending 28 February 2025. _______________________________________________________________ 2. Recommendations 2.1 It is recommended that the Board: Note the contents of the report. _______________________________________________________________ 3. Revenue Collection 3.1 Council Tax 3.1.1 This section details the collection performance as at 28 February 2025 for Council Tax. It also provides details of the total sums collected for the previous financial year. 3.1.2 The billable sum for 2024/25 is £102,076,456. 3.1.3 The sums collected to date for 2024/25 are £95,062,714 which is 93.13% of the billable sum (92.82% last year). This represents an increase of 0.31% in cash collection as a proportion of net charges billed compared with the same position for 2023/24. Item 4 Page 36 of 232
Page 37
3.1.4 The Service is making a concerted effort to clear as many overpaid balances as possible by the end of the financial year through a combination of refunds to customers and credits into 2025/26 Council Tax accounts. This activity may impact the year end collection rate when compared to previous years. 3.1.5 The Council Tax Reduction (CTR) awarded is £13,672,993, amounting to 11.81% of the billable sum, which is 0.24% less than at the same point last year. 3.1.6 The Service continues to encourage the take-up of CTR, and process claims following notification of Universal Credit awards being in place. Take-up activities have commenced including tracking of potential applications, data matching and analysis to maximise CTR awards and support customers, where possible. 3.2 Non-Domestic Rates 3.2.1 This section details the collection performance as at 28th February 2025 for Non-Domestic Rates (NDR). It also provides details of the total sums collected for the last financial year. 3.2.2 The Non-Domestic Rates (NDR) charges billed for 2024/25 amount to £117,743,534. 3.2.3 Cash receipts to date amount to £113,896,620 which is 96.73% of the sum billed. This is an increase in cash collection as a proportion of net charges billed of 0.88% compared with the same position for 2023/24. 3.2.4 Payment collection for NDR starts in May each year but was delayed by a month in 2023/24. This delay has been contributing to the increase in collection previously reported but the effect of this has reduced this cycle. 3.2.5 Members may note that in Appendix 1 the expected yield collection is showing as greater than 100% for prior year 2023/24. This is due to the Valuation Joint Board backdating reduced liabilities for businesses. These liabilities have been updated on the Council’s system but with the resultant refunds (which require a robust checking process) remain outstanding. 4. Benefit administration This section details the processing performance in relation to Housing Benefit, Council Tax Reduction, and the Scottish Welfare Fund, as at the end of February 2025. Also provided is an update on the funding and expenditure position in relation to Discretionary Housing Payments (DHP) and the Scottish Welfare Fund plus details of Housing Benefit Overpayment recovery. 4.1 Workload and Performance 4.1.1 The Service aims to balance the varied and changing workload resulting from the impacts of the ongoing Cost of Living Crisis and any post-pandemic effects. Page 37 of 232
Page 38
4.1.2 The Service continues with a positive trend; this is reflected in the performance data below showing almost all indicators within target for the period. 4.1.3 Training and support remains in place for new and less experienced staff members. Training for benefits work is an extensive process, taking several weeks for a new team member to become proficient in a single process, and many months to be fully trained in all areas and be fully productive. 4.1.4 The Service maintains a targeted plan aimed at sustaining improved performance. 4.2 Speed of Processing – Housing Benefit 4.2.1 As detailed in Table 1 below, processing speed for New Claims is within target for the period and for the year to date. 4.2.2 In relation to New Claims processed within 14 days of all information received, this measure is also within target for the period and for the year to date. 4.2.3 Processing of Changes in Circumstance (CIC) is well within target for the reporting period and for the year to date. (Supplementary processing information is attached in Appendix 2 for members’ reference) Table 1 – Housing Benefit Performance Summary Performance measure 4 Week Reporting Period 17 January 2025 to 13 February 2025 Year to date position Annual Target New Claims – processing time (no. of days) 17 days 18 days 22 days New Claims - % processed within 14 days of all information received 93% 95% 92% Changes in Circumstance – processing time (no. of days) 4 days 5 days 9 days 4.3 Speed of Processing – Council Tax Reduction (CTR) 4.3.1 The majority of new applications for CTR relate to customers claiming Universal Credit (UC). Due to the DWP’s UC claim mechanism, the service can’t begin processing such applications until 28 days has elapsed. The processing target therefore appears inflated but has been set at a challenging 35 days. Page 38 of 232
Page 39
4.3.2 Delayed CTR awards do not negatively impact on customers to the extent they would with housing benefit claims, but the service nevertheless endeavours to process these as quickly as possible. 4.3.3 As detailed in Table 2 below, processing speed for CTR New Claims is within target for both the period and for the year to date. 4.3.4 Processing of CTR Changes in Circumstance (CIC) is well within target for the reporting period and for the year to date. Table 2 – Council Tax Reduction Performance Summary Performance measure 4 Week Reporting Period 17 January 2025 to 13 February 2025 Year to date position Annual Target New Claims – processing time (no. of days) 33 days 33 days 35 days Changes in Circumstance – processing time (no. of days) 6 days 5 days 9 days 4.4 Housing Benefit Overpayments 4.4.1 Council expenditure on Housing Benefit (HB) is largely funded by the DWP via a process known as Housing Benefit Subsidy. 4.4.2 Where a HB payment is found to have been made in error, a Housing Benefit Overpayment debt (HBO) will be raised against the customer who has been overpaid. This often negatively effects the level of subsidy the Council receives. 4.4.3 If an overpayment arises due to a customer failing to report a change in their circumstances, the council will receive subsidy amounting to 40% of the overpayment value. These are known as Claimant Errors. If the overpayment instead arises due to the Council not acting quickly enough on information received, or as a result of staff error, the level of subsidy received will either be 100%, 40%, or zero, depending on the cumulative total of such errors during the financial year compared to total HB expenditure. These are known as Local Authority Errors. 4.4.4 Provided the total of Local Authority Errors amounts to less than 0.48% of all HB expenditure, 100% subsidy will be paid by the DWP to the Council to cover this classification of error. If this threshold is breached but the ratio is not greater than 0.54% of expenditure, the Council will receive only 40% subsidy for Local Authority Errors. Where the value exceeds 0.54% the Council loses out on all subsidy for Local Authority Errors. Page 39 of 232
Page 40
4.4.5 The service strives to minimise Local Authority Errors and closely tracks progress in this area. As of 2nd February 2025, the ratio of these errors was comfortably with the 100% subsidy range at 0.24%. 4.4.6 Regardless of the level of subsidy received for a HBO, the service will normally endeavour to recover the full amount of the overpayment from the customer or landlord who has been overpaid. Appendix 3 shows year to date HBO recovery performance. 4.5 Discretionary Housing Payments 4.5.1 The total budget for Discretionary Housing Payments for 2024/25 is shown in Table 3 below. This includes an additional amount of £13k allocated by the Council during 2023/24 which was carried forward to 2024/25. 4.5.2 The budget shows the indicative spending spilt provided to the Council by Scottish Government. 4.5.3 The Scottish Government Financial Hardship funding amount detailed in Table 2 includes a redistribution to the Council of £519,079 in June 2024 as part of the normal allocation activities by Scottish Government. 4.5.4 Members should note that the above redistribution total was previously underreported, in error, by £52,748. DHP hardship awards made in the intervening period are being revisited to ensure that customer awards are maximised. 4.5.5 The DHP budget has been calculated to include the full Scottish Government estimate of the amount of funding required to fully mitigate the effect of both the Benefit Cap and the Bedroom Tax. These estimates include a 20% reserve allocation, which will be paid in May 2025, if required. 4.5.6 The total Financial Hardship budget currently available to the Council is 97% of the equivalent spend during 2023/24. 4.5.7 In line with DHP Policy and DHP Regulations, the Service makes awards to fully mitigate the effect of the Benefit Cap and the Bedroom Tax and maximise spend within the year. 4.5.8 Table 4 shows the performance information in relation to DHPs. The table shows that the average processing time in relation to DHP is within target. Page 40 of 232
Page 41
Table 3 – DHP Budget Funding – indicative allocations Amount Renfrewshire Council (brought forward from 2023/24) £13,051 Financial Hardship – Scottish Government £762,066 Benefit Cap* – Scottish Government £145,388 Bedroom Tax* – Scottish Government £2,503,648 Total budget for the year £3,424,153 *These figures represent the maximum amount required to cover the estimated shortfall of customers impacted by the Benefit Cap or Bedroom Tax. Table 4 – DHP Performance Summary Measure 1 April 2024 to 28 February 2025 Volume of DHP applications received 5,822 applications Volume of DHP decisions made 5,718 decisions Number of DHP awards 5,376 awards Average processing time (target 29 days) 8 days Total amount committed/paid £3,228,545 4.6 The Scottish Welfare Fund 4.6.1 The Scottish Welfare Fund (SWF) provides a safety net for vulnerable people on low incomes through the provision of Community Care Grants and Crisis Grants. The Scottish Welfare Fund is a national scheme, underpinned by law and delivered on behalf of the Scottish Government by all local councils. The SWF replaced elements of the Social Fund abolished by the Department for Work and Pensions in 2013. 4.6.2 The Service makes awards in 2024/25 in line with Scottish Government guidance and had spent 87.7% of a revised total budget for the Scottish Welfare Fund (SWF) by the end of February 2025. 4.6.3 The total budget for the Scottish Welfare Fund for 2024/25 is shown in Table 5 below. This includes a non-recurring additional amount of £617,000 allocated by Scottish Government in December 2024 to support vulnerable people over the Winter. 4.6.4 £600,000 of additional funding previously allocated by the Council for 2024/25 SWF will now be held in reserve for potential use during 2025/26. Page 41 of 232
Page 42
4.6.5 In line with Scottish government legislative guidance, applications for the Crisis and Community Care Grants (CCGs) are categorised as Low, Medium, High and High Most Compelling priority, both in terms of the circumstances of the applicant and the items requested (in the case of CCGs). Due to the financial pressure on the budget the Council has been awarding on a High priority basis since May 2021 and has only ever made awards on a High Most Compelling basis twice before, most recently in 2018/19 for a short period. 4.6.6 Under High priority awards are likely to be made to customers considered highly vulnerable and who are in immediate and severe need of the goods applied for. With a switch to High, Most Compelling customers would need to be both highly vulnerable and at immediate risk, with a need for goods which is extremely severe. 4.6.7 As highlighted in previous reports, the Scottish Welfare fund budget is under significant pressure. Average Community Care Grant Awards are 25% higher than last year’s average due to the effect of high inflation coupled with the continuing Cost-of-Living Crisis. 4.6.8 Scottish Government have indicated in their budget that SWF funding will be the same for 2025/26 and separately that there is no likelihood of any top-up of core funding in future years. As a result, the pressure on the fund described at the start of this financial year will be the same next year. The £600k of Council funds being held in reserve for potential use during 2025/26 will likely prevent a switch to the High, Most Compelling priority level. 4.6.9 The performance data relating to the Fund is presented in Table 5 below. The Service processed both Crisis Grants and Community Care Grants within target for the period. Table 5 – SWF Performance Summary (Crisis & Community Care Grants) Measure 1 April 2024 to 28 February 2025 Number of Crisis Grant applications received 8,120 Number of Crisis Grant Awards 5,390 Total amount paid for Crisis Grants £586,711.42 Average Processing time year to date (2 working days target) 2 days Average Processing time within February 2 days Number of Community Care Grant applications received 2,192 Number of Community Care Grant Awards 1,227 Total amount paid for Community Care Grant £1,053,195.82 Page 42 of 232
Page 43
Measure 1 April 2024 to 28 February 2025 Average processing time year to date (15 working days target) 10 days Average processing time within February 6 days Total amount paid/committed from the fund £1,639,907.24 Initial Budget provided by Scottish Government £1,252,119 Top-up Budget provided by Scottish Government December 2024 £617,000 Total Budget £1,869,119 _____________________________________________________________ Implications of the Report 1. Financial - The level of collection of Local Taxation continues to provide funding for the delivery of Council services throughout Renfrewshire. 2. HR & Organisational Development – None. 3. Community/Council Planning – Our Renfrewshire is fair - An effective Benefits service is vital to the quality of life of many of our citizens as it provides vital support for low income households to sustain tenancies and meet their rent obligations. Working together to improve outcomes - An efficient and effective billing and administrative process for the collection of local taxes is vital for ensuring the recovery of income to the Council to support the provision of local services. This is supported by a range of payment opportunities for the public, including electronic and digital payments (e.g. Direct Debit, Website and Telephone). Working together to improve outcomes – Efficient and effective customer service is vital to ensuring that citizens have equality of access to Council services, whether this is digitally, by telephone or face to face. 4. Legal – None. 5. Property/Assets – None. 6. Information Technology – None. 7. Equality & Human Rights - The recommendations contained within this report in relation to performance updates has been considered in relation to its impact on equalities and human rights. No negative impacts on equality groups or potential for infringement of individuals’ human rights have been identified arising from the recommendations contained in the report because it is for consideration of performance only. Page 43 of 232
Page 44
8. Health & Safety – None. 9. Procurement – None. 10. Risk – None. 11. Privacy Impact – None. 12.. Climate Risk – None. 13. Children’s Rights – The recommendations contained within this report in relation to performance updates has been considered in relation to its impact on Children’s Rights. No negative impacts have been identified arising from the recommendations contained in the report because it is for consideration of performance only. 14. Cosla Policy Position – None. _________________________________________________________ List of Background Papers None. ___________________________________________________________________ Author: Emma Shields, Strategic Service Delivery Manager Page 44 of 232
Page 45
Appendix 1 RENFREWSHIRE COUNCIL REVENUES COLLECTION STATEMENT AS AT 28 FEBRUARY 2025 Page 45 of 232
Page 46
Appendix 2 REVISIONS Where a claimant disputes a benefits decision in the first instance, they can request for it to be looked at again. This is known as a Revision. The process involves a Senior Benefit Assessor reviewing the decision thoroughly to decide whether the decision should stand. Target 28 days M J J l Result last report Oct’ 24: 20 days Nov’ 24: 15 days Dec’ 24: 16 days Result Last 3 months Dec’ 24: 16 days Jan’ 25: 18 days Feb’ 25: 13 days Comment:- Revisions processed well within target. ACCURACY The Service proactively monitors the accuracy of benefits decisions made through a robust audit checking programme. The Service targets to audit a minimum of 4% of calculations. Target % Actual % Volume of Audits 2024/25 4% 23% Accuracy – February 2025 95% 98% Accuracy – 2024/25 95% 95% Comment:- The Service continues to analyse errors and action trends/patterns by providing additional guidance/training where needed. Accuracy is recognised as a key priority for sustained improvement, targeted training takes place following errors being identified and a detailed training matrix is being developed as more capacity for training activity emerges as the processing times recover. APPEALS Where a claimant disputes a Benefits decision and also disputes a revision decision, they can formally make an Appeal. The Benefits Service will prepare a detailed submission which is then considered by the Independent Tribunals Service. Preparation of a submission is a very involved process and requires significant data gathering. Target processing speed (number of days) 60 Result: last 3 months (days) December: 32 days January: 14 days February: 11 days Average (12 months to date) 31 days Average Appeals Completed (12 th t d t ) 4 Appeals per month Comment:- Appeals volumes are very low, which is expected due to reducing Housing Benefit caseload. Page 46 of 232
Page 47
Appendix 3 HOUSING BENEFIT OVERPAYMENTS The service is responsible for raising overpayments where Housing Benefit has been paid in error. If these have resulted from errors made by claimants, the cost is partially funded by the DWP. The service attempts to recover both newly raised and historic debts from claimants or landlords as appropriate. Overpayments raised 2024/25 £889,487 Overpayments raised and recovered in year £463,070 % Recovery for above (Target 50%) 52.06% All recovery in year £1,065,443 All recovery vs raised in year (Target 120%) 119.78% All recovery vs all debt (Target 16.50%) 13.24% Total debt outstanding at end of reporting period £6,979,549 Page 47 of 232
Page 48
___________________________________________________________________ To: Finance, Resources and Customer Services Policy Board On: 3 April 2025 ___________________________________________________________________ Report by: Director of Finance and Resources ___________________________________________________________________ Heading: Customer Services Performance Report ___________________________________________________________________ 1. Summary 1.1 This report details performance across key Customer Service functions including Call Centre, E-mail, Face to Face and Digital Support for customers during February 2025. ___________________________________________________________________ 2. Recommendations 2.1 It is recommended that the Board: Note the contents of the report. _________________________________________________________ 3. Customer Service Provision 3.1 This section details the performance of the customer service centre for February 2025. The report provides an update on the overall contact centre call and e-mail volumes. Face to Face services continue in Renfrewshire House, and details of customer volumes are provided in this report. Demand for Digital Services remains high, and this report will update members on the level of online transactions being completed and the performance of the Digital Advisor “Millie”. Item 5 Page 48 of 232
Page 49
3.2 Contact Centre Performance 3.2.1 High level monthly summary – for the month of February, the contact centre received 21,288 and answered 98% against a primary target of 90% for the period. Table 1 – Customer Service Unit – Primary Target (call handling) Primary target Year Calls Received February Performance Year to Date 90% calls answered 2025 21,288 98% 97% 2024 25,654 96% 95% 3.2.2 The call centre achieved the primary target of answering over 90% of calls received. 3.2.3 The secondary target is to respond to 70% of all calls within 40 seconds. Table 2 – Customer Service Unit – Secondary Target (call handling) Secondary target Year February Performance Year to Date 70% calls in 40 seconds 2025 68% 68% 2024 73% 71% 3.2.4 The contact centre was slightly below the secondary target of answering 70% of calls within 40 seconds. Overall performance was impacted in the first week of the month following storm Éowyn. This recovered in the second week and was above target for the remainder of the month. The total call volume is lower than the same period last year and members will note later in the report an increase in e-mails and onilne transactions as the Digital Advisor provides customers with a choice in how to interact with the Council. The process for Free School Meals and Clothing grant applications for the new school session re-opened in June, and to date the team have processed 4,277 applications for Free School Meals and Clothing Grants and paid £706,380 in clothing grants to 5,454 children. Page 49 of 232
Page 50
For the same period last year, 4,596 applications were processed with £777,150 paid to 5,828 children. The applications for clothing grants in this school year closes on the 31st March, however the team will continue to process requests for Free School Meals. Clothing Grant applications for the next school year will re-open in June. 3.2.5 In addition to the calls outlined above, customers also contact the Council using e-mail as their preferred channel. The e-mails received in the last three months for each service are outlined in table 3 below. Table 3 – E-mail contact volumes Service December 2024 January 2025 February 2025 Blue Badge 233 414 376 General Enquiry 783 1008 836 Environmental 35 57 70 Free School Meals / Clothing Grants 43 31 29 Housing Repairs 1047 1495 2034 Licensing 299 453 369 Mybins 570 742 688 Roads and Lighting Faults 131 247 251 Garden Waste 14 28 38 Total e-mails handled 3,155 4,475 4,691 The volume of e-mails, particularly housing repairs has increased following the introduction of the digital advisor. Customers are being made aware of options in how to contact us and we are starting to see some now choosing to use digital methods like e-mails and online services for non-emergency or routine enquiries, e.g. LED lighting units, applying for larger bins, reporting misuse of a blue badge. 3.3 Face to face service provision 3.3.1 The Customer Service Centre offers face to face support to customers where this is required. 3.3.2 Table 4 below shows the volume of customers who received face to face support during the month of February 2025. Page 50 of 232
Page 51
Table 4 – Face to Face Customer Volumes Service Total Customers Birth Registration 104 Marriage Registration 42 Licensing 21 TOTAL 167 4 Digital Service Provision 4.1 Digital Advisor (Millie) For the month of February, the Digital Advisor received 20,683 calls. Depending on the nature of the customers query, Millie will either provide an appropriate response to the customer or will transfer the customer to the correct advisor in the call centre. Table 5 below shows the performance levels for the month and year to date. Table 5 – Digital Advisor Performance Calls Received Transferred to Advisor Response Provided February 2025 20,683 14,309 (69%) 6,374 (31%) Year to Date 81,014 52,503 (65%) 28,511 (35%) The top 5 reasons for transfers, which account for 77% of all transferred calls are. Report a new housing repair 29% Recycling 14% Council Switchboard 13% Council Tax 12% Automated Payments 9% The team continue to monitor the performance of the digital advisor, and make regular changes to improve the overall effectiveness of the service. 4.2 Online Digital Services The Council continues to see a high level of requests processed through the online platform, with an additional 9,882 customers registered in the last year. The total number of registered users on the MyAccount platform is now 113,035. Since the start of the financial year, 211,176 online transactions have been completed, which is 21,581 higher than the same period last year. Page 51 of 232
Page 52
This increase is due to the launch of new services and could also be impacted by the introduction of the digital advisor. ___________________________________________________________________ Implications of the Report 1. Financial – None 2. HR & Organisational Development – None 3. Community/Council Planning – Working together to improve outcomes – An efficient and effective Customer Services Unit is vital to ensuring citizens have equality of access to Council services whether this is digitally, by telephone or face to face. 4. Legal - None 5. Property/Assets - None 6. Information Technology - None - 7. Equality & Human Rights - The Recommendations contained within this report have been assessed in relation to their impact on equalities and human rights. No negative impacts on equality groups or potential for infringement of individuals’ human rights have been identified arising from the recommendations contained in the report because it is for consideration of performance only. 0 5000 10000 15000 20000 25000 30000 35000 Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Online Transactions 2019/20 2020/21 2021/22 2022/23 2023/24 2024/25 Page 52 of 232
Page 53
If required following implementation, the actual impact of the recommendations and the mitigating actions will be reviewed and monitored, and the results of the assessment will be published on the Council’s website. 8. Health & Safety – None 9. Procurement - None. 10. Risk - None 11. Privacy Impact - None 12. Cosla Policy Position – Non applicable. 13. Climate Risk – none. 14. Children’s Rights –The administration of Free School Meals and Clothing Grants has a positive impact on article 24 (Health, Water, Food, Environment) and article 27 (Food, Clothing, A Safe Home) of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. _________________________________________________________ List of Background Papers (a) None. ___________________________________________________________________ Author: Gary Innes, Senior Service Delivery Manager (Customer and Digital Operations) Page 53 of 232
Page 54
_________________________________________________________________ To: Finance, Resources and Customer Services Policy Board On: 3 April 2025 __________________________________________________________________ Report by: Director of Finance and Resources __________________________________________________________________ Heading: Civic Hospitality __________________________________________________________________ 1. Summary 1.1 The following requests for civic hospitality have been received for the financial year 2025/26 a) Correspondence has been received from St Vincent’s Hospice requesting the possibility of taking a table of 10 at their charity Ladies Afternoon Tea event which is being held at the Lynnhurst Hotel, Johnstone on Sunday 27th April 2025. Following consultation with the Provost, it is proposed the Board agree to take a table at the event detailed above at the cost of £450 and that it be delegated to the Director of Finance & Resources in consultation with the Provost to make the necessary arrangements. b) Each year Renfrewshire in celebration of our Armed Forces has a flag raising ceremony to thank our local armed forces community for their continued service to our Country. It is proposed that this year we continue the tradition of the Flag raising service on Friday 20th June with light refreshments in Paisley Abbey following this event. The Royal British Legion Scotland Paisley Comrades Branch together with the 102 Field Squadron are collaborating on a family fun day for our local Armed Forces community and families on Saturday 28th June and have suggested the possibility of a contribution towards the costs of a buffet for approximately 200 people. Following consultation with the Provost, it is proposed that the Board agree to provide hospitality for Renfrewshire’s Armed Forces Day events as detailed above at the total cost of approximately £2250 and that it be delegated to the Director of Finance & Resources in consultation with the Item 6 Page 54 of 232
Page 55
Provost to make the necessary arrangements. c) Correspondence has been received from Johnstone Day Care Centre suggesting the possibility of a civic reception in the form of a buffet and soft drinks to accompany the event being held in their premises marking the 80th Anniversary of VE Day on 8th May 2025. Following consultation with the Provost, it is proposed that the Board agree to provide the hospitality as detailed above for 60 people at the cost of approximately £600 and that it be delegated to the Director of Finance & Resources in consultation with the Provost to make the necessary arrangements. d) Correspondence has been received from the Ladies Section of Wellmeadow Bowling Club suggesting the possibility of a civic reception in the form of a dinner in celebration of their 25th Anniversary being held in their premises on Saturday 26th July 2025. Following consultation with the Provost, it is proposed that the Board agree to provide the hospitality as detailed above together with a welcome drink for 80 people at the cost of approximately £1700 and that it be delegated to the Director of Finance & Resources in consultation with the Provost to make the necessary arrangements. e) Correspondence has been received from the Ladies Section of Ferguslie Bowling Club suggesting the possibility of a civic reception in the form of a late lunch in celebration of their 25th Anniversary being held on their premises on Tuesday 17th June 2025. Following consultation with the Provost, it is proposed that the Board agree to provide the hospitality as detailed above together with a welcome drink for 55 people at the cost of approximately £750 and that it be delegated to the Director of Finance & Resources in consultation with the Provost to make the necessary arrangements. 1.2 The budget provision for 2025/26 for Civic Hospitality (including international Links) is £46,460. Should the above be agreed, and taking account of previous decisions, the remaining balance would be approximately £30,585. 2. Recommendations 2.1 That the Board agrees to: (a) provide the hospitality as detailed above for Renfrewshire’s Armed Forces events, Johnstone Day Care Centre, Wellmeadow Bowling Club Ladies Section and Ferguslie Bowling Club Ladies Section (b) agree to take a table at the St Vincent’s Hospice ladies afternoon tea event and; (c) that it be delegated to the Director of Finance & Resources in consultation with the Provost to make the necessary arrangements. Page 55 of 232
Page 56
Implications of the Report 1. Financial – The costs of the request from civic hospitality will be met from the 2025/26 budget provision. 2. HR & Organisational Development – None. 3. Community/Council Planning – Civic receptions provide recognition of the contributions made by individuals and organisations to the fabric of life in Renfrewshire. 4. Legal - None. 5. Property/Assets - None. 6. Information Technology – None. 7. Equality & Human Rights (a) The Recommendations contained within this report have been assessed in relation to their impact on equalities and human rights. No negative impacts on equality groups or potential for infringement of individuals’ human rights have been identified arising from the recommendations contained in the report. If required following implementation, the actual impact of the recommendations and the mitigating actions will be reviewed and monitored, and the results of the assessment will be published on the Council’s website. 8. Health & Safety – None. 9. Procurement – None. 10. Risk – None. 11. Privacy Impact - None. 12. Climate Risk – None. 13. Children’s Rights – Not applicable. 14. Cosla Policy Position – Not applicable. __________________________________________________________________ List of Background Papers (a) Background Paper 1 – Email correspondence from Johnstone Day Care Centre (b) Background Paper 2 – Email correspondence from St Vincent’s Hospice (c) Background Paper 3 – Email correspondence from Wellmeadow Bowling Club Ladies Section (d) Background Paper 4 – Letter from Ferguslie Bowling Club Ladies Section Page 56 of 232
Page 57
The foregoing background papers will be retained within Finance & Resources for inspection by the public for the prescribed period of four years from the date of the meeting. The contact officer within the service is Donna Gallagher, Member Services Officer (Telephone – 0141 487 1115, e-mail – donna.gallagher- pt@renfrewshire.gov.uk Author: Donna Gallagher – Member Services Officer. Tel: 0141 487 1115 E-mail donna.gallagher-pt@renfrewshire.gov.uk Page 57 of 232
Page 58
_________________________________________________________________ To: Finance, Resources and Customer Services Policy Board On: 3 April 2025 ___________________________________________________________________ Report by: Director of Finance and Resources ___________________________________________________________________ Heading: Discretionary Housing Payments Policy ___________________________________________________________________ 1. Summary 1.1 This paper seeks approval of a revised policy for Discretionary Housing Payments (DHPs). 1.2 The existing DHP policy was approved in 2015. 1.3 In the intervening period operational guidance for DHP decision makers has remained current through regular updates. These have been issued on at least an annual basis. 1.4 The key revisions in the policy relate to: External funding provision is now provided solely by Scottish Government whereas this previously came from a combination of Scottish Government and the Department of Works & Pensions. Applications are no longer sought in relation to DHPs mitigating the Removal of Spare Room Subsidy (otherwise known as the bedroom tax). Awards are automatically made where the qualifying criteria is met. Scottish Government now provide DHP funding to fully mitigate the effects of the Benefit Cap. No applications are required in relation to these DHP awards. The revised policy also takes account of the contents of the Scottish Discretionary Housing Payment guidance manual, published by Scottish Government in March 2024, the creation of which Renfrewshire Council, as part of a small working group, contributed to. Item 7 Page 58 of 232
Page 59
The current policy makes reference to the Welfare Reform agenda which was ongoing at the time it was written. This section has been removed from the draft policy as it is no longer relevant. References to the Department of Works & Pensions (DWP) have been removed as DHPs were devolved to Scottish Government in 2017. The section covering DHP overpayments, and when they should be recovered, has been expanded based on information contained in SG’s guidance manual. The draft policy contains a new section on Priority Groups which has been recommended in SG’s guidance manual (section 28.2.) As well as reiterating that bedroom tax & benefit cap cases should be fully mitigated, reference is made to a list of other groups of customers, which have now been included in the Council’s operational guidance. 1.5 The key change to existing procedures to have come from the SG guidance manual is that the service no longer seeks applications for Benefit Cap related DHPs awards. Instead, awards are automatically made where the qualifying criteria is met. 1.6 The Council’s updated policy, along with operational guidance issued to the Council’s decision makers, will ensure that DHP applications are assessed in a manner that is consistent with the principles of good decision making, applicable law and guidance. _______________________________________________________________ 2. Recommendations 2.1 Elected members are asked to: a) Note the contents of the report; and b) Approve the Discretionary Housing Payment Policy as set out in Appendix 1. _______________________________________________________________ 3. Background 3.1. Discretionary Housing Payments (DHPs) are awarded to tenants in receipt of housing benefit to wholly or partly make up any difference between housing benefit awarded and the amount of rent payable. Similarly, in the case of tenants in receipt of Universal Credit (UC), DHPs are awarded to wholly or partly make up the difference between any UC awarded in relation to housing costs and the amount of rent payable. 3.2. Renfrewshire Council administers DHPs. The legislation governing DHPs in Scotland is Section 88(1) of the Social Security (Scotland) Act 2018 (The 2018 Act). This legislation is augmented by guidance issued by Scottish Government. The Scottish Discretionary Housing Payment guidance manual was published on 27 March 2024. Page 59 of 232
Page 60
3.3. Each DHP award falls into one of three categories: ‘Other DHPs’/Local Housing Allowance where a tenant experiencing financial hardship has difficulties in paying their rent even after the deduction of housing benefit or a UC housing costs award. These awards are made on a discretionary basis. Benefit Cap where a tenant has had their housing benefit or UC housing costs award reduced to limit the total amount of benefits they receive on a weekly basis. The effects of the Benefit Cap are fully mitigated by DHP awards. Removal of Spare Room Subsidy (otherwise known as the bedroom tax) where a tenant’s housing benefit or UC housing costs award is reduced as they are deemed to be living in rental accommodation that is too big for their needs. The effects of the bedroom tax are fully mitigated by DHP awards. 3.4. Prior to April 2013, funding for DHPs was received from the Department of Works & Pensions (DWP) to provide support to tenants in receipt of housing benefit who were struggling to pay their rent. All DHP awards made by the Council until this time were discretionary in nature. 3.5. From April 2013 the Removal of Spare Room Subsidy (otherwise known as the bedroom tax) came into being which resulted in many tenants having shortfalls, or increased shortfalls, in the amount of their rent which was covered by housing benefit. Scottish Government chose to fully mitigate the bedroom tax through DHP awards and provided councils with additional funding for this purpose. The DWP continued to fund other discretionary awards. 3.6. From April 2017 DHPs were devolved to Scottish Government who provided funding directly to Councils covering full mitigation of the bedroom tax and a ringfenced amount for discretionary awards. 3.7. From late 2022 Scottish Government commenced funding full mitigation of the effects of the Benefit Cap on tenants’ housing benefit and UC housing costs. _______________________________________________________________ 4. Consultation 4.1. On 11th October 2024 the service held a consultation with stakeholders to discuss the draft DHP policy. The session took place virtually via MS Teams. 4.2. The consultation was attended by housing assistants from several housing associations which have a presence within Renfrewshire. In addition, welfare rights officers from multiple organisations took part, as did officers from the Council’s housing service. Advice Works was also represented at the event. 4.3. The draft policy was explored in its entirety and was met with only positive feedback. No suggested amendments were made by any attendees. _____________________________________________________________ Page 60 of 232
Page 61
Implications of the Report 1. Financial - DHPs are funded through an annual budget received from the Scottish Government. Where deemed necessary the Council may choose to contribute a top-up of this budget. 2. HR & Organisational Development – None. 3. Community/Council Planning – Our Renfrewshire is fair - An effective Benefits service is vital to the quality of life of many of our citizens as it provides vital support for low-income households to sustain tenancies and meet their rent obligations. Working together to improve outcomes - An efficient and effective billing and administrative process for the collection of local taxes is vital for ensuring the recovery of income to the Council to support the provision of local services. This is supported by a range of payment opportunities for the public, including electronic and digital payments (e.g. Direct Debit, Website and Telephone). Working together to improve outcomes – Efficient and effective customer service is vital to ensuring that citizens have equality of access to Council services, whether this is digitally, by telephone or face to face. 4. Legal – As reflected in this report the proposed new policy has been informed by relevant Law and Guidance. 5. Property/Assets – None. 6. Information Technology – None. 7. Equality & Human Rights - The recommendation contained within this report in relation to a new DHP policy has been considered in relation to its impact on equalities and human rights. No negative impacts on equality groups or potential for infringement of individuals’ human rights have been identified arising from the recommendations contained in the report. 8. Health & Safety – None. 9. Procurement – None. 10. Risk – None. 11. Privacy Impact – None. 12.. Climate Risk – None. Page 61 of 232
Page 62
13. Children’s Rights – When assessing Discretionary Housing Payments, officers consider the financial outgoings of the applicant and are encouraged to ensure that these take full account of expenditure related to the needs of any children in the household. 14. Cosla Policy Position – None. _________________________________________________________ List of Background Papers None. ___________________________________________________________________ Author: Emma Shields, Strategic Service Delivery Manager Page 62 of 232
Page 63
APPENDIX 1 RENFREWSHIRE COUNCIL FINANCE & RESOURCES DISCRETIONARY HOUSING PAYMENTS 1. Background 1.1. Discretionary Housing Payments 1.1.1. Renfrewshire Council administers Discretionary Housing Payments (DHPs). The legislation governing DHPs in Scotland is Section 88(1) of the Social Security (Scotland) Act 2018 (The 2018 Act). This legislation is augmented by guidance issued by Scottish Government. The Scottish Discretionary Housing Payment guidance manual was published on 27 March 2024. 1.1.2. DHPs are awarded to tenants in receipt of housing benefit to wholly or partly make up any difference between housing benefit awarded and the amount of rent payable. Similarly, in the case of tenants in receipt of Universal Credit (UC), DHPs are awarded to wholly or partly make up the difference between any UC awarded in relation to housing costs and the amount of rent payable. 1.1.3. DHPs are funded through an annual budget received from the Scottish Government. Where deemed necessary the Council may choose to contribute a top-up of this budget. 1.1.4. This Policy ensures that the operation of the DHP scheme aligns with the Council’s core values – being fair, helpful, collaborative and continuously improving service delivery through lessons learned. 2. Policy Purpose & Objectives 2.1. Purpose: 2.1.1. The purpose of this policy is to: Specify how the council’s Benefits Service will operate the DHP scheme. Detail the factors that will be considered when deciding if a DHP can and should be awarded. Page 63 of 232
Page 64
APPENDIX 1 Allow discretion to be exercised in the assessment of Financial Hardship DHP applications, which include awards made under the ‘Other DHPs’ & ‘Local Housing Allowance’ funding categories. The operational guidance for decision makers demonstrates the flexibility which can be utilised in individual circumstances. Set the criteria for awarding DHPs in relation to customers negatively affected by either the implementation of the Benefit Cap or the removal of the Spare Room Subsidy (otherwise known as the bedroom tax). Ensure each application is treated strictly on its merits and that all customers will receive equal and fair treatment. Take account of the ‘Scottish Discretionary Housing Payment: guidance manual” issued by the Scottish Government. 2.2. Policy Objectives 2.2.1. The objectives of this policy are to: Assist with the alleviation of poverty. Help customers to sustain their tenancies. Assist customers threatened by homelessness. Assist in keeping families together. Support domestic abuse victims who are trying to move to a place of safety. Support the vulnerable and the elderly. Support young people in the transition to adult life. 2.3. Policy Risks 2.3.1 There is a risk that the DHP hardship budget could be exhausted before the end of the financial year meaning that support couldn’t be provided to customers most in need. To mitigate this risk the budget is closely monitored throughout the year. Award levels can be reduced or increased to ensure that the budget isn’t exhausted before year-end, whilst ensuring that customers receive the maximum support possible. Page 64 of 232
Page 65
APPENDIX 1 3. Policy Commitments 3.1. DHP Decision Making 3.1.1. All decisions will be made in a manner that is consistent with the ordinary principles of good decision making, applicable law and guidance. 3.1.2. The Council will act fairly, reasonably and consistently. 3.1.3. Discretion will be used reasonably and lawfully. 3.2. Non-hardship Awards Mitigation 3.2.1. Tenants in Renfrewshire who are affected by the removal of the spare room subsidy (known as the bedroom tax) or the benefit cap will have their reduction in HB and UC Housing Costs fully mitigated by DHP awards in line with the directive from Scottish Government. 4. Main Features of the DHP Scheme 4.1. Scope of Awards 4.1.1. DHP is not a payment of housing benefit (HB) or universal credit (UC), but the customer must be in receipt of HB or the housing costs element of UC in order to qualify for a payment. 4.1.2. DHPs provide financial assistance to a qualifying individual to meet, or help towards meeting, their housing costs and can be paid in support of any tenancy type. 4.1.3. DHPs can also be used to provide removal costs, a rent deposit or rent in advance for those with new tenancies where the move will alleviate the effect of welfare reform or financial hardship. 4.1.4. At the Council’s discretion, DHPs will be considered for those who can demonstrate financial hardship after a financial assessment. These DHPs must be applied for, and the council will supply an application form for this purpose. The council decides the appropriate payment amount and period of award based on the customer’s financial situation and taking into consideration its own budgetary constraints. The DHP value can be any amount within the limits set out in law and guidance. Page 65 of 232
Page 66
APPENDIX 1 4.1.5. Financial Hardship DHPs can be awarded for a shortfall in housing costs, to provide support with Earned Income Limits, non-dependent deductions and the Shared Accommodation Local Housing Allowance (LHA) rate. Please Note – this list is not exhaustive. 4.1.6. DHPs paid to those affected by the removal of the spare room subsidy (known as the bedroom tax) will be paid at the full amount they are affected by and do not require a Financial Assessment or formal application. They will be paid by the council when it is clear that an individual is affected by these reductions. 4.1.7. Although housing costs are not defined in the 2018 Act, they usually refer to rental liability, rent in advance, removal costs and rent deposits. However, there are some differences detailed below that apply to those affected by the benefit cap: DHPs paid to those affected by the Benefit Cap will be paid the lower of either the capped amount or their housing costs and do not require a Financial Assessment or formal application. They will be paid by the council when it is clear that an individual is affected by these reductions. In cases where the applicant is on UC and the capped amount exceeds rent, other reasonable costs associated with housing can be included, such as utility costs and service charges up to the value of the capped amount or total housing costs (whichever is lower.) 4.1.8. DHP hardship payments should not be regarded as a long-term solution to the HB/UC entitlement restrictions dictated by current and/or future legislation. 4.2. Exclusions 4.2.1. DHP payments cannot be awarded to: offset an overpayment of HB. cover ineligible service charges. minimise the effect of sanctions imposed in relation to any welfare benefits. assist with Council Tax liability. fund the acquisition of furniture or household equipment. Page 66 of 232
Page 67
APPENDIX 1 mitigate UC deductions that arise because an individual is in receipt of a benefit treated as income. cover increases in rent due to rent arrears (except where the individual would have been eligible for a DHP due to the removal of the spare room subsidy (bedroom tax) or the benefit cap at the time the arrears were accrued). mitigate the effect of a Sanction or reduction in benefit due to the individual’s conduct (for example, non-compliance with work related requirements relating to that benefit). However, exception can be made if the need for assistance is immediate and arose from some exceptional event or circumstances such as: o Sudden and severe financial hardship due to a natural disaster. o Unexpected medical crisis that significantly affects the individual’s or their dependents’ ability to meet basic needs. o Sudden bereavement, family breakdowns or unexpected caregiving responsibilities. o Victims of crime who require immediate assistance to cope with the aftermath. 4.3. Operation of the Scheme 4.3.1. Although the operation of the scheme has many points of discretion, there are a number of legal obligations that must be fulfilled, and these are outlined to decision makers in operational guidance. 4.3.2. As stated in 3.2.1, anyone affected by the Benefit Cap or the Removal of the Spare Room Subsidy (known as the bedroom tax), will have their reduction in HB/UC Housing costs fully mitigated. The other portion of the budget, traditionally known as core or hardship funding, will be used to assist those who require further assistance with housing costs due to circumstances that are not directly related to the above areas. 4.3.3. Where the DHP is to mitigate the effect of the Benefit Cap or the Removal of the Spare Room Subsidy (bedroom tax), awards will be made for the full year where eligibility exists. However, in the case of the Benefit Cap, the payments will be made in arrears to ensure continued eligibility. Page 67 of 232
Page 68
APPENDIX 1 4.3.4. For those who have a shortfall for any other reason, the period of award will depend on the current Operational Guidance in place at the time of the award. This will ensure access to the available DHP fund for as many customers as possible. Subject to budget availability, the decision maker may consider extending the award for a further period in certain circumstances (decision makers will be provided with operational guidance to support them in making these decisions). 4.3.5. The Council will aim to deal with DHP requests within a timescale set in line with the housing benefit new claims processing target. DHP applications made where there is a risk of eviction will be escalated for priority processing. 5. DHP Procedures 5.1. Decision Making Training 5.1.1. Decision makers who are responsible for awarding DHPs will be trained on and be provided with guidance on: when an application is required and what form it may take. factors which should be considered when deciding if a DHP should be paid. suggested evidence and information which may be required to make a decision. methods of payment and who payments should be made to. how to record decisions for budgetary analysis and Scottish Government information requirements. advice or signposting to be provided to applicants to assist them with their current financial situation. 5.2. Hardship Award Variances 5.2.1. The DHP Budget will be closely monitored and the period of award and percentage of the shortfall to be awarded for Financial Hardship cases may be reduced or increased, depending on the remaining budget position at the date of the check. Page 68 of 232
Page 69
APPENDIX 1 6. Overpayments 6.1. Overpayment Reasons 6.1.1. The Council will make every effort to minimise DHP overpayments. However, where an overpayment occurs, the decision maker will decide whether it is appropriate to recover the DHP by considering SG guidance which states that an overpayment can only be recovered if the council decides the payment was made due to: A misrepresentation or failure to disclose a material fact by the individual (either fraudulently or otherwise). An error was made when the DHP application was determined. A processing error. 6.1.2 Where there is a retrospective change in circumstances which results in an increase in HB or UC housing element, this can be treated as a processing error which resulted in an error in the DHP determination. 6.2. Overpayment Recovery 6.2.1. If it is decided that an overpayment should be recovered, this can be done by recovering from the landlord if the DHP is paid directly to them or the DHP recipient. An invoice will be issued with an explanation as to how the overpayment arose and the period it relates to. In cases where the council is the landlord, the overpayment can be recovered via internal accounting methods. 6.2.2. Attempts will always be made to recover fraudulent overpayments. 7. Dispute Process 7.1. Handling Disputes 7.1.1. Although a claimant has no statutory route for appealing a decision made on a DHP claim, the Benefits Service will operate the following procedure for dealing with any disputed decisions: The customer or anyone nominated on their behalf can dispute the decision in writing, within one calendar month of the date of the decision notification. Page 69 of 232
Page 70
APPENDIX 1 A decision maker, other than the one who made the original decision, will review the information held. If they feel that the original decision is correct, the claimant will be advised in writing that the original decision stands. If the second decision maker does not agree with the original decision, they will consult their Team Leader before substituting their own decision. The claimant will be advised of the new decision in writing. Decisions will be revised only where the original decision maker has failed to follow the correct process or has not made the decision based on sound evidence or information. A sample audit of awards and refusals will be undertaken to ensure adherence to policy commitments and operational guidance. 8. Operational Guidance and Budgetary Review 8.1. Responsibility 8.1.1. The DHP Budget is held by the Senior Service Delivery Officer (Technical Revenues & Financial Support) who will: be responsible for monitoring the DHP budget. produce operational guidance for decision makers. arrange for DHP decisions to be audited to ensure that the operational guidance is being adhered to. analyse expenditure and budgets on a monthly basis and will, where necessary, amend current operational guidance on the length of the award and the percentage of shortfall to be paid. This ensures that expenditure is within budget and correctly profiled for the rest of the year and protects the aim of providing support to those claimants considered to be the most vulnerable. halt further hardship awards in the event that the ringfenced budget is exhausted. 8.1.2. If the council does not spend the full amount received from Scottish Government, usually it must be returned to them. Page 70 of 232
Page 71
APPENDIX 1 9. Publicising DHPs 9.1. Maximising Awareness 9.1.1. Access to DHP scheme awards and advice will be incorporated into the council’s general welfare advice services. 9.1.2. All staff within the Benefits Service and Customer Services will be provided with the details of the scheme and the operational guidance used by the council to operate the scheme fairly and consistently. 9.1.3. The council will pro-actively promote DHPs by working in partnership with local landlords to raise awareness and encourage take-up of DHPs. 9.1.4. The council will make claim forms, leaflets and literature on DHPs available via the council website, Advice Works, other council services, Registered Social Landlords and other suitable locations across Renfrewshire. 10. Priority Groups 10.1. Benefit Cap & Spare Room Subsidy (Bedroom Tax) Removal 10.1.1. Although every DHP is considered on its own, individual merit, the operational guidance will instruct that those cases affected by the removal of the spare room subsidy (known as the bedroom tax) and the benefit cap will have the effect of these fully mitigated. 10.2. Other Groups 10.2.1. In addition, the Council’s operational guidance includes a list of other groups which the Scottish Government guidance (section 28.2) suggests the Council may wish to prioritise. 10.2.2. This list is not exhaustive, and each decision maker will have discretion to use their own judgement in any case they are processing. Page 71 of 232
Page 72
1 ___________________________________________________________________ To: Finance, Resources and Customer Services Policy Board On: 03 April 2023 ___________________________________________________________________ Report by: Director of Finance and Resources ___________________________________________________________________ Heading: Digital Strategy 2025-2030 ___________________________________________________________________ 1. Summary 1.1 The purpose of this report is to seek approve of the Renfrewshire Council Digital Strategy 2025-2030. 1.2 This report outlines the new Digital Strategy for the Council which was developed using customer insights and in consultation with the Senior Leaders from all services. 1.3 The strategy aims to continue the achievements of the previous Digital Strategy and aims to achieve four strategic objectives through a managed programme of work build around six key themes. ___________________________________________________________________ 2. Recommendations 2.1 It is recommended that the Board: Note the contents of the report and approve the Digital Strategy 2025-2030. _________________________________________________________ Item 8 Page 72 of 232
Page 73
2 3. Background 3.1 The previous Digital Strategy was aimed at creating the digital foundations across the Council, and supporting the transformation of the service delivered for our customers. 3.2 The previous strategy was mainly developed around service driven transformation and implementation of specific initiatives, which has resulted in increased choice for our customers, greater provision of technology across all services and changes to the way we work. 3.3 This new Digital Strategy will focus more on corporate transformation and covers the period from 2025 to 2030. However, it is recognised that the digital world changes rapidly therefore a full review will be carried out in 2027/28, to ensure the objectives remain aligned. 3.4 There are four strategic objectives in the Digital Strategy 2025-2030, which define our intention- Our staff and citizens will be digitally capable and supported in the use of digital solutions We will achieve corporate transformation with a single coordinated approach that breaks down operational silos Data will become a critical asset to us and the backbone to our transformation and future decision making We will be a modern organisation, where our services, people and culture are ready to deliver for the future. 3.5 Achievement of these objectives will be managed through a programme of work built around six strategic themes, all of which contribute towards the successful delivery of the strategy over the next five years. Through consultation and engagement with senior leaders, we identified some key areas, or foundations, required to deliver this strategy successfully and these helped develop the six strategic themes below. Digital Inclusion Data Our Technology and Infrastructure Digitally Enabled Workforce Leadership and Culture Digital Public Services. Each theme can be linked to the successful achievement of one or more of the strategic objectives. 3.6 Delivery of this strategy will be managed through the Digital Board, and regular updates will be provided to the Council’s Transformation Board and Corporate Management Team. ___________________________________________________________________ Page 73 of 232
Page 74
3 Implications of the Report 1. Financial – Investment decisions will be required throughout the period of this strategy, and efficiencies will be delivered through the planned initiatives. 2. HR & Organisational Development – This strategy is closely linked to the delivery of the Council’s People Strategy and will aim to improve the skills of the workforce and support cultural transformation. 3. Community/Council Planning – Our Renfrewshire is well – Digital inclusion is essential for addressing poverty and inequalities, as it ensures that everyone has access to the tools, skills, and opportunities needed to thrive in a digital world. By bridging the digital divide, we can empower marginalised communities with access to education, employment, healthcare, and essential services. Our Renfrewshire is fair - Prioritising affordability, accessibility, and digital literacy helps to create equitable opportunities, enabling individuals to participate fully in society and the economy. Living our Values – Creating a digitally enabled workforce supports us to work well and deliver great services Fair – Digital Inclusion reduces inequalities and supports our communities with dignity and empowering people to live fulfilled lives. 4. Legal – None directly arising from this report. 5. Property/Assets - None 6. Information Technology – The Digital Strategy will continue to develop the Council’s technology infrastructure, making best use of the solutions we have and investing in new solutions where it is appropriate to do so. 7. Equality & Human Rights - The Recommendations contained within this report have been assessed in relation to their impact on equalities and human rights. No negative impacts on equality groups or potential for infringement of individuals’ human rights have been identified arising from the recommendations contained in the report because it is for consideration of performance only. If required following implementation, the actual impact of the recommendations and the mitigating actions will be reviewed and monitored, and the results of the assessment will be published on the Council’s website. 8. Health & Safety – None Page 74 of 232
Page 75
4 9. Procurement – It is likely that throughout the five-year period, procurement activity will be required and will follow the appropriate Council process. 10. Risk – The delivery of this strategy will be supported by robust programme management and any risk will be managed through appropriate governance arrangements. 11. Privacy Impact – Any new initiative required within the delivery of this strategy will be subject to appropriate privacy impact assessments. 12. Cosla Policy Position – Non applicable. 13. Climate Risk – A transition to greater use of technology and more efficient ways of working will have a positive impact on the Council’s Net Zero ambitions. 14. Children’s Rights – There is no specific impact identified in the themes or objectives of this strategy, however it is recognised that children are also Council service users and should be consulted in anything that is relevant to them. By doing so, this will have a positive impact on Article 12 (Respect for Children’s views.) _________________________________________________________ List of Background Papers (a) None ___________________________________________________________________ Author: Patrick Murray (Head of Digital, Transformation and Customer Services) Page 75 of 232
Page 76
1 Digital Strategy 2025-2030 Page 76 of 232
Page 77
Digital Strategy 2025-2030 2 Table of Contents 1. Foreword ............................................................................................ 4 2. Executive Summary ........................................................................... 6 3. Statement of Intent ............................................................................ 9 4. Our Digital Journey So Far ............................................................... 11 4.1. Digital Council ..................................................................................... 11 4.2. Digital Foundations ............................................................................. 12 4.3. Digital Place ......................................................................................... 12 4.4. Digital Leadership & Skills ................................................................... 13 4.5. Smart Data .......................................................................................... 14 4.6. Digital Citizen ...................................................................................... 14 4.7. Digital Health & Care ........................................................................... 15 4.8. Digital Learning & Teaching ................................................................ 15 5. Foundations for achieving success. ................................................. 17 5.1. Culture ................................................................................................. 17 5.2. Capacity ............................................................................................... 18 5.3. Capability ............................................................................................ 18 5.4. Horizon Scanning ................................................................................ 18 Page 77 of 232
Page 78
Digital Strategy 2025-2030 3 5.5. Communication .................................................................................. 19 5.6. Growing our own ................................................................................. 19 5.7. Investment Challenges ........................................................................ 19 6. Strategic Objectives ......................................................................... 21 7. Delivering Our Digital Ambitions ...................................................... 22 7.1. Digital Inclusion ................................................................................... 22 7.2. Data ..................................................................................................... 24 7.3. Our Technology and Infrastructure ..................................................... 24 7.4. Digitally Enabled Workforce ................................................................ 25 7.5. Leadership and Culture ....................................................................... 26 7.6. Digital Public Services ......................................................................... 27 8. Governance ...................................................................................... 29 Page 78 of 232
Page 79
Digital Strategy 2025-2030 4 1. Foreword Renfrewshire has made significant progress in recent years to invest in digital technology and services, changing how we work and how our customers interact with us. This strategy builds on these successes and recognises the need for bolder, Council- wide, transformation to ensure our organisation and our services continue to develop in preparation for the future needs of our internal and external customers. There is already much that we are doing as a council and with our partners, but we want to do more, and we want to do it more efficiently. Hard decisions will be required during a time when, more than ever, we must prioritise our already limited and decreasing resources. Over the next 5 years, we will invest in improving our data, our technology and the digital skills of our workforce and we will support our communities to develop the skills required to enable them to interact with us in different ways. Not everyone is able to, or would like to, use digital technology so we will continue to ensure our services remain open and accessible to all. We recognise that 5 years is a long time in the digital world, which is ever-changing. Therefore, we will conduct a full review of this strategy after year 2, to ensure our objectives remain aligned. We all see, and recognise, that digital touches every aspect of modern life and our customer’s expectations of how, where and when they access services are changing. This strategy recognises this and outlines a programme of work to ensure we continue to deliver our services and meet our customer needs, today and for the future, in the most appropriate and efficient manner. The customers and workforce of tomorrow are the school children of today. Successful delivery of this strategy will be dependent on ensuring all contributions are heard. This strategy is bold and will challenge the Council over the next 5 years as we continue our transformation to a modern organisation, however the structure set out through Page 79 of 232
Page 80
Digital Strategy 2025-2030 5 the strategic objectives and strategic themes provides a robust framework to follow to achieve success. Delivery of this strategy will make Renfrewshire a leading digital council that continues to deliver for our customers and secures our services for the future. Councillor John Shaw Convenor Finance, Resources and Customer Service Policy Board Alastair MacArthur Director of Finance and Resources Page 80 of 232
Page 81
Digital Strategy 2025-2030 6 2. Executive Summary This digital strategy builds on the success of, and learning from, our previous strategy. Under the previous strategy a range of service transformation activity was delivered - this is detailed in “Our digital journey so far”. However, from our learning, we have identified that a strengthened corporate approach is needed to ensure the successful delivery of this ambitious next phase of our digital strategy. The change we want to deliver will impact all areas of the Council and will drive a coordinated programme of work supported by collaboration and working well across all service areas and partners. A substantial programme of work built around six strategic themes will be delivered over the next five years to achieve our four strategic objectives alongside addressing any internal and external challenges and opportunities. Page 81 of 232
Page 82
Digital Strategy 2025-2030 7 Delivery of this strategy will result in significant changes to the way we work and have a positive impact on the development of our culture, leaders, workforce, and communities. The strategy will provide a coordinated programme of work across the next five years; however, the digital world and our customer expectations are constantly changing. Therefore, a full review of the objectives will be undertaken during year three to ensure we remain on the right track for delivery. To achieve the objectives of this strategy, significant focus must be placed on the way we do things, and a strong decision-making mechanism is required to provide governance, approval, and ongoing monitoring of our ability to succeed. This digital strategy will touch every member of our workforce and everyone in Renfrewshire’s communities. It will be transformative in how we deliver and operate our services and how we future proof the Council for the next generation. Page 82 of 232
Page 83
Digital Strategy 2025-2030 8 To be transformative, there will be challenges to overcome and both bold and brave decisions will need to be made but having this drive and commitment to deliver this strategy will benefit everyone. Page 83 of 232
Page 84
Digital Strategy 2025-2030 9 3. Statement of Intent We will transform Renfrewshire, as a Council and as a community. We will focus on our people, our processes, and our technology to enable a robust and future-proofed service delivery model that can be achieved within often constrained financial resources. We will be focused in our delivery of this strategy, adopting processes which drive forward achievement of our strategic objectives. The strategic objectives and the priorities to achieve these are outlined in the following section. Renfrewshire’s Council Plan 2022-2027 sets out how we will work with partners, communities and business to achieve lasting positive change across Renfrewshire. The Council Plan runs from 2022 to 2027, but it was refreshed in 2024, to ensure our priorities were clear and focused and to reflect how quickly our context was changing. The Council Plan has five strategic outcomes, these are - Place, Economy, Fair, Green and Living our Values. Sitting alongside these is a cross-cutting theme of improving outcomes for children and families. This runs through all five areas and underpins all that we do. Grouped under each strategic outcome are the high-level priorities we will focus on. Our digital ambition threads through all of these strategic outcomes and the delivery of this Digital Strategy will support the Council to achieve our vision for Renfrewshire, taking into consideration of national digital initiatives. Across council services, Service Improvement Plans act like delivery plans for the Council Plan, showing how service activity contributes to the overall delivery of our strategic outcomes. Similarly, our digital progress can also be reported through Service Improvement Plans where appropriate. Updates on our Service Improvement Plan are reported to the relevant Policy Boards on a six-monthly basis. The Council has developed four core values which guide how we deliver our services and make decisions every day. These are: We are fair. We treat each other and everyone we deal with respectfully and work hard to build trust in Renfrewshire Council. We are helpful. We care about getting things right and are always approachable. Page 84 of 232
Page 85
Digital Strategy 2025-2030 10 We are great collaborators. We work as one team and with people who care about this place. We value learning to help us innovate, improve and deliver better services. All of these values are relevant to the Digital Strategy, but collaboration and learning are key to the successful delivery of our digital vision. Page 85 of 232
Page 86
Digital Strategy 2025-2030 11 4. Our Digital Journey So Far Since the launch of our last digital strategy in 2020, we have embarked on a transformative journey, achieving significant milestones that have reshaped our digital landscape. This period has been marked by groundbreaking innovations, improved user experiences, and the adoption of cutting-edge technologies, enabling us to stay ahead in an ever-evolving digital environment. From streamlining operations to enhancing customer engagement, our strategic initiatives have delivered measurable impact across all areas of our organisation. This section highlights the significant progress we’ve made, celebrating our successes and paving the way for even greater accomplishments in the future. It is essential that we continue to maximise the use of our existing digital assets, monitor the marketplace and challenge current working practices. 4.1. Digital Council Implemented advanced technology and became the first Scottish Council to implement a Digital Advisor - MILLIE - within our Customer Contact Centres. Developed over 130 online forms, which enable our citizens, communities and businesses to self-serve at a time and place convenient to them. Developed an ambitious and forward-thinking Customer Strategy, anchored around Customer Contact, Technology and Innovation, Service Design, and Culture and Skills. Almost 900,000 online transactions processed via Customer Service Platform. A reduction of 100,000 calls per year to the contact centre as more customers choose to interact with the Council digitally. Extended the rollout of Robotic Process Automation (RPA), which has helped increase efficiency, improve accuracy, provide better service delivery and access to data and insights through the creation of over 50 live processes. The Digital Experience Programme (DXP) is transforming the council’s website, into an intuitive, accessible platform through investment in modern technology and user- centred design techniques. Key achievements since 2020 include the development of a vision and roadmap for transforming the Council’s digital experience and the re-writing of high-demand sections like waste, council tax, and benefits. Page 86 of 232
Page 87
Digital Strategy 2025-2030 12 4.2. Digital Foundations Increased our digital capability through the ongoing use of Microsoft 365 features including enabling a modern workplace collaboration using Microsoft Teams and SharePoint, and enabling data visualisation and reporting to support data-driven decisions using Power BI. Developed a Corporate Green Print Strategy, which has resulted in the reduction of our printer estate from 942 to 540, which aims to deliver cash savings of £600k over the life of the contract, as well as supporting our Net Zero ambitions. Migrated to a virtual data centre, strengthening our disaster recover capabilities and supporting our Net Zero ambitions as the data centres are supplied with zero carbon, using 100% renewable electricity – sourced solely from solar, wind and hydro. Building on our future-proofed connectivity infrastructure, we successfully rolled out Public Access WI-FI across circa. 180 venues and in 3 town centres, and significantly improved Education and Corporate WI-FI in Council, Cultural, Leisure and Community venues across Renfrewshire as part of our groundbreaking and innovative Connectivity as a Service Framework. This has resulted in Renfrewshire becoming one of the best- connected regions in the UK with over 92% of gigabit-capable connectivity. Strengthened our Cyber Resilience and capabilities through the provision of a Security Operations Centre (SOC). This vital service continues to play a critical role in the Council’s cybersecurity approach by providing continuous monitoring, detection, and response to cyber threats. By leveraging advanced analytics, and threat intelligence, cyber incidents are identified and responded to helping to mitigate risks and potential damage. RenSafeOnline o Successfully hosted Renfrewshire’s first ever Cyber Escape Room Experience o Trained over 160 internationally certified Online Safety Ambassadors Ongoing programme of work to migrate business applications to cloud-hosted provision, which provides a range of benefits including scalability and flexibility, enhanced accessibility, increasing resilience and reliability and enabling innovation and modernisation, as well as being more environmentally sustainable. 4.3. Digital Place Renfrewshire Council established its Digital Infrastructure leadership position in the UK, having worked with our strategic partners, Commsworld and CityFibre, increasing gigabit-capable connectivity across Renfrewshire from sub-10% in 2019/20 to over 90% Page 87 of 232
Page 88
Digital Strategy 2025-2030 13 in 2024/25, making Renfrewshire one of the best-connected regions in the UK. This was established by leveraging a once-in-a-generation infrastructure investment from private sector partners, especially in modern full fibre infrastructure to support our citizens, our businesses, and the Council itself. In a short period, the Council has leapt to a leadership position which has increased the market’s interest to invest more in the region. Deployed over 2,100 environmental monitoring sensors into 850 social housing homes to measure Co2, humidity and temperature of Council homes, to protect against mould and damp and to detect those most vulnerable to fuel poverty. Provided a range of digital related activities to support people back into employment through a Digital College learning platform. Provided an extensive range of financial and non-financial assistance to Renfrewshire businesses to improve digitalisation. 4.4. Digital Leadership & Skills Established Digital Champions across the Council and partner organisations. Undertook a Digital Maturity Assessment to assess our digital capability in collaboration with the Digital Office for Scotland, which has helped influence the development of this strategy. As part of our ongoing commitment to digital learning and development, almost 200,000 e-learning (online) courses have been completed by our workforce since September 2020. Successfully maximised the use of our Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) - Business World system is a 24/7 online platform, which: o Enables self-service opportunities for all Council and Partner employees. o Enables workflows for all employees (networked and non-networked) and approvals for Managers across numerous business processes (HR, Finance, Procurement, etc.) o Creates and supports visibility of progress and updates for all data and requests held in the ERP, for all users. Made better use of data and insight through bespoke workspaces and dashboards for employees, line managers and Services, assisting: o Employee Workspaces for HR and personal data, requests, approvals, forms, documents, etc. o Manager Workspaces for HR and Finance data, views of all employees, absences (planned and unplanned), requests and workflow performances/escalations, etc. o Core Team and Service Workspaces, where data and dashboards are specific to the needs of the teams and users. Page 88 of 232
Page 89
Digital Strategy 2025-2030 14 Developed a suite of forms requests e.g. Electronic Payslips – supporting users to view personal information, requests, records when needed, and history e.g. payslips, P60s, etc. o As at 2024/25, more than 95% of all employees are accessing the ERP, and this figure is increasing. 4.5. Smart Data Following the successful rollout of our new printers, a dedicated dashboard has been developed and, using key insights, highlights usage and allows the organisation to better understand print behaviours. This evidence-based approach will greatly support the Council’s Green Print Strategy and climate ambitions. Developed and implemented a Data Strategy Framework across all Services to improve our data management and exploitation capabilities. Created a corporate approach to data governance through a Data Advisory Group. Used data to predict, track and manage absence of children and young people across our learning estate. Used data and automation to improve processing time for Free School Meals, and Clothing and Footwear Grant applications. Renfrewshire's approach to data and analytics highlighted as example of best practice by Scottish Government. 4.6. Digital Citizen Created capacity and capability by recruiting a Digital Champion Coordinator role, who has delivered: o Recruited and trained a team of 14 dedicated volunteer Digital Champions across 6 Renfrewshire Libraries. o Over 1,150 volunteer hours of support since the start of the project. o Supported over 800 learners. o 4 Digital Champions went on to secure employment. Launched 21 DigiZones and a mobile DigiZone across Renfrewshire communities, enabling people to get online through the provision of digital inclusion support. Page 89 of 232
Page 90
Digital Strategy 2025-2030 15 In partnership with DigiRen, hosted Renfrewshire’s first ever Digital Inclusion week with over 30 events taking place over 5 days, which catered for a range of audiences. Developed annual Digital Inclusion impact report to measure Digital Inclusion in Renfrewshire. Recognised as an exemplar and case study in Audit Scotland’s “Tackling Digital Exclusion” report for enabling digital inclusion, delivered through multi-sector collaboration using person-centred and place-based approaches. 4.7. Digital Health & Care Over 99% (3,600) of Analogue to Digital Switchover complete. The analogue to digital switchover is the process of retiring the old Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) and replacing it with modern, internet-based communication systems for better efficiency and connectivity. 1st Health & Social Care Partnership (HSCP) in Scotland to achieved Platinum accreditation for digital telecare. Digital Enablement of frontline Care at Home Services through implementation of Totalmobile scheduling. Installed Public Access WI-FI: o To and through our Care Homes o In communal areas within our Sheltered Housing complexes o In Health & Social Care Settings e.g. Adult Day Care Centre Developed a local directory (‘Well in Renfrewshire’) to enable professionals to identify a range of person centred and place-based supports for people, and effective signposting to community-based resources. In response to and following the COVID-19 pandemic, expanded provision of digital day support for older people. 4.8. Digital Learning & Teaching Significantly increased internet bandwidth across our learning estate – with 1 gigabit internet lines in most sites and 5 gigabit in high schools, scalable to 10 gigabit across all sites allowing faster access to learning resources Page 90 of 232
Page 91
Digital Strategy 2025-2030 16 Recognised at national CoSLA Excellence awards for tacking inequalities and improving health and wellbeing through collaborative work delivering an alcohol and drugs awareness digital education resource for children and young people. Rollout of GroupCall and Parents Portal Groupcall – Stats Overview All schools are now actively using Groupcall Messenger. We are advising schools to limit text messaging to emergency communications only, encouraging the use of email for day-to-day messages instead. As a result, 371,348 emails have been sent, replacing text messages, along with 66,300 messages sent via the Xpressions app. Since both email and Xpressions are free to use, this shift has led to a saving of £15,317 since the beginning of the year. Parents Portal - Highlights Currently, approximately 13,000 parents are registered on Parent Portal. 36 schools have more than 50% of their parents signed up, with 22 of those schools achieving over 70% parent registration. The remaining schools, which have less than 50% sign-up, will be prioritised in the new year. Thanks to these registrations, we were able to complete 4,715 Annual Data Checks digitally, eliminating the need for paper forms in these instances. Digital Schools Awards Since the launch of Digital Schools Award Scotland (DSAS) in 2017/18, 29 schools across Renfrewshire have been awarded the DSAS. 6 schools have gained the new Digital Wellbeing Award since 2022. In May 24, Rashielea Primary gained the Digital Endorsement Award, 4 years after gaining the DSAS. Keeping Children & Young People Safe, Confident & Protected Online 26 Schools have internationally certified RenSafeOnline Safety Ambassadors Page 91 of 232
Page 92
Digital Strategy 2025-2030 17 5. Foundations for achieving success. Renfrewshire Council is not unique in the challenges it faces in ensuring the future delivery of services against a backdrop of financial, societal, and operational constraints. Across the public sector, financial pressures, driven by reduced income, increasing costs and growing demand for services such as health and social care, housing, and education, impact organisations’ ability to operate effectively. These challenges can be further compounded by demographic changes, such as an aging population, in addition to the need to address climate change and build sustainable communities. As citizens, we all have expectations about how we would wish to access services in a way and at a time that suits our own needs. For Renfrewshire Council, we explored this further through engagement and consultation with ‘Our Leaders Forum’, a cross-service group of senior managers. This helped to identify some key areas, or foundations, required to deliver this strategy successfully. This section outlines these foundations, these will be strengthened and developed further through the delivery of each strategic theme. 5.1. Culture A digital culture could be defined as being agile, innovative, brave, and bold and encourages delegation and collaboration more than control and structure. However, there are elements of control and structure within local government which are required to fulfil the statutory and regulatory nature of our role in the community. Decision-making frameworks are clear and well-defined, Elected Members, as representatives of their communities, help set strategic direction and provide scrutiny in the work that we do, and the public have high expectations on our ability to deliver key services. One of Renfrewshire Council’s core values is ‘We are great collaborators’. Behaviours which role-model this value are critical for the success of this Digital Strategy. Page 92 of 232
Page 93
Digital Strategy 2025-2030 18 5.2. Capacity The last 10 years has driven a significant programme of change across Renfrewshire to allow us to continue to deliver services against a backdrop of reducing finances. This has been a success but has tended to focus mainly on operational delivery for the citizens of Renfrewshire, rather than being more strategic or focused on future innovation. The recent research from the Council’s Our Leaders Forum has shown there is an understanding about digital transformation, but a range of pressures make it challenging to create space to do so. 5.3. Capability Digital skills are essential in everyday life and within the workplace. We require to continually invest in skills and training to reduce digital barriers and exclusion. We will identify and close current and future digital skills gaps. This will enable the Council to adopt the wholesale use of digital solutions and build digital confidence across the workforce, transforming the skills, knowledge and capabilities of our staff in using technology effectively, contributing towards our continued success as a leading digital Council. In addition to embedding core digital skills required across our workforce, the Council will require to invest in more specialist Digital, Data and Technology skills. 5.4. Horizon Scanning The digital world is ever-changing, and therefore it is important to keep up with new advances in both the public and private sectors. Being aware of innovation elsewhere expands our ability to think innovatively about what we could be doing differently. Page 93 of 232
Page 94
Digital Strategy 2025-2030 19 5.5. Communication Clear communication across our entire workforce is essential to ensure our people are aware of changes we make to become more digital and how this might impact them. Effective communication helps to embed new ways of working within teams and ensures everyone feels included in the transformation. It is therefore essential that our workforce is engaged on how future changes may impact their role or may improve how they can deliver a better service to our communities. Our recently established Staff Engagement forums, with representatives from all services, meet regularly to obtain views and perspectives on a range of workplace matters. These forums engage with staff to seek feedback on how to improve the Council’s overall performance and decision making. A new focus for this group will be to support the Council to progress the people related priorities detailed within the new Digital Strategy and will help us drive positive change through sharing views and ideas, encouraging fairness and inclusion and connecting to facilitate collaboration. 5.6. Growing our own Like wider society, we have an ageing workforce, bringing significant knowledge and expertise to the organisation. Within our workforce planning we continue to focus on the challenge of developing effective succession planning to ensure we continue to attract a wide range of people who want to work for the Council and ensure a workforce for the future. 5.7. Investment Challenges Despite an environment where budgets are constrained, it is acknowledged that the transformation described in this strategy will require investment and other resourcing support. Page 94 of 232
Page 95
Digital Strategy 2025-2030 20 Recognising all the challenges we face, the foundations required and building a programme which can tackle them head-on will need to be bold and require a level of bravery in every new thing we do. By leveraging digital technologies such as data analytics, artificial intelligence, automation, and online platforms, we can deliver better public services that are more efficient, accessible, and tailored to citizens’ needs. Digital innovation can also drive creative solutions to complex problems, leading us to adopt original approaches to governance and service delivery. Furthermore, digital tools can empower citizens and staff alike by enabling greater transparency, participation in decision-making, and collaboration. By embracing digital transformation, we could not only overcome current challenges but also build more dynamic, resilient, and inclusive communities for the future. Page 95 of 232
Page 96
Digital Strategy 2025-2030 21 6. Strategic Objectives To achieve our statement of intent, there are four ambitious objectives underpinning the work this strategy will lead over the next five years through a programme of work developed around the strategic themes. In addition to the four digital strategic objectives, this strategy must deliver key enablers of change for the Council to support every service to maintain service delivery in a period where finances are becoming more constrained. Therefore, central to each objective is the aim of ensuring long-term financial sustainability for the Council. While these objectives are ambitious, they can be achieved through a challenging programme of work aimed at delivering the six key themes outlined in the next section - all of these will provide the framework for change across the Council. Page 96 of 232
Page 97
Digital Strategy 2025-2030 22 7. Delivering Our Digital Ambitions This digital strategy provides a roadmap for how Renfrewshire can achieve its digital objectives - redesigning our services, developing our workforce, changing how we operate and harnessing the power of digital tools and solutions to deliver meaningful outcomes. Taking an approach which is based on our objectives and priorities, and by fostering strategic partner relationships with key suppliers to help shape the innovation, it is possible to provide assurance around achieving success and providing adequate return on investment. There must also be a commitment upfront that, where a robust business case and appropriate governance is in place, the financial investment will be available to facilitate the required change and where this is not the case, there is a decision-making process in place to stop initiatives going forward. Even when a project is approved, continued governance is required to ensure the objectives continue to be met, and where this cannot be demonstrated the same decision-making mechanism should have the ability to stop any additional work at the earliest opportunity to prevent further costs being incurred. With strong decision-making in place, structured around a set of strategic themes, this approach will ensure a focused and coordinated effort to meet our strategic objectives. Each theme represents a key area of focus, guiding our initiatives and investments to address the challenges, leverage emerging opportunities, and future-proof our operations. Together, these themes provide the foundation for delivering a cohesive and impactful digital transformation. 7.1. Digital Inclusion Digital inclusion is essential for addressing poverty and inequalities, as it ensures that everyone has access to the tools, skills, and opportunities needed to thrive in a digital Page 97 of 232
Page 98
Digital Strategy 2025-2030 23 world. By bridging the digital divide, we can empower marginalised communities with access to education, employment, healthcare, and essential services. Prioritising affordability, accessibility, and digital literacy helps to create equitable opportunities, enabling individuals to participate fully in society and the economy. This not only improves individual well-being but also fosters broader social and economic development, reducing systemic disparities and promoting inclusive growth. Renfrewshire’s place-based, person-centred and collaborative approach to enabling Digital Inclusion was highlighted as sector leading and an exemplar in Audit Scotland ‘Tackling Digital Exclusion’ Report, published in 2024. Key enablers of digital inclusion, including DigiRen Network and Citizens Voice Forum, continue to put people at the heart when designing and delivering programmes of work. The Digital Champions Programme and launch of DigiZones are transforming lives and helping people impacted by digital exclusion to access support that meets their needs. This important work will help deliver our digital ambition and will enable our citizens and communities to channel shift to more modern ways of interacting with the Council, whilst at the same time, freeing up capacity to support those who cannot, or do not wish to, use digital. Renfrewshire’s first Digital Inclusion week “DigiKnow(vember)”, hosted by DigiRen Network, took place in 2024 and successfully delivered a diverse range of both online and in person events by partners across the region. Going forward, this vital work will continue to promote opportunities to ensure people can thrive in a digital world, whilst ensuring no one is left behind. By 2030, we will strive to achieve the following: Strengthening our approach to keeping our ciƟzens, communiƟes, and workforce safe, protected, and confident online through our innovaƟve RenSafeOnline iniƟaƟve. Become a signatory of Scotland’s Digital Inclusion Charter and conƟnue to demonstrate our compliance to the five pledges. Develop 20-minute digital inclusion neighbourhoods – meaning no one has more than a 20 minute journey to access Digital Inclusion support. Page 98 of 232
Page 99
Digital Strategy 2025-2030 24 7.2. Data Data is the cornerstone of innovation and informed decision-making. It drives efficiency, enhances customer experiences, and enables our organisation to adapt with agility in a competitive environment. The Council holds a significant volume of data. More work is needed on how this is shared and understood. Making data more readily available, in a safe and ethical way, and focussing on the data skills of our workforce will allow the Council to improve its understanding of the services we provide and the needs of the customers who use them. 7.3. Our Technology and Infrastructure Our technology and infrastructure are the backbone of effective service delivery and innovation. As we navigate increasing demands and evolving challenges, continuing to invest in modern, resilient, and scalable digital infrastructure is essential to empower our workforce and communities, enhance public services, and drive sustainable economic growth. By 2030, we will strive to achieve the following: Be data-centric and take evidenced-based decisions to inform policy and deliver outcomes. Harness the full potenƟal of data by creaƟng a robust, secure, and scalable ecosystem that empowers strategic insights and fosters collaboraƟon. Leverage advanced analyƟcs, arƟficial intelligence, and cuƫng-edge technologies, we aim to transform data into acƟonable intelligence, delivering value across all facets of our operaƟons and ensuring sustainable growth for the future. Page 99 of 232
Page 100
Digital Strategy 2025-2030 25 Being aware of the evolving digital landscape will provide insight into innovations happening elsewhere. Learning from others and adopting where it is appropriate for Renfrewshire to do so, could result in faster implementations which are already tried and tested. 7.4. Digitally Enabled Workforce The Renfrewshire workforce is a key element to becoming a digital Council, and critically a continued focus is required to ensure our workforce are equipped to achieve this. While no one can predict the future, it is safe to say that it will be digital, and our staff must have the skills to be able to work in that environment. There are two elements to delivering a digitally enabled workforce. Firstly, ensuring that every member of staff have core digital skills which can be described as Communicating, Handling information and content, Transacting, Problem Solving, and being safe and legal online. Secondly, as we become increasingly digitally capable, we need to build better Digital and Data skills. These skills are well defined by the Government Digital Service, and include Business Modelling, Data Engineering, Design, Operations and much more. Additionally, to deliver a successful digital transformation, we need to ensure our leaders are also equipped with the right skills. Digital leadership requires a knowledge of digital (technology and data), adaptability, creativity, accountability, critical thinking, and an ability to communicate effectively. By 2030, we will strive to achieve the following: Leverage advanced technologies, for example AI, IoT where appropriate, to deliver outcomes. Streamline and opƟmise our technology ecosystem to unlock value, enhance operaƟonal efficiency, and enable scalable capabiliƟes. Recognising the growing sophisƟcaƟon of cyber threats, embed cyber resilience at the core of our operaƟons by remaining agile, responsive, and prepared to respond to evolving threats. Develop a seamless and approved single gateway for progressing digital and/or technology services and projects. Page 100 of 232
Page 101
Digital Strategy 2025-2030 26 This can only be achieved through a committed development programme for our existing staff and changes to recruitment practices; role profiles and job adverts, to attract the right skills for any future employee. The delivery of the digital strategy will also be supported by a robust communication plan, ensuring that all staff and elected members remain informed, and given the opportunity to input to new initiatives that arise from their increasing digital skillset. This theme links with the Council’s People Strategy and will help shape their objectives to achieve a common outcome. 7.5. Leadership and Culture Making small incremental changes can make a significant difference in an organisation’s ability to become a Digital Leader. There are five key elements of a digital culture, which are already within our ability to achieve. The organisaƟon has an external and an internal view, always looking outside at the needs of its customers and being aware of factors in the outside world which will impact on how we deliver services. A digital organisaƟon favours delegaƟon over control. Decisions occur at the lowest appropriate level and not always passed to the top of the structure. Staff are empowered to act within the boundaries of the role and supported if things go wrong. Every organisaƟon has their own appeƟte towards risk. A digital organisaƟon is seen as being bold as opposed to cauƟous. InnovaƟon carries an inherent risk however to achieve success an informed approach to this risk is needed. By 2030, we will strive to achieve the following: All staff are equipped with the core digital skills to operate within a digitally leading Council All job profiles will include Digital Skill elements which are perƟnent to requirements of that role. The Council will have a significant level of Digital and Data Skills through acƟve recruitment and ongoing development of the exisƟng workforce. The Council will have a strong network of Digital Leaders capable of delivering corporate digital transformaƟon. Page 101 of 232
Page 102
Digital Strategy 2025-2030 27 Digital organisaƟons act. They recognise that appropriate structure can be required, but they are driven by achieving the outcome. CollaboraƟon, which is one of our values, is essenƟal in a digital organisaƟon. Individual efforts are welcome and required, but we achieve so much more together than alone. Digital organisations also require Digital Leaders, and this will involve the development of new skills and ways of working. Digital Leaders are fluent in digital language, they understand the benefits of innovation and can communicate this to their teams. They are highly adaptable and always operate with an eye to the strategic vision of the organisation. They do not necessarily have to be technical experts, but they do have to enjoy and encourage creativity. Finally, they adopt critical thinking in everything they do and are comfortable with the level of accountability that comes with working in this way. All of this must be balanced within the defined governance and decision-making frameworks that are already in place within Renfrewshire Council as a local authority, but that shouldn’t be seen as a constraining factor. 7.6. Digital Public Services Founded on our processes, we need to identify and reduce inefficiencies in our current approaches and introduce standardisation of our core processes where we can. By By 2030, we will strive to achieve the following: Renfrewshire has adapted in its ways of working to exhibit the cultural features of a digital organisaƟon. The workforce will feel like it is a different place to work and recognise their contribuƟon to that success. Our leaders are skilled to operate in a digital organisaƟon, conƟnuing to deliver services for our ciƟzens, but recognising the value in doing that digitally. Our culture has evolved yet remained true to the needs of a local authority organisaƟon Page 102 of 232
Page 103
Digital Strategy 2025-2030 28 leveraging data analytics for continuous improvement we will reduce costs, cut process times, and improve the quality of the services we deliver. Regularly reviewing the work of others and embracing the expertise of our strategic partners in the public and private sectors will also provide valuable insight into how digital services are developing outside the Council. Learning from others and deploying tried and tested solutions can make the transition to digital easier and more effective than continually looking inside for ideas. It is essential when developing public services that we also follow a Customer Centric Service Design framework. Doing so will ensure we meet the needs of our customers while also giving them a voice to input to how we achieve this. We must also be aware of our future generation of customers. Recognising the value of more digital native individuals while designing our services will also future proof our service delivery for the next generation. As a local authority we must ensure our services continue to be inclusive, never preventing someone from being able to interact with us when they need to. Digital services will be only a part of the offering, and we need to ensure other channels remain accessible for those who need it. However, over time digital will become the easiest and preferred channel for our customers. Digital services are not just for our customers; our staff will benefit from the ongoing development of digital solutions. The additional digital training will equip them with the skills required to embrace new ways of working which are developed digitally. By 2030, we will strive to achieve the following: Our services remain inclusive, effecƟve and delivered in the most cost- effecƟve way to meet the needs of our customers. Our customers are meaningfully involved in developing services, and their needs are influenƟal and at the heart of decision-making Our services are future ready, developed in a way that will meet the requirements of the next generaƟon of customers. Our staff development has ensured the workforce can embrace new internal digital processes Changes to our service delivery is driven only by data analysis and customer need. Page 103 of 232
Page 104
Digital Strategy 2025-2030 29 8. Governance This Digital Strategy will be presented for approval to the Finance, Resources and Customer Services Policy Board, and regular progress updates will be provided to this Board. Following that approval, work will then be undertaken to clearly define the future state as defined in the strategy, and measures agreed to ensure delivery is effective in achieving its objectives. This will then inform a significant programme of work across all six themes, with project and programme management resources aligned appropriately. This programme of work will report regularly to the Digital Board, where issues and risks will be surfaced and managed, and any barriers to delivery will be resolved by those who are members of this key decision-making board. The Digital Board will continue to report to the Corporate Management Team who have a role to play in decision-making for all future digital initiatives. As the senior leadership team for the Council, they will have to approve, decline, and potentially cease any work which is not seen as being in line with the delivery of our strategic objectives. Page 104 of 232
Page 105
Digital Strategy 2025-2030 30 Finance and Resources Renfrewshire Council Renfrewshire House Cotton Street Paisley PA1 1BR Page 105 of 232
Page 106
To: Finance, Resources & Customer Services Policy Board On: 03 April 2025 Report by: Director of Finance & Resources Heading: Revised ICT Acceptable Use Policy (AUP) 1. Summary 1.1 Renfrewshire Council promotes a culture which recognises the importance of the safe use of ICT facilities ensuring continued protection of all information assets. The ICT AUP requires a number of minor updates to reference developments in email protection capabilities, password strengthening, and most significantly the explosion of Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools freely available across the internet, some of which vendors are embedding within existing tools. 1.2 The purpose of this change is to ensure that individuals can continue to make the most of Council’s ICT facilities when carrying out their duties and are fully aware of what is acceptable and what is not acceptable behaviour, particularly when using publicly available, or connected, AI. 1.3 While the updates in reference to email protection and passwords are small wording changes, incorporating a specific Acceptable Use of AI clause into the ICT AUP will ensure the responsible use of AI within the Council. It balances the need for innovation with the necessity of mitigating risks and maintaining compliance with legal obligations such as data protection law. 2. Recommendation 2.1 It is recommended that the Council approve the minor changes and the inclusion of the AI acceptable use clause within the ICT AUP, to safeguard the Council’s interests and support the safe and effective use of AI technologies. Item 9 Page 106 of 232
Page 107
The updated ICT AUP which forms the Appendix to this report highlights the relevant updates in red text for easy identification. 3. Background 3.1 The rapid advancement of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies presents both opportunities and challenges for the council. As AI becomes increasingly integrated into products and tools, and freely available on the Internet, it is essential to establish clear guidelines for its use to ensure that it aligns with legal requirements and Council values. 3.2 Amendments to the policy may be periodically required to ensure its continued fitness for purpose, and more significantly in this instance to cover the acceptable use of AI on Council ICT facilities and when processing and handling Council information assets. It also provides clear guidelines on what AI can and cannot be used for, ensuring that staff are aware of the boundaries and responsibilities associated with AI use. 3.3 Defining acceptable behaviour and data handling practices, the updated ICT AUP helps mitigate risks to our information assets and promote the responsible use of AI technologies. 3.4 This policy applies to the use of the Council’s ICT facilities, and information assets, regardless of whether they are hosted and used on Council premises, or externally hosted online services, or if they are accessed via the work profile of a personal device such as a smart phone. 3.5 The amended policy applies to: - Council employees including teachers; - Elected Members; - External Partners where shared or joint services are provided using Council ICT facilities and Contractors, Consultants and Agency Workers i.e. personnel employed by external companies who are granted access to Council ICT facilities and information assets. __________________________________________________________________ Implications of the Report 1. Financial None. 2. HR & Organisational Development The ICT AUP will apply to all users of Council ICT facilities and is referenced in the Statement of Particulars. Page 107 of 232
Page 108
3. Community/Council Planning Non applicable. 4. Legal The ICT AUP has been drafted to ensure continued compliance with the Human Rights Act 1998 and Principle 6, the security principle, often referred to as the “integrity and confidentiality principle” of the Data Protection Act 2018 (UK GDPR). 5. Property/Assets None. 6. Information Technology ICT are the owners of the ICT AUP and are responsible for its implementation and ongoing reviews. The ICT AUP complies with the requirements of the Public Services Network, thereby safeguarding the position of the Council and individual users of the ICT facilities provided by the Council. 7. Equality & Human Rights The Recommendations contained within this report have been assessed in relation to their impact on equalities and human rights. No negative impacts on equality groups or potential for infringement of individuals’ human rights have been identified arising from the recommendations contained in the report. The ICT AUP has been drafted to ensure compliance with The Telecommunications (Lawful Business Practice) (Interception of Communications) Regulations 2000 and The Human Rights Act 1998. The Telecommunications (Lawful Business Practice) (Interception of Communications) Regulations 2000 provide the legal framework to allow the Council to monitor communications insofar as they relate to the business of the Council without breaching the Human Rights Act 1998. If required following implementation, the actual impact of the recommendations and the mitigating actions will be reviewed and monitored, and the results of the assessment will be published on the Council’s website. 8. Health & Safety None. 9. Procurement None. 10. Risk None. Page 108 of 232
Page 109
11. Privacy Impact The ICT AUP has been drafted to ensure that there is no breach of privacy. The Human Rights Act 1998 obliges all public authorities to act in a manner compatible with the rights contained in the European Convention of Human Rights (“the Convention”). Article 8 of the Convention affords everyone the right to respect for private and family life including home and correspondence. This extends to privacy in the workplace. The AUP complies with both Article 8 and The Telecommunications (Lawful Business Practice) (Interception of Communications) Regulations 2000. As such, there is no infringement of privacy identified. 12. Cosla Policy Position Non applicable. 13. Children’s Rights Non applicable. 14. Climate Change Non applicable. _________________________________________________________ List of Background Papers (a) None. ___________________________________________________________________ Author: Patrick Murray (Head of Digital, Transformation and Customer Services) Page 109 of 232
Page 110
Appendix: Amended ICT AUP Policy INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT) ACCEPTABLE USE POLICY 1. Applicability: 1.1 We live in a world where technology has changed how we deliver services and interact with others. Technology is an everyday event for almost everyone in both our work and personal life. Renfrewshire Council is a digital council. This is a key part of how the Council delivers services, innovates and connects to customers, service users and each other. 1.2 Renfrewshire Council promotes a culture which recognises the importance of the safe use of ICT facilities. This policy has been written not only to protect Council electronic assets, data and information but to ensure that best practice is followed. The purpose of this policy and associated good and bad practice examples is to ensure that individuals are able to make the most of the Council’s ICT facilities when carrying out their duties and are fully aware of what is acceptable and what is not acceptable behaviour when using these facilities. This policy outlines what is expected from the groups that this policy applies to (see paragraph 1.4) and what to do to make sure everyone is able to comply and understand their responsibilities. 1.3 This policy covers the use of all Council ICT facilities including, but not limited to equipment such as PC’s, laptops, tablets, Wi-Fi dongles and smart phones. It also includes the use of the Council’s systems and applications including email, instant messaging, video conference services, Microsoft O365 e.g. Sharepoint, OneNote, Yammer or Teams and the internet. It also covers acceptable use of public Artificial Intelligence (AI) systems (commonly referred to as Large Language Models e.g. ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, DeepSeek etc.) This policy applies to the use of the Council’s ICT facilities regardless of whether they are hosted and used on Council premises, or externally hosted online services such as Microsoft O365, Eclipse, i-Learn for example, or if they are accessed via the work profile of a personal device such as a smart phone (under any approved Bring Your Own Device program – BYOD). 1.4 This policy applies to: - Council employees including teachers; - Elected Members; - External Partners where shared or joint services are provided using Council ICT facilities and - Contractors, Consultants and Agency Workers i.e. personnel employed by external companies who are granted access to Council ICT facilities. 1.5 External Partners and Contractors must be made aware of this policy and any relevant guidelines. Appropriate Council ICT facilities access will be provided where necessary to allow work to be carried out as set down by the Council. Page 110 of 232
Page 111
The use of the Council ICT facilities by External Partners and Contractors for personal use including internet is not permitted for any reason. External Partners and Contractors will be made aware of and asked to agree to this by the Council prior to commencing any work on behalf of the Council which requires them to have access to, or use of, the Council ICT facilities. As part of this awareness, External Partners and Contractors will be required to sign a copy of this policy and agree to its terms. 1.6 Limited personal use of the Council’s ICT facilities is permitted for Council staff, as per the terms of this policy. Staff can use the internet for personal use out with normal working hours such as lunch breaks or other unpaid breaks. Please note that personal use of the Council’s email system is not permitted at any time. 1.7 Elected Members may use Council ICT facilities, except access to personal emails or personal use of the Councils email system, for incidental personal use. Council ICT facilities must not be used for party political or campaigning purposes at any time. Any misuse may be reported to the Group Leader and could also breach the Councillors’ Code of Conduct. Misuse may result in withdrawal of facilities and in the case of suspected criminal activity, referral to the Police. 1.8 When using the Council’s ICT facilities, individuals are reminded that the Council has several policies and procedures which detail the standards of conduct and behaviour expected. This policy should be read alongside those which include: - The Code of Conduct for Employees; - Disciplinary Procedures and supporting guidance; - Grievance Procedures and supporting guidance; - Data Protection Policy; - Surveillance Policy and Guidelines; - Use of Social Media Guidance; - Code of Conduct for Officers on the Acceptable Use of Gifts and Hospitality; - Expressing Concerns out with Line Management Policy; - Equality and Diversity Policy; - Any iLearn cyber security module covering safe use of the Council’s ICT facilities; - Respect at Work Policy; - Recruitment and Selection Guidance; - Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) policy; - Business World Use of Personal Devices and Email. 1.9 Technology is an important part of our working lives and is increasingly used to keep our workforce connected and to process and share information both internal and external to the Council. This sharing must be undertaken in a manner that fully protects the rights of individuals and the reputation of the Council. This policy will be reviewed as and when there are changes to legislation, best practice and guidance from specialist bodies. Page 111 of 232
Page 112
The Council also looks to introduce both new technologies and make changes to existing ones to improve its operation. Therefore, individuals who use Council ICT facilities should always be aware of the latest guidance around best practice and how this applies to them. Updates will be shared on the Council’s intranet, by email, and other forms of communication. 1.10 The groups that this policy applies to (see paragraph 1.4) should always use Council ICT facilities responsibly and are reminded of the need to keep Council information secure and confidential. An information or cyber security breach could expose the Council to financial penalties under data protection laws and reputational damage. 1.11 The groups that this policy applies to (see paragraph 1.4) have a personal duty to only ever access the information contained on the Council’s ICT network or systems for work purposes. Any misuse of data including but not limited to unauthorised access to personal information or sending offensive emails, could result in disciplinary action and/or in cases of suspected criminal activity, referral to the Police. 1.12 The Council has the right to monitor activity on the Council’s ICT facilities including the use of email and the internet for legitimate business purposes to protect against misuse. Suspected misuse of ICT facilities will be investigated and may result in disciplinary action and in the case of suspected criminal activity referral to the Police. This includes any approved Bring Your Own Device solutions made available. 1.13 If the Council is legally required to provide access to information held on Council systems to an individual or organisation (e.g. in response to a Freedom of Information Request or a Subject Access Request), then the ICT service may access information of senders, recipients or those referred to. This could include but is not limited to email accounts, or personal storage on the Council network drives. 1.14 The Council may request access to a personal device that is being utilised for Bring Your Own Device purposes if the Council believes that there is a failure to comply with this policy or it is necessary to respond to requests as explained in 1.13. 1.15 This policy requires every individual to take personal responsibility for protecting data in all its forms – online and offline (as per the policies and procedures listed at 1.8) – and for the safe use of the ICT facilities provided by the Council. It also defines the standard of behaviour and ethos which should be consistent across all electronic forms of communication internally and externally. 1.16 The groups that this policy applies to (see paragraph 1.4) have a personal duty to only process Council information within Council authorised systems, applications and platforms. Page 112 of 232
Page 113
Council business sensitive, personal or personal sensitive information must not be placed into public Internet tools such as Social Media or Artificial Intelligence (AI) platforms such as ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, DeepSeek etc. 1.17 Any misuse of data including but not limited to unauthorised processing of information in the public domain (e.g. the internet), could result in disciplinary action and/or in cases of suspected criminal activity, referral to the Police. 1.18 The following sections provide some examples of appropriate and inappropriate use of ICT facilities. It is impossible to provide examples that will cover every possible scenario and should be taken as indicative of good and bad practice. For additional information or clarification, please contact: - The Security & Compliance Team, cybersecurity@renfrewshire.gov.uk - Phil Feeney, Enterprise Architect, phil.feeney@renfrewshire.gov.uk - Patrick Murray, Head of Digital, Transformation and Customer Services, patrick.murray@renfrewshire.gov.uk Page 113 of 232
Page 114
INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGY (ICT) ACCEPTABLE USE POLICY 2. When utilising ICT facilities, individuals must: 2.1 Irrespective of what Council communications tool you are using (e.g. email, instant messaging, social media, video conferencing, etc. ) only use language which is professional, transparent, consistent and respectful regardless of race, religion or belief, disability, age, sex, gender reassignment, sexual orientation, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, Trade Union membership or activity. A tone of voice guide is available from the Marketing and Communications Service. 2.2 Avoid statements which might facilitate, instigate, promote or support activity associated with actions such as bullying, harassment, racism, offensive or threatening activity, illegal or defamatory actions or otherwise may bring the Council into disrepute or which may be construed as doing so. Bring Your Own Device users should take steps to keep separation between their business and personal use as far as possible. 2.3 Take care to avoid an honest mistake. You may receive dubious emails or land on websites designed to spread a computer virus. If this occurs, then please report it immediately to your line manager and the ICT Service Desk. 2.4 Be alert to possible spam which may contain a computer virus, or fraudulent attempts to provide information etc. (e.g. trying to get you to change bank account details, pay ‘outstanding’ invoices that do not exist, etc.). 2.5 Review email banners when provided within emails and take into account the information provided when deciding to click on links or reply to senders. 2.6 Treat all e-mail attachments with suspicion especially if there is something unusual, e.g. you don’t normally receive that type of request or information, or you do not know the person or organisation that sent the original email (i.e. the sender). 2.7 Send suspected spam, junk or fraudulent email to the corporate ‘SPAM’ email box so that ICT services can block this in future. (type ‘spam’ in the TO box of your email). 2.8 Create strong passwords in line with Council policy (refer to the iLearn password module for advice) and keep passwords private ensuring that you lock your network account when ICT equipment such as PCs, laptops, tablets, and smart phone are left unattended. Any written password memory aids must prevent password exposure if compromised. Page 114 of 232
Page 115
2.9 Return Council ICT equipment such as PC’s, laptops, tablets, Wi-Fi dongles and smart phones to ICT services if they are no longer being utilised so that they can either be given to another employee or can be securely destroyed. (This excludes equipment issued to staff who are on long term absence) 2.10 Be aware of your surroundings. If you are in a public place, then you are not in a trusted or secure environment and for that reason, should avoid working on, or holding discussions, about anything that is personal or sensitive as people around you may overhear conversations or read what is on your screen (shoulder surfing). 2.11 Use the internet with care. You may come across illegal material such as pornography by accident. If this occurs, do not forward or take copies of material but instead report it immediately to your line manager and the ICT Service Desk. 2.12 Protect Council ICT equipment such as PC’s, laptops, tablets, Wi-Fi dongles and smart phones that have been provided to you. This includes ensuring that these are not left behind after meetings, on public transport, etc. If you lose such equipment, please report this as soon as possible. 2.13 Follow the Information Security Incident Reporting Procedure (Appendix A) if Council ICT equipment such as a PC’s, laptops, tablets, Wi-Fi dongles or smart phones (including personal devices, where Bring Your Own Device has been approved) are lost or stolen, information is sent to the wrong person or information is lost or stolen. 2.14 Contact your Line Manager and the ICT Service Desk as soon as possible if you think that you have a computer virus or believe that your network account has been used or accessed without your knowledge or permission. 2.15 Continue to work within the boundaries of Council Policies - as per 1.8 - if you are a Bring Your Own Device user. 2.16 Make sure you undertake training. Take one or more cyber security awareness and training modules applicable to your post and working practices. Modules are on the Council iLearn section of the Intranet. At a minimum everyone must take the Induction Module at least once (held in the Mandatory section) and the mandatory cyber security course yearly. Thereafter, you are required to update your knowledge annually by taking one or more cyber security modules. This will benefit you in the workplace and at home. Page 115 of 232
Page 116
INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGY (ICT) ACCEPTABLE USE POLICY 3. When utilising ICT facilities, individuals must not: 3.1 Use ICT facilities to undertake any activity that may bring the Council into disrepute, lead to someone feeling embarrassed, upset, bullied or be illegal. The type of activity includes, but is not limited to cyber bullying, grooming, stalking, making racist comments etc., and covers online services such as email, instant messaging, social media (including accessing a personal account through a work device), video conferencing etc. 3.2 Access information which is not needed for your job including, but not limited to information relating to friends, family or neighbours who are clients of the council. 3.3 Upload download or access online materials if the content is copyrighted. 3.4 Use another employee’s user ID and network password to access ICT facilities, otherwise you may be accused of hacking which is a crime. 3.5 Write down network passwords, or if you feel that you must do so, then keep them in a safe and secure place so that no one else can find them. Do not store network passwords alongside Council ICT equipment such as PCs, laptops, tablets or smart phones. 3.6 Use your own personal device such as a PC, laptop, tablet or smart phone for Council business unless you are adhering to an approved Bring Your Own Device procedure, as you place the Council at significant risk of breaching statutory obligations which can result in a fine and legal action. 3.7 Use your own personal email, social media, artificial intelligence (AI), video conferencing etc to undertake Council business. You must never send Council information to personal accounts or profiles such as email, social media or AI etc. 3.8 Save files to an internal disk (also referred to as a hard disk or c:\drive) because these files are not backed up and if the device such as a PC, laptop, tablet or smart phone is lost or damaged, you will lose the data. Data should be saved to the Council network and Council online storage solutions such as O365. 3.9 Attempt to alter settings or upload, install or utilise software or apps on Council ICT equipment such as PC’s, laptops, tablets, Wi-Fi dongles or smart phones, unless approved by ICT. 3.10 Use unencrypted external memory drives or memory sticks to store Council data. Page 116 of 232
Page 117
3.11 Pass any Council ICT device such as PC’s, laptops, tablets, Wi-Fi dongles or smart phones from one member of staff to another, even a family member, without consultation with ICT. 3.12 Take photographs of people especially children, without permission. Photographs are personal information and so, are subject to data protection laws. If in doubt, you should contact the Information Governance Team in Legal Services for advice or the Marketing and Communications Service. 3.13 Upload Council information to public internet based AI systems, sometimes referred to as Large Language Models such as ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, DeepSeek etc where that information may be personal, personal sensitive or commercially/business sensitive or for example identifies a living individual. Page 117 of 232
Page 118
Appendix A Information Security Incident Reporting Procedure for All Staff Everyone who works for the Council is responsible for the information they handle. What is Information? Information means data, documents and records - in both paper and electronic formats. What is Information Security? Information Security is not just an ICT issue – it is protecting the confidentiality, integrity and availability of information (including ICT systems) from actual or potential compromise or risk. We do this through both technical and organisational measures designed to avoid loss of or unauthorised access to or disclosure of information. Why is Information Security important? The Council needs information to deliver services. The public and our partners expect the Council to handle their information sensitively and securely. Procedures must be in place to respond when any information held by the Council is lost or compromised. Information Security is also crucial for the Council’s compliance with data protection legislation. If you think the security of any Council information is or has been compromised, please report this immediately to: Emma McBride, Senior Solicitor, Information Governance 0141 618 5047 If Emma is not available, please report to: Allison Black, Data Protection Officer, 0141 618 7175 Page 118 of 232
Page 119
Failure to ensure that information is secure can result in a penalty of up to 20 million Euro by the Office of the Information Commissioner and, of course, significant reputational damage. What should be reported as an Information Security incident? Any loss of or compromise to information should be reported as an Information Security Incident. Examples include loss of personal, sensitive personal or commercially sensitive information, in either paper format or stored on a device such as a laptop, information emailed, posted or faxed to the wrong recipient or unauthorised access to files, folders, or systems. If in doubt, please ask! Page 119 of 232
Page 120
___________________________________________________________________ To: Finance, Resources and Customer Services Policy Board On: 3 April 2025 ___________________________________________________________________ Report by: Director of Finance and Resources ___________________________________________________________________ Heading: Finance and Resources Service Update ___________________________________________________________________ 1 Summary 1.1 The Finance & Resources department delivers a range of internal and external facing services, including the provision of professional and expert advice to wider Council services. This structure is an efficient and effective route to ensuring consistent and professional advice is available in a timely basis, drawing on best practice from each profession. 1.2 The report outlines a number of proposed changes to service management arrangements which will improve the overall level of resource available within specific corporate services, improving the focussed delivery of expert advice, governance and support to the wider Council. ___________________________________________________________________ 2 Recommendations 2.1 Agree the revised service reconfigurations and revised management arrangements as outlined in the report. 2.2 Note that any changes to employee roles and/or grades will be undertaken in line with existing HR policies, and further note that it is not anticipated there will be any reduction in employee numbers or requirement for redeployment. ___________________________________________________________________ Item 10 Page 120 of 232
Page 121
3 Background 3.1 This report outlines a number of changes to management structures, roles and responsibilities within the service which are being proposed to ensure the service continues to deliver professional and expert support to the wider Council. The changes proposed have been informed by both external reviews and the Council’s objectives in terms of ongoing improvement and transformation. Internal Audit 3.2 The Board considered a report in June 2024 which outlined the potential of a shared service delivery model for internal audit which was being developed in conjunction with West Dunbartonshire and Inverclyde Councils. This was being considered predominantly in order to address concerns in relation the resilience of respective internal audit and fraud teams in each Council. 3.3 Considerable work was undertaken in conjunction with the other Councils to examine potential options for delivery models, and the respective staffing structures which would be required to service the internal audit and fraud requirements of not just the three Councils, but all the other associated bodies which the current services support eg Valuation Joint Boards, Integration Joint Boards, ALEOs such as OneRen and so on. The complexity of servicing this number of public bodies under a single operational management structure became apparent as the options for a delivery model were developed. 3.4 A review of the respective audit plans for each Council and associated body was also undertaken, and it was concluded that the current level of resource in terms of both qualified and support staff in both internal audit and fraud was at a level where there is no potential for efficiencies in terms of the overall level of staffing. In addition, it also became apparent that there are currently inconsistencies in the level of resource available within each Council which would make funding the preferred staffing structure for a single service impossible within the existing budgets available across all three Councils. There also appear to be inconsistencies in terms of the role profiles in each Council, and addressing this would also potentially incur increased cost should a lead Council model be adopted where staff would all be employed by a single Council. 3.5 Outwith staffing and financial considerations, it is also now apparent that there would be very considerable information governance, data sharing, and legal considerations to overcome with there being a requirement to develop and implement formal policies and protocols around these and associated systems access. Complicating matters further would be ensuring consistent systems access and cyber security arrangements where employees from one Council would be accessing the core systems of another. The introduction of Global Internal Audit Standards coming into effect in 2025 also remains to be fully understood in terms of their impact on current arrangements for the delivery of internal audit and fraud services. Page 121 of 232
Page 122
3.6 Given all of the above considerations, the insufficient revenue resource available to deliver the preferred model, and the complexity of putting a single service into place (including TUPE arrangements), it was concluded that it would not represent value for money to progress with the shared service proposal at this point. However, the exercise has been useful in reaching a shared understanding of the challenges we each face; and there is the potential for a more informal resource sharing arrangement being put in place for particular audits eg where one Council has expertise or capacity in relation to a particular audit area, this could be supplemented by resource from another Council on an informal ‘call-off’ arrangement assuming information governance issues could be overcome. The improved communication and networking between Council audit teams will also be of benefit. Risk management 3.7 The Chief Auditor role in Renfrewshire has responsibility for overseeing the Council’s risk management and insurance arrangements, and for the reporting of these to the Audit, Risk and Scrutiny Board. While not a unique arrangement, and there are benefits in the operational management of the two functions (risk and internal audit) being closely linked, there are capacity issues in managing these important control functions which are critical to the delivery of good corporate governance. 3.8 A recent external independent review of the Council’s risk management arrangements concluded the Council has a well-established approach to risk management with many positive features, especially in terms of strong governance and a positive cultural attitude towards risk management at a corporate level. The review recommended a small number of areas where further improvements in risks management arrangement could be made eg considering a software-based risk management system to allow the consistent capturing, management and reporting of risk information; further expanding the service risk representatives role etc; however much of this will not be possible within the existing level of resource available for corporate risk management activity. It is therefore proposed that a risk analyst post to support the risk manager is considered. It is further proposed that the current management arrangements for corporate risk and internal audit be separated, with the Chief Auditor role being focussed on delivery of internal audit and fraud services for the Council and associated bodies. Responsibility for the management of the corporate risk function is proposed to come under the wider business services management arrangements. The two functions would however continue to work closely together through their governance and reporting arrangements to the Audit, Risk and Scrutiny Board. 3.9 The internal audit service has been managing with an interim Chief Auditor in post since Summer 2024 while the shared service option has been explored. It is proposed to move to the revised operating and management arrangements outlined above in the coming months, including formal job evaluation of new or revised roles. This will allow the Council to then progress to recruit a Chief Auditor on a permanent basis. Page 122 of 232
Page 123
Health & Safety (H&S) 3.10 The corporate health and safety function supports the delivery of H&S activity across the Council, linking closely with service areas and their respective officers who also have H&S responsibilities. The corporate H&S function also provides specific support in terms of incident management, H&S reporting and events planning and delivery. 3.11 Following a recommendation in an internal audit report to the Audit, Risk and Scrutiny Board in May 2024, an external review of the corporate H&S service was conducted in recent months, with draft findings within the report outlining significant strengths within the service in terms of incident management and the expertise and competence of the staff within the corporate team. The report also makes a number of recommendations in terms of the breadth of responsibilities within the team and that they should be clearly focussed on core H&S activity; while rebasing the relationship between the corporate team and services would be of benefit with a clearer focus on key risks which will inform a revised H&S policy, strategy and reporting arrangements. It was also suggested that a specific H&S compliance system should be considered to improve the efficiency of current arrangements for recording, monitoring and reporting H&S compliance information. The report also made comment on the overall level of resource within the corporate team and that this should be supplemented in order to further improve monitoring and compliance, audit activity and training. 3.12 In order to address the recommendations in the report it is proposed that the corporate H&S team is also brought under the management of the Council’s business services arrangements – specifically to improve overall linkage with the Council’s risk management arrangements and to clearly separate the service from its current position within the People and OD service. Currently the corporate H&S have responsibilities in terms of employee wellbeing, occupational health and absence management; and while these responsibilities are clearly of relevance to the Council’s overall H&S arrangements, they potentially do not allow the team to focus on their core H&S objectives. It is therefore proposed that responsibility for employee wellbeing, absence management and occupational health are consolidated within a revised People & OD structure as is outlined in further detail below, with the H&S team therefore refocussing their efforts in core H&S objectives, linking more explicitly with service representatives and the risk management function under the business services structure. It is also proposed that the corporate H&S is supplemented with a coordinator role which will assume responsibility for much of the monitoring, administration and compliance responsibilities which are currently undertaken by the existing officers. The impact of these proposed changes on existing and new roles are the subject of ongoing job evaluation, and any implications for existing staff will be managed under agreed HR processes. Page 123 of 232
Page 124
People and Organisational Development 3.13 The People and Organisational Development (OD) function plays a critical role in ensuring the Council has the workforce capacity, capability, and culture to deliver high-quality services across our Council and to our communities. The current structure and general priorities and vision of the team has remained largely unchanged for over a decade. 3.14 Given the significant changes in the public sector landscape, evolving needs of our workforce and financial constraints, an internal review was undertaken by the Head of People and OD which looked at the following four key areas: 1. Ensuring the People and OD function is structured to provide strategic and operational support effectively. 2. Improving responsiveness to service demands by aligning resources with key priority areas. 3. Introducing a business partner model that enhances service engagement and collaboration. 4. Strengthening the Council’s approach to key workforce areas, with a specific focus on: HR Caseload Support. Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI). Health and Well-being. Workforce Planning and HR Policy. Data, Compliance, and ERP Development. Digital Learning. Reward and Recognition. 3.15 The outcome of the review, when implemented, will align the team’s focus with the Council’s strategic priorities, ensuring that future resources are deployed efficiently and that services receive the best possible support. Significant benefits are expected from the review which include: Enhanced Service Support: A more strategic and proactive People and OD function will improve service delivery across all services. Greater Efficiency: Optimising resources will ensure that expertise is focused on areas of highest need. Stronger Workforce Planning: A dedicated focus on workforce planning can help address skills gaps and future succession planning needs. Improved Well-being and Inclusion: Strengthening EDI and health and well-being initiatives can help us to continue fostering a more inclusive and supportive workplace. Data-Driven Decision Making: Enhancing data and compliance capabilities will allow for more informed workforce planning and policy development. Digital Transformation: Expanding digital learning opportunities will support workforce development and modernise training delivery. Page 124 of 232
Page 125
Recognising and Rewarding Staff: Ensuring employees feel valued can help improve morale, engagement, and retention. Improved Service Delivery: A business partner model will provide tailored, proactive support to services, enabling them to manage their workforce challenges more effectively. Increased Compliance and Governance: A focus on compliance ensures adherence to employment regulations and Council policies. 3.16 As part of the review, new job roles will be created and some job roles deleted. The impact of these proposed changes on existing and new roles are the subject of ongoing job evaluation, and any implications for existing employees will be managed under agreed HR processes. 3.17 As part of our commitment to supporting a modern and high-performing workforce, the Council will be reviewing its current 2021-26 ‘Our People, Our Future’ People Strategy, with a view to developing and implementing a revised strategy in 2026. The new strategy will have a stronger focus on financial sustainability and will set out our vision for the workforce, ensuring that we continue to attract, develop, and retain the right people with the right skills to meet the needs of our communities. To successfully deliver this strategy, it is essential that the People and OD team are structured effectively, with the right talented resources in place. The review of the People and OD function is therefore a crucial step in ensuring the team is in the best shape to lead and support this transformation. ___________________________________________________________________ Implications of the Report 1. Financial – the recurring revenue implications of the above recommendations will be managed within existing budgets. Any systems development and implementation costs will be supported through application of a draw down from the Service Modernisation and Reform Fund. 2. HR & Organisational Development – As outlined in the report. 3. Community/Council Planning – Our Renfrewshire is safe – the revised the revised management proposals in the report will allow the corporate H&S team to focus more clearly on their core objectives and will improve the efficiency of current H&S administrative arrangements. Building strong, safe and resilient communities – as above 4. Legal - none 5. Property/Assets – none Page 125 of 232
Page 126
6. Information Technology – the proposal to implement a bespoke H&S management system, and the potential consideration of a risk management system will be explored in line with the arrangements outlined in the Council’s Digital Strategy. 7. Equality & Human Rights - The Recommendations contained within this report have been assessed in relation to their impact on equalities and human rights. No negative impacts on equality groups or potential for infringement of individuals’ human rights have been identified arising from the recommendations contained in the report. If required following implementation, the actual impact of the recommendations and the mitigating actions will be reviewed and monitored, and the results of the assessment will be published on the Council’s website. 8. Health & Safety – the revised management proposals in the report will allow the corporate H&S team to focus more clearly on their core objectives and will improve the efficiency of current H&S administrative arrangements. 9. Procurement – the potential procurement of any ICT systems will be conducted in line with relevant procedures, and in line with the Digital Strategy. 10. Risk – the revised management and staffing arrangements outlined in the report will allow the service to implement the actions suggested from an independent review of the service, further improving risk management arrangements across the Council. 11. Privacy Impact - none 12. Climate Risk – none 13. Children’s Rights – none 14. Cosla Policy Position – none ___________________________________________________________________ Author: Alastair MacArthur, Director Page 126 of 232
Page 127
_________________________________________________________________________ To: Finance, Resources and Customer Services Policy Board On: 3 April 2025 Report By: Chief Executive Heading: Chief Executive’s Service – Health & Safety Action Plan & Performance Indicators 2025/2026 1. Summary 1.1 The Council’s Health, Safety and Welfare Policy requires each service to submit an annual Health and Safety action plan to the relevant Policy Board. 1.2 The Chief Executive’s Service action plan and performance indicators for 2025/2026 is attached as Appendix 1 to this report. It sets out the planned actions the service will undertake during 2025/2026, outlining the service’s commitment to continuous improvement in health and safety performance in accordance with the People Strategy – Ongoing implementation of key priorities (Health and Wellbeing Plan 2024/2029). ________________________________________________________ 2. Recommendations 2.1 It is recommended that the Finance, Resources and Customer Services Policy Board: i) approves the Chief Executive’s Service health and safety action plan and performance indicators for 2025/2026 at Appendix 1. __________________________________________________________________ 3. Background 3.1 The Chief Executive’s Service delivers a range of strategic services within the organisation. We do this through a range of activities delivered across our service areas: policy and partnerships, economy and development, City Deal and infrastructure, and communications, marketing and events. Item 11 Page 127 of 232
Page 128
Our services are delivered by 241 employees, led by the Chief Executive who is supported by the Head of Policy and Partnerships, the Head of Marketing and Communications, the Head of Economy and Development, and the Programme Director (City Deal and Infrastructure). 3.2 The Chief Executive’s Service Head of Policy and Partnerships is the lead officer for health, safety and wellbeing within the service and is supported by the Strategy, Policy and Insight Manager. We have a proactive approach and commitment to health, safety and wellbeing which is supported by the service’s working group. Further to monitoring absence within the service and management input, it has been agreed that during 2025/26, the service wellbeing focus will primarily be supporting employee mental health. 3.3 As with other Council services, employees have been hybrid working, splitting their working week between home and office. The service has adapted its processes and procedures to ensure that standards for all employees working from home or in the office are maintained, with the health, safety and wellbeing of employees being a priority. The service’s health and safety working group meet’s quarterly via Teams. 3.4 The action plan and performance indicators 2025/2026 identifies areas for future and continued action which is included as Appendix 1 to this report. The action plan is monitored on a quarterly basis by the service’s health and safety working group and an biannual progress report will be presented to the Finance, Resources and Customer Services Policy Board in both Autumn 2025 and Spring 2026. 3.6 The preparation of this action plan has been supported by the Finance and Resources, People and Organisational Development (People & OD) Health and Safety Team. Implications of the Report 1. Financial Implications – None. 2. HR & Organisational Development Implications – None. 3. Community/Council Planning Implications – None. 4. Legal Implications – None. 5. Property/Assets Implications – None. Page 128 of 232
Page 129
6. Information Technology Implications – None. 7. Equality & Human Rights Implications - The Recommendations contained within this report have been assessed in relation to their impact on equalities and human rights. No negative impacts on equality groups or potential for infringement of individuals’ human rights have been identified arising from the recommendations contained in the report. If required following implementation, the actual impact of the recommendations and the mitigating actions will be reviewed and monitored, and the results of the assessment will be published on the Council’s website. 8. Health & Safety Implications - The report supports and demonstrates the Council and the Chief Executive’s service’s commitment to ensuring effective health and safety management. 9. Procurement Implications - None. 10. Risk Implications - The report supports the overarching management of risk within Renfrewshire Council. 11. Privacy Impact Implications - None. 12. Cosla Policy position – None. 13. Children’s Rights – this report is for noting and has no direct implications on children’s rights. 14. Climate Risk – None. ___________________________________________________________________ List of Background Papers None. ___________________________________________________________________ Author: Pamela McDonald, pamela.mcdonald@renfrewshire.gov.uk Page 129 of 232
Page 130
Chief Executive's Service Health and Safety Action Plan & Performance Indicators 2025/2026 Appendix 1 Action Code Action Title Due Date CEH&S25.01 Continue to implement the Council’s Health & Wellbeing Strategy ensuring all employees are aware of initiatives and participate where relevant / required, including any related performance management measures. The service focus will primarily be supporting employee mental health. 31-Mar-2026 CEH&S25.02 Awareness and compliance with the current corporate policy on Health, Safety and Wellbeing. 31-Mar-2026 CEH&S25.03 Monitor all task based risk assessments on the services risk assessment register to ensure they remain suitable and sufficient. 31-Mar-2026 CEH&S25.04 Ensure all work in progress Risk Assessments are completed and uploaded to the service Risk Assessment register. 30-Jun-2025 CEH&S25.05 Implement a planned management led health and safety inspection programme for 2025/26 across all service locations. 30-Jun-2025 CEH&S25.06 Monitor DSE assessments across the service with regular updates from managers. 31-Mar-2026 CEH&S25.07 Monitor the completion of health and safety training on iLearn across the service. 31-Mar-2026 CEH&S25.08 Implement a system for managers to monitor employee H&S training needs within their service area providing service overview of overall H&S training compliance. 31-Dec-2025 CEH&S25.09 Ensure iLearn courses for relevant employees are completed: Display Screen Awareness, Evacuation Process for Renfrewshire House and for managers outwith HQ: Asbestos Awareness, Duty to Manage Asbestos Refresher and Control of Contractors courses. 30-Sep-2025 CEH&S25.10 Continue to encourage and monitor reporting of accident/incidents. 31-Mar-2026 CEH&S25.11 Ensure that all events planned have an individual event manual which includes health and safety. 31-Mar-2026 CEH&S25.12 Ensure all service areas are represented at the Chief Executive’s health and safety working group. 31-Mar-2026 PI Code Performance Indicator(s) CEHSRA Ensure task based and fire risk assessments have been reviewed within 30 days of their planned review date. CEHSWOIR Continue with the service planned WOIR programme ensuring inspections are completed within the relevant reporting Page 130 of 232
Page 131
PI Code Performance Indicator(s) quarter. CEHSWOIRACT Monitor the number of WOIR actions completed on time. CEHSDSE Monitor the number of DSE assessments completed. Page 131 of 232
Page 132
To: Finance, Resources and Customer Services Policy Board On: 3 April 2025 Report by: Director of Environment, Housing & Infrastructure Heading: Facilities and Property Services - Service Update Report 1 Summary 1.1 Environment, Housing & Infrastructure brings together a range of Council services and activities, with both strategic and operational responsibilities. This report provides an operational performance update on Facilities Management (Hard and Soft Services), Building Services and Property Services delivered by Environment, Housing & Infrastructure since the last Policy Board in February 2025. 1.2 Due to the date of the Board, data for quarter 4 is currently unavailable and therefore will be reported to the next Board in June 2025. 2 Recommendations It is recommended that members of the Finance, Resources and Customer Services Policy Board: 2.1 Note the content of this report. 3 Operational Update Hard Facilities Management (Hard FM) 3.1 Capital/Lifecycle Projects 3.1.1 As detailed and discussed at a previous Board, a review of the Core Facts property condition surveys (5 yearly checks across the Learning Estate), led to a prioritised list of work to upgrade some schools. Additionally, Net Zero surveys have been approved to the following properties: Item 12 Page 132 of 232
Page 133
Glenfield Satellite (Pre five nursery) Williamsburgh Primary School and Nursery 3.1.2 Works have been approved to upgrade the Multi-Use Games Arenas (MUGAs) at the following schools: Our Lady of Peace Primary School Arkleston Primary School 3.1.3 Due to the complexities of lifting and relaying a pitch/MUGA at schools (pitch out of commission), consultation with the school will be important to ensure safe working practices and this may delay the installation until later in 2025 or 2026. 3.1.4 Renfrewshire Schools Partnership (RSP) have provided reports to the Council following Core Facts Condition surveys. PPP Facilities Manager will review these reports with a view to planning future Lifecycle Maintenance works. 3.2 Lifecycle Replacement works 3.2.1 The following commissions have been planned/progressed/completed since the previous Board: £500k has now been set aside for various Council wide minor upgrade works. The table below (indicative list) highlights some work that has recently been approved or is in progress and others yet to be fully explored and agreed but currently being scoped: Site Type of Work Work Required Status Lochwinnoch Nursery Fence gates Alter gate In Progress Lochfield ELCC Fence gates New fence In Progress Houston PS Roof works Roof repairs Planned Williamsburgh PS Roof works Reline Gutter Planned Rashielea PS Roof works Re-felt roof Planned St James PS CCTV Renew CCTV workstation In Progress Lochwinnoch Library Roof works Slate and lead flashing works In Progress Tweedie Hall Heating Renew pipework roof In Progress Renfrewshire House Roof Works Roof edge protection & ladders In Progress Heriot PS Painting/Flooring/Joinery Paint GP room and replace flooring/units and tiles following flood. TBC Other works include: Storm Eowyn – Officers continue to manage the repair works following building damage. Over 35 schools and 50 other council buildings suffered damage during the storm. Engagement with the insurance team and loss adjuster continues, to ensure any costs are recovered Page 133 of 232
Page 134
(where appropriate). Renfrewshire House – works will be in the roof voids of each floor to check and undertake fire separation/stopping works. Phase 1 of this project now complete – lessons learned with further works to follow. Commission now raised to Property Services for the roll-out across all areas. Works require a full tender process due to the value of the contract. Lochfield Primary School – Removal of wall and erection of new fence (or wall). Resident engagement on going. Underwood Road Depot – Installation of new CCTV system within Building Services stores/offices. Howwood Primary School – historic water ingress. (Ongoing – roof covering fixed but still water ingress). Johnstone Community Centre - new roof over stage area (complete). LED upgrade works – review of schools that require upgrade, working in conjunction with our Net Zero colleagues. Park Mains High School - LED lighting upgrade (Atrium). Renfrewshire House – CCTV upgrade feasibility. PPP Lifecycle works: The Council have now reviewed the 2025 Lifecycle Maintenance programme provided by RSP and have commented on various aspects under the PPP contractual Review Procedure and now await response from RSP. 3.2.2 The Hard FM team are currently working on the following commissions: Condition Surveys for OneRen swimming pools Condition surveys for various community buildings (19 buildings in total) Various works to community/leased buildings HQ Building Management System upgrade HQ lining of car park, general clean up and drainage works (on-going) HQ lighting and controls upgrade feasibility (sample bespoke fitting now installed and route to market being determined) Foxbar Rivers Community Centre – renewal of fascia/soffit and gutters 3.2.3 As part of the Council budget, Officers are drafting plans for additional funding that has been provided: £700k for school pitch improvements. £800k for Community Facilities to assist in potential CAT transfers £1m recurring revenue, including lifecycle works across the Learning Estate 3.2.4 Updates will continue to be brought to this Board periodically to update on plans and spend. Page 134 of 232
Page 135
3.3 Compliance – Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) 3.3.1 For this financial year, there was approximately 1700 planned tasks with overall performance of this period at 87%. Officers continue to engage with service providers to ensure target dates are met and performance is improved. 3.3.2 Overall performance for this period continues at 100% within the PPP Schools estate. 3.4 Public Buildings Repairs data 3.4.1 The repairs profile remains as expected, as detailed below for 2024/25: 2024/25 Repairs Education Core Prestige OneRen Total 6441 2243 745 305 9734 3.4.2 The financial pressure on the repairs budget remains a challenge for the service and, as reported previously, all non-essential works is now being deferred until further notice. 3.4.3 New contract has now been awarded for Lightning Protection Systems (maintenance and reactive repairs – Council wide). 3.5 Fire Safety 3.5.1 All fire risk assessments in sleeping accommodation have now concluded. Officers are reviewing the reports and actioning any items that will mitigate and lessen the overall fire risk for each property. These works have been on-going and checks are being undertaken to ensure all works are complete. Officers continue to engage with our colleagues within CPU for the renewal of smoke vent tender and fire dampers (new tender). 3.5.2 All fire risk assessments in the PPP Schools Estate have now concluded with recommended actions being reported as being completed. The PPP - Facilities Manager reviewed a sample of actions and there are currently only a couple of items now outstanding and reported back to AMEY. 3.6 Responsive Repairs 3.6.1 From the return after the Christmas break to the writing of the report, Building Services has received 14,002 responsive repairs reported by tenants. This is an increase of 11.4% compared to the same time period last year. This can be attributed to the recent cold weather and storms. 3.6.2 There were over 600 roofing repairs reported due to the recent storms. Building Services Operatives, as well as sub-contractors are working to complete the required works as soon as possible. Many require scaffolding in order to carry out the works safely which can delay the progress. Page 135 of 232
Page 136
3.6.3 The productivity across the responsive repairs teams is monitored and assessed weekly. The graph shows the tracking of the average number of jobs completed per operative per day from April 2024 to February 2025. The industry average is 4.5 jobs, per operative, per day and Building Services have been consistently above this level. 3.7 Voids 3.7.1 Building Services continue to average between 15-16 days to complete all works required within a void property. However, figures show that the average hours estimated in each void property continues to rise significantly with a consistent rise of just over 22% since January 2024. 3.7.2 From 6 January 2025, until 23 February 2025, Building Services received 80 full void packs in total, averaging 11 a week, this is a drop from Quarters 1 through 3, where Building Services were receiving 16 properties on average per week. Discussions with colleagues in Housing Services continue to ensure any issues are resolved quickly before being passed to Building Services. 3.7.3 Estimated work volume per property, however, continues to increase substantially. It is currently averaging 156 hours per property, rising from Q1 (119 hours per property), Q2 (130 hours per property) and Q3 (135 hours per property). The increase in volume of work has made it challenging for Building Services to return completed voids within the KPI’s, however, efforts continue to be made to achieve these. 3.7.4 Building Services continue to attend and change locks to Terminations, Absconds and evictions which remain averaging at 22 per week which has been the constant figure throughout 2024/25. 3.8 Electrical Testing programme 3.8.1 Building Services are carrying out a program of EICR testing in communal areas and closes. To date, Building Services have completed 123 communal Page 136 of 232
Page 137
areas/closes. 3.8.2 The homes that have failed to engage with the process to have the EICR test have now moved to the forced entry process. The number of forced entries from January 2025 to February 2025 is 39. 3.9 Apprentices/Training 3.9.1 Building Services are recruiting 7 apprentices over the next few months. There will be 6 youth apprentices recruited from within the Renfrewshire area and 1 adult apprentice position which is open to all employees of Renfrewshire Council. 3.9.2 Building Services are delighted to report that one of our 4th year painting apprentices has been selected as a finalist in the APSE National Apprentice awards. 4 Soft Facilities Management (Soft FM) 4.1 School Meals 4.1.1 The Pilot for the rollout of the preorder app commenced on 20 January 2025 in Park Mains High School. So far over 200 pupils have registered for the use of the app and Children’s Services has supported the implementation by promoting the information to parents and pupils. The app pilot is being rolled out in Johnstone High School after the Easter break. 4.1.2 The app will be implemented in the PPP school estate to senior pupils at St Benedicts High School later in the next couple of months. 4.1.3 HMIE inspection completed at Gleniffer High School week commencing 3 March 2025 and included a Health and Nutrition inspection. Feedback was noted to be positive and any improvements have been taken on board and made within the catering area. 4.2 Special and Complex Diets 4.2.1 The new process for complex and medical diets was shared with relevant stakeholders. Feedback and suggestions have been received and will be reviewed. The new process will be implemented in April 2025 and shared with all parents, guardians, and other stakeholders thereby establishing a robust process for the ongoing management of special diet requests. 4.3 Scottish Child Payment 4.3.1 Work continues to increase the number of pupils attending universal free school meals (P1-P5), free school meals and paid meals across both primary and secondary schools. Work is ongoing to create a process to provide the required information for pupils in P6-7 who will meet the criteria for a free school meal based on families in receipt of SCP. The overall average uptake figures for School meals (Periods 1-12) currently sits at 58.8% Page 137 of 232
Page 138
4.3.2 Work continues by the Scottish Government to resolve the data sharing issue. In the interim period, Renfrewshire Council is working to create an additional element on the current free school meal application form to include these criteria. Soft FM remains confident it can facilitate the additional numbers due to the work undertaken previously, the re-instatement of additional cooking establishments and the planned capital work forecast for 2025. 4.3.3 The figure in 4.3.1 are not adjusted due to the timing delay of pupil absence figures being received. Discussions are being undertaken as to how this can be improved which will ensure “real time” attendance figures can be utilised to reflect accurate uptake figures. Implications of the Report 1. Financial – Any financial elements referenced in this report will be progressed through the Council’s financial & budget planning process. 2. HR & Organisational Development – Apprentice recruitment detailed in the report will be undertaken as per standard Renfrewshire Council recruitment processes. 3. Community/Council Planning – the report details a range of activities which reflect local community and council planning themes. 4. Legal – As detailed within the report. 5. Property/Assets – As detailed within the report in relation to work on the Council property portfolio. 6. Information Technology - None 7. Equality & Human Rights – The recommendations contained within this report have been assessed in relation to their impact on equalities and human rights. No negative impacts on equality groups or potential for infringement of individuals’ human rights have been identified arising from the recommendations contained in the report. If required following implementation, the actual impact of the recommendations and the mitigating actions will be reviewed and monitored, and the results of the assessment will be published on the Council’s website. 8. Health & Safety – Advice and guidance is being given to protect the health and safety of employees and service users when carrying out priority services for the Council in line with government and health guidance. 9. Procurement – As noted within the report. 10. Risk – None Page 138 of 232
Page 139
11. Privacy Impact – The Scottish Government are looking to introduce legislation to allow the data sharing with local authorities in relation to parents/carers who receive the Scottish Child Payment. 12. COSLA Policy Position – None 13. Children’s Rights – Facilities and Property Services are essential in trying to assist and deliver in support of Children’s Rights. In particular, the report demonstrates compliance by ensuring buildings are suitable provides good educational establishments (Article 28 - Access to Education) and by delivering schools meals and nutritious food (Article 27 – Food, Clothing, and a safe home). 14. Climate Change – Parts of the work undertaken in this report will reduce carbon emissions and assist in trying the reach Net Zero targets by improving efficiency of current buildings and new buildings across the portfolio. List of Background Papers None Author: Gordon McNeil, Director of Environment, Housing & Infrastructure Email: gordon.mcneil@renfrewshire.gov.uk Page 139 of 232
Page 140
___________________________________________________________________ To: Finance, Resources and Customer Services Policy Board On: 3 April 2025 ___________________________________________________________________ Report by: Report by the Director of Finance and Resources and the Director of Environment, Housing and Infrastructure ___________________________________________________________________ Heading: Contract Authorisation Report for Processing & Recycling of Mixed Paper and Card (RC-CPU-24-106) ___________________________________________________________________ 1. Summary 1.1 The purpose of this report is to seek the approval of the Finance, Resources and Customer Services Policy Board to award a Services Contract for Processing & Recycling of Mixed Paper and Card (reference RC-CPU-24- 106) to WRC Recycling Limited. 1.2 The recommendation to award this Contract follows a mini-competition made under the Scotland Excel Dynamic Purchasing System (DPS) for the Treatment and Disposal of Recyclable and Residual Waste, schedule 27/17, Lot 2 Treatment of Paper, Cardboard, News & PAMS (separate and/or mixed). 1.3 An Overarching Waste Commodity Contract Strategy was approved by the Director of Environment, Housing and Infrastructure and the Corporate Procurement Manager in October 2024. An Executive Summary Strategy specific to Processing & Recycling of Mixed Paper and Card was also approved by the Head of Infrastructure and Service Development and the Corporate Procurement Manager in January 2025. ___________________________________________________________________ Item 13 Page 140 of 232
Page 141
2. Recommendations 2.1 It is recommended that the Finance, Resources and Customer Services Policy Board: 2.1.1 Authorises the Head of Corporate Governance to award a Contract for Processing & Recycling of Mixed Paper and Card (RC-CPU-24-106) to WRC Recycling Limited made following a mini-competition under Lot 2 of Scotland Excel Dynamic Purchasing System for the Treatment and Disposal of Recyclable and Residual Waste, schedule 27/17. 2.1.2 Authorises the approved Contract value of up to £1,000,000 excluding VAT. 2.1.3 Authorises the Contract Period from 1 May 2025 until 30 April 2026 with the Council having the sole right to extend this Contract for two periods of up to one year until 30 April 2028. The anticipated Date of Commencement is 1 May 2025. In the event that the Contract does not commence on 1 May 2025, the Contract Period shall run from the actual Date of Commencement as stated in the Council’s Letter of Acceptance. _________________________________________________________ 3. Background 3.1 The Council has a requirement for an external supplier to carry out the processing and recycling of mixed paper and cardboard. The Council’s Waste Service has collected and had to make arrangements to recycle approximately 16,756 tonnes of post-consumer recyclate over the last 3 years for materials consisting of mixed Paper & Cardboard from households, commercial premises and recycling centres. 3.2 This procurement exercise has been tendered as a mini-competition under the Scotland Dynamic Purchasing System (DPS) for the Treatment and Disposal of Recyclable and Residual Waste, schedule 27/17 under Lot 2 Treatment of Paper, Cardboard, News & PAMS (separate and/or mixed) (Lot 2). 3.3 At the time of the mini-competition, Lot 2 of the DPS for the Treatment and Disposal of Recyclable and Residual Waste, schedule 27/17 had 31 Suppliers registered. All 31 Suppliers were invited to participate in the mini-competition issued through the Public Contract Scotland Tender platform on 22 January 2025. In accordance with the requirements of the DPS the Council could select to use the Call-Off Terms prepared by Scotland Excel or could use Council terms for the mini-competition. The Council chose to use both the Council’s General Conditions of Contract for Services – Waste, and related Operation Terms and Conditions for this mini-competition. Page 141 of 232
Page 142
3.4 By the closing date set for return of electronic tenders of 12 noon on 12 February 2025, 1 Supplier had submitted a Tender Submission with the remaining 30 not responding. 3.5 The Supplier completed the European Single Procurement Document (ESPD) when applying for a place on the Scotland Excel DPS for the Treatment and Disposal of Recyclable and Residual Waste, schedule 27/17. The Supplier confirmed within their respective Tender Submission that none of the exclusion criteria as detailed within Regulation 58 of The Public Contracts (Scotland) Regulations 2015 apply to them. 3.6 The Tender Submission received was evaluated against the set award criteria on a combined weighting of 30.00% Quality and 70.00% Price. The scores relative to the Award Criteria are as follows: Quality (30.00%) Price (70.00%) Total (100.00%) 1 WRC Recycling Limited 27.50% 70.00% 97.50% 3.7 The Tender Submission received by WRC Recycling Limited met the criteria set out in the procurement documents and was within the Council’s set budget and was therefore deemed to be value for money. 3.8 Community Benefits were requested as part of the procurement process and WRC Recycling Limited have committed to the following Community Benefits. Community Benefit Description No of People / Activity Job for an unemployed individual from a Priority Group 1 Job for an unemployed individual 1 Industry Skill Transfer to Schools 1 Implications of the Report 1. Financial - The costs of up to £1,000,000, excluding VAT, over the period of up to three years will be met from the Council’s waste disposal revenue budget within Environment, Housing and Infrastructure. 2. HR & Organisational Development - None directly arising from this report. 3. Community/Council Planning – Page 142 of 232
Page 143
Place- Working with partners to ensure our neighbourhoods are safe, vibrant, and attractive places to live. Economy - Supporting our citizens, particularly those furthest from the jobs market, into fair work - well paid, fulfilling employment through Community Benefits. Green- Working across partners and communities to deliver the priority areas highlighted in our Plan for Net Zero, working towards a net zero Renfrewshire by 2030. Living our Values- Ensuring our journey to net zero is a just transition with climate justice and fairness at the heart, finding opportunities to challenge inequalities in new green ways as we tackle the climate crisis. 4. Legal – The procurement of this Contract was carried out in accordance with the Scotland Excel Dynamic Purchasing System for the Treatment and Disposal of Recyclable and Residual Waste, schedule 27/17 and the Council’s Standing Orders Relating to Contracts. 5. Information Technology - None directly arising from this report. 6. Property/Assets - None directly arising from this report. 7. Equality & Human Rights - None directly arising from this report. 8. Health & Safety – WRC Recycling Limited’s Health and Safety submission was evaluated by the Council’s Corporate Health and Safety team and meets the requirements regarding health and safety. 9. Procurement – The procurement procedures outlined within this report shall ensure that the Council meets is statutory requirements in respect of procurement procedures, efficiency and modern Government. 10. Risk – WRC Recycling Limited’s insurances have been assessed and evaluated to confirm they meet the requirements regarding insurable risk. 11. Privacy Impact - None directly arising from this report. 12. Climate Risk - The level of impact associated with provision of this service has been assessed using the Scottish Government Sustainability Test and this contract will strive towards the Scottish Government’s aims and objectives for a Zero Waste Scotland. 13. Children’s Rights – This report does not cover a new policy, function or strategy nor a substantive change to an existing policy, function or strategy which will have an impact on children’s rights. Page 143 of 232
Page 144
14. Cosla Policy Position - None directly arising from this report. _________________________________________________________ List of Background Papers None ___________________________________________________________________ Author: Sam Smith, Procurement Adviser (sam.smith@renfrewshire.gov.uk) Page 144 of 232
Page 145
___________________________________________________________________ To: Finance, Resources and Customer Services Policy Board On: 3 April 2025 ___________________________________________________________________ Report by: Report by the Director of Finance and Resources and the Director of Environment, Housing and Infrastructure ___________________________________________________________________ Heading: Contract Authorisation Report for the Treatment, Recycling & Disposal of Skip Hire Service & Processing & Recycling of Waste (RC-CPU-24- 286) ___________________________________________________________________ 1. Summary 1.1 The purpose of this report is to seek the approval of the Finance, Resources and Customer Services Policy Board to award a Services Contract for the Treatment, Recycling & Disposal of Skip Hire Service & Processing & Recycling of Waste (reference RC-CPU-24-286) to Enva Scotland Limited. 1.2 The recommendation to award this Contract follows a mini-competition made under the Scotland Excel Dynamic Purchasing System (DPS) for the Treatment and Disposal of Recyclable and Residual Waste, schedule 27/17, Lot 11 Treatment and Disposal of Bulky Waste. 1.3 A Contract Strategy was approved by the Director of Environment, Housing and Infrastructure and the Corporate Procurement Manager in October 2024. An Executive Summary Strategy specific to Treatment, Recycling & Disposal of Skip Hire Service & Processing & Recycling of Waste was also approved by the Head of Infrastructure and Service Development and the Corporate Procurement Manager in January 2025. ___________________________________________________________________ Item 14 Page 145 of 232
Page 146
2. Recommendations 2.1 It is recommended that the Finance, Resources and Customer Services Policy Board: 2.1.1 Authorises the Head of Corporate Governance to award a Contract for Treatment, Recycling & Disposal of Skip Hire Service & Processing & Recycling of Waste (RC-CPU-24-286) to Enva Scotland Limited following a mini-competition made under Lot 11 Treatment and Disposal of Bulky Waste of the Scotland Excel Dynamic Purchasing System (DPS) for the Treatment and Disposal of Recyclable and Residual Waste, schedule 27/17. 2.1.2 Authorises the approved Contract value of up to £500,000 excluding VAT. 2.1.3 Authorises the Contract Period of four years anticipated from 1 May 2025 until 30 April 2029. In the event that the Contract does not commence on 1 May 2025, the Contract Period shall run from the actual commencement date as stated in the Council’s Letter of Acceptance. _________________________________________________________ 3. Background 3.1 The Council has a requirement for an external supplier to provide the Treatment, Recycling & Disposal of Skip Hire Service & Processing & Recycling of Waste across the Renfrewshire Council area. This includes leisure centres, Paisley Town Hall, Underwood Road and Renfrewshire House. 3.2 This procurement exercise has been tendered as a mini-competition under the Scotland Excel Dynamic Purchasing System (DPS) for the Treatment and Disposal of Recyclable and Residual Waste, schedule 27/17 (“the DPS”), under Lot 11 Treatment and Disposal of Bulky Waste (“Lot 11”). 3.3 At the time of the mini-competition, Lot 11 of the DPS had 32 Suppliers registered. All 32 Suppliers were invited to participate in the mini-competition issued through the Public Contract Scotland Tender platform on 30 January 2025. In accordance with the terms of the DPS the Council could use the Call- off Terms prepared by Scotland Excel or could use Council terms for the mini- competition. The Council chose to use both the Council’s General Conditions of Contract for Services – Waste, and related Operation Terms and Conditions for this mini-competition. Page 146 of 232
Page 147
3.4 By the closing date set for return of electronic tenders of 12 noon on 13 February 2025, 4 Suppliers had submitted a Tender Submission with 28 Suppliers not responding. 3.5 All 4 Suppliers completed the European Single Procurement Document (ESPD) when applying for a place on the DPS. All Suppliers confirmed within their respective Tender Submission that none of the exclusion criteria as detailed within Regulation 58 of The Public Contracts (Scotland) Regulations 2015 apply to them. 3.6 The 4 Tender Submissions received were evaluated against the set award criteria on a combined weighting of 30.00% Quality and 70.00% Price. The scores relative to the Award Criteria are as follows: Quality (30.00%) Price (70.00%) Total (100.00%) 1 Enva Scotland Limited 30.00% 70.00% 100.00% 2 WRC Recycling Limited 30.00% 69.41% 99.41% 3 J. & M. Murdoch & Son Limited 24.75% 67.16% 91.91% 4 Hamilton Waste and Recycling Limited 24.00% 50.66% 74.66% 3.7 The evaluation of tender submission received identified that the submission by Enva Scotland Limited was the most economically advantageous tender submission. 3.8 Community Benefits were requested as part of the procurement process and Enva Scotland Limited have committed to the following Community Benefits. Community Benefit Description No of People / Activity Non-financial Support for a Social Enterprise within Renfrewshire 1 Financial Support for a Community Project/Group 2 Non-financial Support for a Community Project/Group 2 Implications of the Report 1. Financial The costs for this Contract of up to £500,000 excluding VAT over the four year Contract Period will be met from the Council’s waste disposal revenue budget within Environment, Housing and Infrastructure. Page 147 of 232
Page 148
2. HR & Organisational Development - None directly arising from this report. 3. Community/Council Planning – Place- Working with partners to ensure our neighbourhoods are safe, vibrant, and attractive places to live. Economy - Supporting our citizens, particularly those furthest from the jobs market, into fair work - well paid, fulfilling employment through Community Benefits. Fair- Protecting the most vulnerable members of our communities, including children and young people who are at risk. Green- Working across partners and communities to deliver the priority areas highlighted in our Plan for Net Zero, working towards a net zero Renfrewshire by 2030. Living our Values- Ensuring our journey to net zero is a just transition with climate justice and fairness at the heart, finding opportunities to challenge inequalities in new green ways as we tackle the climate crisis. 4. Legal - The procurement of this Contract was carried out in accordance with the Scotland Excel Dynamic Purchasing System (DPS) for the Treatment and Disposal of Recyclable and Residual Waste, schedule 27/17 using Council terms and conditions as noted in 3.3 and the Council’s Standing Orders Relating to Contracts. 5. Information Technology - None directly arising from this report. 6. Property/Assets - None directly arising from this report. 7. Equality & Human Rights - None directly arising from this report 8. Health & Safety – Enva Scotland Limited’s Health and Safety submission was evaluated by the Council’s Corporate Health and Safety team and meet the requirements regarding health and safety. 9. Procurement - The procurement procedures outlined within this report shall ensure that the Council meets is statutory requirements in respect of procurement procedures, efficiency and modern Government. 10. Risk – Enva Scotland Limited’s insurances have been assessed and evaluated to confirm they meet the requirements regarding insurable risk. 11. Privacy Impact – None directly arising from this report. 12. Climate Risk - The level of impact associated with provision of this service has been assessed using the Scottish Government Sustainability Test and Page 148 of 232
Page 149
this contract will strive towards the Scottish Government’s aims and objectives for a Zero Waste Scotland. 13. Children’s Rights – This report does not cover a new policy, function or strategy nor a substantive change to an existing policy, function or strategy which will have an impact on children’s rights. 14. Cosla Policy Position – None directly arising from this report. _________________________________________________________ List of Background Papers None ___________________________________________________________________ Author: Sam Smith, Procurement Adviser (sam.smith@renfrewshire.gov.uk) Page 149 of 232
Page 150
___________________________________________________________________ To: Finance, Resources and Customer Services Policy Board On: 3 April 2025 ___________________________________________________________________ Report by: The Director of Finance and Resources and the Director of Environment, Housing & Infrastructure Services ___________________________________________________________________ Heading: Contract Authorisation Report for the Supply and Delivery of 3 x 26 Tonne Low Entry Split Lift Refuse Collection Vehicles (RC-CPU-24- 289) ___________________________________________________________________ 1. Summary 1.1 The purpose of this report is to seek the approval of the Finance, Resources and Customer Services Policy Board to award a Call-Off Contract for the Supply and Delivery of 3 x 26 Tonne Low Entry Split Lift Refuse Collection Vehicles (RC-CPU-24-289) to Farid Hillend Engineering Limited. 1.2 The recommendation to award the Call-Off Contract follows a procurement exercise conducted as a mini-competition under Lot 10 (Bodies for Refuse Collection Vehicles) of the Scotland Excel Framework Agreement for Supply and Delivery of Heavy & Municipal Vehicles, reference: 03/21. 1.3 A Contract Strategy was prepared by the Corporate Procurement Unit and Environment, Housing and Infrastructure Services which covered the purchase of vehicles for the vehicle replacement programmes from 2023 to 2027 and was approved by the Director of Environment, Housing & Infrastructure, and the Interim Corporate Procurement Manager in February 2023. An Executive Contract Strategy was prepared by the Corporate Procurement Unit and Environment, Housing and Infrastructure, which covered the purchase of these Refuse Collection Vehicles and was approved by the Director of Item 15 Page 150 of 232
Page 151
Environment, Housing & Infrastructure, and the Interim Corporate Procurement Manager in February 2025. ___________________________________________________________________ 2. Recommendations It is recommended that the Finance, Resources and Customer Services Policy Board: 2.1 Authorises the Head of Corporate Governance to award a Call-Off Contract for the Supply and Delivery of 3 x 26Tonne Low Entry Split Lift Refuse Collection Vehicles (RC-CPU-24-289) to Farid Hillend Engineering Limited, which is awarded under Lot 10 (Bodies for Refuse Collection Vehicles) of the Scotland Excel Framework Agreement for Supply and Delivery of Heavy & Municipal Vehicles, reference: 03/21. 2.2 Authorises the approved contract value of £700,911.00, excluding VAT. 2.3 Note that Farid Hillend Engineering Limited has confirmed that following receipt of the Council’s Letter of Acceptance and Purchase Order, delivery will be made for the vehicles in a phased approach on 29 October 2025, 5 November 2025 and 12 November 2025. Delivery of these vehicles will be made to Fleet Services, Underwood Road, Paisley. _________________________________________________________ 3. Background 3.1 As part of the Vehicle Replacement Programme for 2025/26, Environment, Housing & Infrastructure Services identified a requirement to purchase 3 x 26Tonne Low Entry Split Lift Refuse Collection Vehicles. In accordance with Standing Order 29.5 of the Council’s Standing Order relating to Contracts, the Scotland Excel Framework Agreement for Supply and Delivery of Heavy and Municipal Vehicles, reference: 03/21 (“the Framework”), Lot 10 Bodies for Refuse Collection Vehicles (“Lot 10”) was identified as the best option for these vehicle purchases. 3.2 This procurement exercise was tendered as a mini-competition under the Framework. 3.3 There are 8 Suppliers on Lot 10 of the Framework. All 8 Suppliers were invited to participate in the mini-competition issued on 6 February 2025 with the tender documentation available for downloading from the Public Contract Scotland - Tender platform on this date. Page 151 of 232
Page 152
3.4 By the closing date set for return of electronic tenders of 12 noon on 20 February 2025, 2 Suppliers had submitted a Tender Submission, and 6 Suppliers did not respond. 3.5 The 2 Suppliers who submitted a response confirmed they continued to meet the requirements of the Single Procurement Document (SPD) completed when applying for a place on the Framework. 3.6 The 2 Tender Submissions received were evaluated against the set award criteria of 70.00% price and 30.00% quality. The quality score the Supplier achieved through the Framework evaluation process was carried forward as the quality score attributable for this procurement exercise. The scores achieved by each Supplier are detailed in the table below: Price (70%) Quality (30%) Total (100%) 1 Farid Hillend Engineering Limited 69.00% 27.50% 96.50% 2 Dennis Eagle Limited 70.00% 26.00% 96.00% 3.7 The Tender Submission received by Farid Hillend Engineering Limited was the most economically advantageous tender submission. 3.8 Community Benefits were requested as part of the procurement process and Farid Hillend Engineering Limited confirmed that the following would be delivered as part of this Contract: Community Benefit Description No of People / Activity Industry Awareness Event 5 Industry Skill Transfer to Schools 2 Financial Support for a Social Enterprise or other approved community initiative 1 Non-financial support for a Social Enterprise or other approved community initiative 2 ___________________________________________________________________ Implications of the Report 1. Financial - The cost of £700,911 excluding VAT under this Contract will be funded from the Environment, Housing & Infrastructure Capital budget allocation for the Vehicle Replacement Programme for financial year 2025/26. Page 152 of 232
Page 153
2. HR & Organisational Development – None directly arising from this report. 3. Community/Council Planning – Place - Delivering those strong universal services we all receive, and all rely on - like safe roads, clean and well-lit streets, efficient waste and recycling - making Renfrewshire a great place to live. The contract is for the 3 x 26Tonne Low Entry Split Lift Refuse Collection Vehicles to ensure our neighbourhoods are safe, vibrant, and attractive places to live. 4. Legal - The procurement of this Call-Off Contract was conducted in accordance with the mini-competition requirements of the Scotland Excel Framework Agreement for Supply and Delivery of Heavy & Municipal Vehicles, reference: 03/21 and the Council’s Standing Orders Relating to Contracts. 5. Property/Assets - When delivered the vehicles will replace older Refuse Collection Vehicles and become an integral part of the Council’s fleet. 6. Information Technology - None directly arising from this report. 7. Equality & Human Rights – None directly arising from this report. 8. Health & Safety – Farid Hillend Engineering Limited’s health and safety standards have been assessed and by Corporate Health and Safety and met the Council’s minimum requirements regarding health and safety. 9. Procurement – The procurement procedures outlined within this report shall ensure that the Council meets its statutory requirements in respect of procurement procedures, efficiency and modern Government. 10. Risk – Farid Hillend Engineering Limited’s insurances assessed and evaluated to confirm that they meet the minimum requirement regarding insurance risk. 11. Privacy Impact - None directly arising from this report. 12. Climate Risk – The level of impact associated with provision of the supply of this vehicle has been assessed by Scotland Excel using the Scottish Government Sustainability Test and is low risk. Page 153 of 232
Page 154
• Vehicle Emissions - The continued replacement of current Renfrewshire Council vehicles with new vehicles of Euro 6 emission standards, helps Renfrewshire Council continue to reduce the carbon footprint of the fleet by removing older and less environmentally friendly vehicles. The Council will continue to explore alternative fuelled models including electric, hydrogen and hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) fuelled vehicles. These vehicles are suitable for HVO fuel. 13. Children’s Rights – This report does not cover a new policy, function or strategy nor a substantive change to an existing policy, function or strategy which will have an impact on children’s rights. 14. Cosla Policy Position – None directly arising from this report. _______________________________________________________ List of Background Papers None. ___________________________________________________________________ Author: Kerri-Anne Ben Ammar, Senior Procurement Specialist (kerri- anne.benammar@renfrewshire.gov.uk) Page 154 of 232
Page 155
___________________________________________________________________ To: Finance, Resources and Customer Services Policy Board On: 3 April 2025 ___________________________________________________________________ Report by: The Director of Finance and Resources and the Director of Environment, Housing and Infrastructure ___________________________________________________________________ Heading: Contract Authorisation Report for: Development of Site C1, Dargavel (RC-CPU-24-023) ___________________________________________________________________ 1. Summary 1.1 The purpose of this report is to seek the approval of the Finance, Resources and Customer Services Policy Board to award a Works Contract for Development of Site C1, Dargavel (RC-CPU-24-023) to John McGeady Limited. 1.2 The recommendation to award the Contract follows a procurement exercise conducted in accordance with the Council’s Standing Orders Relating to Contracts 1 January 2024 for a below Regulated (Works) Contract using the Quick Quote Procedure. 1.3 A Contract Strategy was approved by the Interim Strategic Category Manager and the Head of Property Services on 20 January 2025. ___________________________________________________________________ 2. Recommendations It is recommended that the Finance, Resources and Customer Services Policy Board: Item 16 Page 155 of 232
Page 156
2.1 Authorises the Head of Corporate Governance to award a Works Contract in the form of a SBCC Design & Build Contract for use in Scotland (2016 Edition) as amended by the Employer’s Amendments in respect of Development of Site C1, Dargavel (RC-CPU-24-023) to John McGeady Limited. 2.2 Authorises the total Contract Sum of £473,790.89 excluding VAT. 2.3 Authorises a contingency spend of £47,379.09 which equates to 10% of the Contract Sum. 2.4 Authorises a total Approved Contract Value of £521,169.98 which is the total of the Contract Sum plus the contingency spend. 2.5 Note that the Date of Possession of the Site is anticipated to be 28 April 2025 with the Date of Completion is anticipated to be 21 July 2025. The actual dates will be confirmed in the Council’s Letter of Acceptance to John McGeady Limited. _________________________________________________________ 3. Background 3.1 Renfrewshire Council requires a competent and suitably qualified contractor to design and build a new car and bus park facility to be able to drop off and pick up pupils safely away from the public road. The Contracts works include groundworks, drainage, road surfacing and line marking. Other components of the Contract include installation of street lighting and CCTV infrastructure, guardrails, fencing to match pre-existing fences with corresponding gates within and soft landscaping. 3.2 A Quick Quote procurement process was utilised for this Contract. To initiate this procurement process seven organisations were invited to participate in the Quick Quote. The tender documentation was published on Public Contracts Scotland – Tender portal on Monday 27 January 2025 with the tender documentation available for downloading from the PCS-Tender portal from this date. .3.3 By the closing date set for the return of electronic Quotation Responses, 5pm on 17 February 2025, two organisations submitted a tender response, two organisations did not respond, and three organisations declined to respond due to the Quick Quote timescales. CPU issued a feedback request to the organisations that did not submit a tender response; however, no feedback has been provided to date. Page 156 of 232
Page 157
3.4 In accordance with the Council’s Standing Orders Relating to Contracts 1 January 2024, Bidders were required to complete a Single Procurement Document (SPD) to be submitted with their quotation response. The two quotation responses were evaluated against a pre- determined set of criteria in the form of the SPD by representatives from the following Council Services: Property Services, the Corporate Procurement Unit, Corporate Risk and Corporate Health & Safety. 3.5 The two quotation responses received complied with the minimum selection criteria of the SPD. The two quotation responses were each evaluated against the Award Criteria which were based on a weighting of 60.00% Price and 40.00% Quality. 3.6 The scores relative to the Award Criteria for each of the quotation responses are noted below: Company Price (60%) Quality (40%) Total (100%) John McGeady Limited 60.00% 25.00% 85.00% City Gate Construction (Scotland) Limited 52.61% 30.00% 82.61% 3.7 The evaluation of quotation responses received identified that the submission by John McGeady Limited was the most economically advantageous tender. 3.8 The form of contract is SBCC Design & Build Contract for use in Scotland (2016 Edition) as amended by the Employer’s Amendments. 3.9 The costs for this Contract will be met from the Capital – General Services Budget. 3.10 Community Benefits were requested as part of the procurement process and John McGeady Limited confirmed that the following Community Benefits would be made available to the Council for this Contract: ___________________________________________________________________ Community Benefit Description No of People / Activity Industry Awareness Events • Schools • Invest in Renfrewshire – Employability • Further Education 2 Business advice/support to a local SME /Social Enterprise/ Voluntary organisation 1 Page 157 of 232
Page 158
Implications of the Report 1. Financial - Financial and Economic Standing have been assessed as part of the tender selection criteria – which John McGeady Limited met. The cost of up to £521,169.98 excluding VAT for the Contract period will be met through the Capital – General Services budget. 2. HR & Organisational Development - None directly arising from this report. 3. Community/Council Planning – Our Renfrewshire is thriving • Making sure the infrastructure is in place to support growth in local economy and population (such as housing, transport and schools) Place • Adopting a 'placeshaping' approach to developing our communities - working together to maximise our collective impact and influence across economic, social, physical, cultural and environmental policies and practices • Delivering those strong universal services we all receive, and all rely on - like safe roads, clean and well-lit streets, efficient waste and recycling - making Renfrewshire a great place to live Economy • Improving lives and securing wellbeing through a stronger, inclusive and sustainable economy, being creative, imaginative and linking opportunities to enhance the benefits for Renfrewshire. Living Our Values • Ensuring Renfrewshire Council delivers Best Value for our citizens and customers, that we are a well governed, effective organisation. 4. Legal - The Procurement of this Contract was conducted as a below Regulated (Works) Quick Quote Procurement Procedure in accordance with the Council’s Standing Orders Relating to Contracts 1 January 2024. Page 158 of 232
Page 159
5. Property/Assets – This will provide a new car and bus park facility on Site C1 at Dargavel Primary School, which will allow pupils to be safely dropped off and picked up. Including the installation of street lighting and CCTV infrastructure, guardrails, fencing and soft landscaping. 6. Information Technology - None directly arising from this report. 7. Equality & Human Rights - None directly arising from this report. 8. Health & Safety – John McGeady Limited Health and Safety Submission was evaluated by the Council’s Corporate Health & Safety team and meet the minimum requirements regarding health & safety. 9. Procurement – The procurement procedure outlined within this report ensures that the Council meets its statutory requirements in respect of procurement procedures, efficiency and modern government. 10. Risk – John McGeady Limited was evaluated by the Council’s Risk team and meet the Council’s minimum requirements. 11. Privacy Impact - None directly arising from this report. 12. Climate Risk – The level of impact associated with the Development of Site C1, Dargavel has been assessed using the Scottish Government Sustainability Test and are considered to be high risk. In order to mitigate these risks the Contractor will: • implement waste management plans to reduce, reuse and recycle construction waste • be registered to dispose of the waste themselves or appoint a sub-contractor that is registered and licensed to dispose of the waste. 13. Children’s Rights –This report demonstrates compliance with Article 3 (best interest of child) of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. This will provide a new car and bus park facility to be able to drop off and pick up pupils safely away from the public road. 14. Cosla Policy Position – None directly arising from this report. _______________________________________________________ List of Background Papers None ___________________________________________________________________ Author: Stuart McLean, Procurement Adviser, stuart.mclean@renfrewshire.gov.uk Page 159 of 232
Page 160
___________________________________________________________________ To: Finance, Resources and Customer Service Policy Board On: 3 April 2025 ___________________________________________________________________ Report by: The Director of Environment, Housing and Infrastructure and Director of Finance and Resources ___________________________________________________________________ Heading: Contract Authorisation Report – School Kitchen Expansion Phase 2 – RC-CPU-24-089 ___________________________________________________________________ 1. Summary 1.1 The purpose of this report is to seek the approval of the Finance, Resources and Customer Services Policy Board to enter into a Contract for the School Kitchen Extensions – Phase 2 (RC-CPU-24- 089) to City Gate Construction (Scotland) Limited. 1.2 The recommendation to award the Contract follows a procurement exercise conducted in accordance with Renfrewshire Council’s Standing Orders Relating to Contracts 1 January 2024 for a below Regulated (Works) Contract using the below GPA Open Procedure. 1.3 A Contract Strategy was approved by the Head of Property Services and the Interim Corporate Procurement Manager on 20 December 2024. ___________________________________________________________________ 2. Recommendations It is recommended that the Finance, Resources and Customer Services Policy Board: 2.1 Authorises the Head of Corporate Governance to award a Works Contract in the form of SBCC Standard Building Contract Without Quantities for use in Scotland (SBC/XQ/Scot), 2011 Edition supplemented and amended by the Employer's Amendments for the School Kitchen Expansion Phase 2 (RC-CPU-24-089), to City Gate Construction (Scotland) Limited. Item 17 Page 160 of 232
Page 161
2.2 Authorises the award of the Contract for the Tendered Contract Sum of £885,970.78 excluding VAT. 2.3 Authorises a contingency spend of £88,597.07 excluding VAT which equates to 10% of the Tendered Contract Sum. 2.4 Authorises a total Approved Contract Value of £974,567.85 excluding VAT, which is the total of the Tendered Contract Sum plus the contingency spend excluding VAT. 2.5 Note that the Date of Possession is anticipated to be 12 June 2025 with the Date for Completion anticipated to be 9 October 2025. The actual dates will be confirmed in the Council’s Letter of Acceptance to City Gate Construction (Scotland) Limited. _________________________________________________________ 3. Background 3.1. In June 2021 the Scottish Government announced the expansion of free school lunches to all P4 pupils from August 2021, P5 pupils from January 2022 and P6 and P7 and all ASN pupils from August 2022. The policy for P6 and P7 pupils was amended to apply only to families in receipt of the Scottish Child Payment and then delayed to 2025. 3.2. Implementation of the P4 and P5 free school lunch expansion was undertaken and delivered with minimum alterations to the existing school meals provision. However, to be able to expand the free lunches to P6 and P7 pupils, kitchen upgrades are required to be undertaken within schools. 3.3. The Council expanded the school kitchens within Barsail, Bushes, St. James and Mossvale primary schools during 2023. 3.4. The Council requires expansion works to be completed at the following Primary Schools; Heriot, Kilbarchan, St Margaret's, and Our Lady Of Peace (OLOP). The works required are to strip out the existing kitchen units, appliances, finishes and their related mechanical and electrical installations, and replace with new kitchen units, new appliances, new finishes and related mechanical and electrical installations. 3.5. The procurement exercise for this Contract was conducted in accordance with the Open Procedure under the Council’s Standing Orders relating to Contracts 1 January 2024 for a below GPA Threshold Works Contract. Page 161 of 232
Page 162
3.6. To initiate this procurement process, a Contract Notice was published on Public Contracts Scotland advertising portal on 24 December 2024, with the tender documentation available for downloading from the Public Contract Scotland – Tender portal from this date. 3.7. During the live tender period, 27 organisations expressed an interest. By the closing date set for the return of electronic tender submissions, 12 noon on 13 February 2025, 6 organisations submitted a response, 6 declined to respond and 15 organisations did not respond. 3.8. In accordance with the Council’s Standing Order relating to Contracts standing order 11.5, Tenderers were required to complete a Single Procurement Document (SPD) to be submitted with their submission. The 6 tender submissions were evaluated against a pre-determined set of criteria in the form of the SPD by representatives from the following Council services: Environment, Housing and Infrastructure, the Corporate Procurement Unit, Corporate Risk, and Health & Safety. 3.9. The tender submissions received complied with the minimum criteria within the SPD and were evaluated against the Award Criteria of 45.00% Quality and 55.00% Price. 3.10. The scores relative to the Award Criteria for the Tender Submission are noted below: 3.11. The evaluation of tender submissions received identified that the submission by City Gate Construction (Scotland) was the most economically advantageous tender submission. 3.12. The form of Contract is SBCC Standard Building Contract Without Quantities for use in Scotland (SBC/XQ/Scot), 2011 Edition supplemented and amended by the Employer's Amendments. Tenderer Name Quality Score (45%) Price Score (55%) Total Score (100%) City Gate Construction (Scotland) Limited 45.00% 55.00% 100.00% A. Alexander & Son (Electrical) Limited 33.75% 54.39% 88.14% Emtec Group Limited 36.50% 50.94% 87.44% Integrated Environments Limited 38.75% 48.25% 87.00% PM C Commercial Ltd 31.75% 53.61% 85.36% W. H. Kirkwood Limited 27.00% 52.05% 79.05% Page 162 of 232
Page 163
3.13. Community Benefits were requested as part of the Contract and City Gate Construction (Scotland) Limited have offered the following community benefits: Community Benefit Outcome Description No of People / Activity Work Experience Placement for an individual 16+ years of age 4 Work Experience Placement for an individual in full time education 2 Industry Awareness Events • Schools • Invest in Renfrewshire – Employability • Further Education 2 Industry Skill Transfer to Schools. 1 ___________________________________________________________________ Implications of the Report 1. Financial - The Contract is funded from increased General Capital Grant from the Scottish Government in support of the Free School Meals Programme. The approved Contract value will be up to a maximum value of £956,645.55, excluding VAT, for the 23-week Contract period. 2. HR & Organisational Development - None directly arising from this report. 3. Community/Council Planning – Place - Working together to enhance wellbeing across communities; • Developing our relationship with, listening to and involving our communities in the shaping of their future, particularly around the Council's investment and budgeting decisions, and ensuring that a wide range of voices and views are heard Economy - building an inclusive, green and resilient economy; • Improving lives and securing wellbeing through a stronger, inclusive and sustainable economy, being creative, imaginative and linking opportunities to enhance the benefits for Renfrewshire • Creating sustainable employment opportunities for people who live in Renfrewshire, attracting good employers to the area and encouraging growth of businesses already operating here, ensuring that all people can benefit from the inclusive growth in Renfrewshire Page 163 of 232
Page 164
• Supporting our citizens, particularly those furthest from the jobs market, into fair work - well paid, fulfilling employment • Matching the skills developed in Renfrewshire with the opportunities available in Renfrewshire and equipping all children and young people to achieve success in life Fair - nurturing bright, happy and healthy futures for all; • Reducing inequalities in Renfrewshire, focusing on supporting our communities through the cost-of-living crisis with dignity and empowering people to live fulfilled lives • Empowering people with lived experience of poverty and inequalities to influence decision making and service delivery • Working with a range of partners to support the improved health and wellbeing of our citizens, including for people experiencing loneliness and isolation • Protecting the most vulnerable members of our communities, including children and young people who are at risk • Supporting and nurturing children and families, with particular focus on early intervention and mental health and wellbeing, to ensure positive outcomes for children and young people • Placing the rights and needs of every child and young person at the centre of our decision making and service delivery • Promoting a shared vision and refreshed understanding of inclusion for our children and young people Green - leading Renfrewshire to Net Zero; and • Ensuring our journey to net zero is a just transition with climate justice and fairness at the heart, finding opportunities to challenge inequalities in new green ways as we tackle the climate crisis • Integrating climate considerations into our long term strategic and financial planning as an organisation • Planning for future climate adaptations when designing our services and our developing our place, particularly considering the impacts for our most vulnerable citizens Living Our Values - making a difference together • Ensuring Renfrewshire Council delivers Best Value for our citizens and customers, that we are a well governed, effective organisation 4. Legal - This procurement exercise was carried out an Open Procedure for a below GPA threshold for a works contract in accordance the Council’s Standing Orders relating to Contracts. Page 164 of 232
Page 165
5. Property/Assets This Contract will facilitate the upgrade of the School Kitchens within Heriot, Kilbarchan, St Margaret's, and Our Lady Of Peace (OLOP) Primary Schools. This will ensure that the Council’s assets are upgraded to a proper standard and maintained in a manner that complies with statutory legislation. 6. Information Technology – None directly arising from this report. 7. Equality & Human Rights - None directly arising from this report. 8. Health & Safety - City Gate Construction (Scotland) Limited’s health and safety submissions have been evaluated by the Corporate Health and Safety team and met the Council’s minimum requirements regarding health and safety. 9. Procurement – The procurement procedures outlined within this report ensures that the Council meets its statutory requirements in respect of procurement procedures, efficiency and modern Government. 10. Risk - City Gate Construction (Scotland) Limited’s insurances have been assessed and evaluated to confirm that they have met the minimum requirements regarding insurable risk. 11. Privacy Impact - None directly arising from this report. 12. Climate Risk – The level of impact associated with provision of these works has been assessed using the Scottish Government Sustainability Test and is considered high risk. Carbon Energy Consumption – The Contract will include the purchase of high energy items such as ovens, hobs, fryers and dishwashers. The Council set out the specification to ensure that the items being procured as part of this Contract are to the highest energy efficiency rating available. Waste and Efficient Resource Consumption – The Contractor will be required to consider waste reduction and recycling measures while undertaking these works. This Contract will include the removal of old kitchen equipment. Where applicable, the old equipment will be re- used/re-purposed to avoid landfill. 13. Children’s Rights – This will have a positive effect on provision 24 of the 42 UNCRC provisions. This provision of this Contract will enable the Council to provide children with food for every school day. Page 165 of 232
Page 166
14. Cosla Policy Position – COSLA has agreed to work with the Scottish Government to expand the provision of Free School Meals to all primary school pupils. _____________________________________________________ List of Background Papers - None ___________________________________________________________________ Author: Louise Bishop Procurement Adviser – louise.bishop@renfrewshire.gov.uk Page 166 of 232
Page 167
___________________________________________________________________ To: Finance, Resources and Customer Services Policy Board On: 3 April 2025 ___________________________________________________________________ Report by: The Director of Finance and Resources and the Director of Environment, Housing and Infrastructure ___________________________________________________________________ Heading: Contract Authorisation Report for Bus Shelter Advertising, Cleaning and Maintenance (RC-CPU-22-212) ___________________________________________________________________ 1. Summary 1.1 The purpose of this report is to seek the approval of the Finance, Resources and Customer Services Policy Board to award a Contract for Bus Shelter Advertising, Cleaning and Maintenance, reference RC- CPU-22-212, to Clear Channel UK Limited. 1.2 The recommendation to award the Contract follows a procurement exercise conducted as an Open Procedure below the Procurement Regulations threshold for a Concession contract. 1.3 A Contract Strategy was approved by the Strategic Category Manager and the Head of Climate, Public Protection and Roads on 27 June 2024. ___________________________________________________________________ 2. Recommendations It is recommended that the Finance, Resources and Customer Services Policy Board: Item 18 Page 167 of 232
Page 168
2.1 Authorises the Head of Corporate Governance to award the Contract for Bus Shelter Advertising, Cleaning and Maintenance to Clear Channel UK Limited. 2.2 Note that the intended Award Date is 2 June 2025, and the Expiry Date is 1 June 2035. The actual dates will be confirmed in the Letter of Acceptance. 2.3 Note that the Contract is anticipated to generate an income to the Council of £519,500.00 excluding VAT over the Contract Period. 2.4 Note that the Contract includes provision for annual increases to income generated under the Contract, which will be in line with the Consumer Price Index and capped at a maximum of 3% per annum. This income would be in addition to the anticipated value stated in 2.3 above. _________________________________________________________ 3. Background 3.1 The Council has a requirement for a Contractor to develop advertising opportunities on bus shelters, owned by the Council across the Renfrewshire Council area and maximise income generation for the Council. In addition, as part of the Contract, the Contractor shall also clean and maintain all bus shelters except for the 6 bespoke bus shelters on Gauze Street which will be cleaned by the Contractor but maintained by the Council. 3.2 This procurement exercise was conducted as a below Procurement Regulations value Open Procedure for a Concession Contract. 3.3 A Contract Notice was published on the Public Contracts Scotland advertising portal on 12 November 2024 and the tender documentation was available for downloading from the Public Contracts Scotland – Tender platform on the same date. 3.4 During the tender period, 11 organisations expressed an interest in the Contract. By the closing date for return of electronic tenders, 12 noon on 20 January 2025, 1 company had submitted a response, 1 declined to respond and 9 others did not respond. 3.5 The Tender Submission received was evaluated against a pre- determined set of criteria in the form of the Single Procurement Document (SPD) Scotland as required by the Council’s Standing Orders Relating to Contracts, clause 11.5, by representatives from the following Council Services: Corporate Procurement Unit, Health and Page 168 of 232
Page 169
Safety and Risk. These representatives assessed the SPD Scotland, for competence, expertise and economic and financial standing. The Tenderer was assessed as meeting the minimum criteria following the methodology stated in the Invitation to Tender. 3.6 The Tender Submission was then evaluated against the published set of Award Criteria which were based upon a price/quality ratio of 60.00% price and 40.00% quality. 3.7 The scores relative to the Award Criteria for the Tenderer are noted below: Price (60.00%) Quality (40.00%) Total (100.00%) 1 Clear Channel UK Limited 60.00% 39.50% 99.50% 3.8 The Council assessed Clear Channel UK Limited’s Tender Submission against the criteria set out in the procurement documents and determined that it met the Council’s requirements. Following conclusion of the evaluation, the Council recognised opportunities to improve Clear Channel UK Limited’s Tender Submission therefore approval to undertake post tender negotiations (PTN) was sought from the Interim Corporate Procurement Manager. As a result of PTN, the Council was able to secure better value for money which will result in increased income generated through the Contract. 3.9 This Contract is anticipated to generate an income to the Council of £519,500.00 excluding VAT over the Contract Period. 3.10 Community Benefits were requested as part of the procurement process and Clear Channel UK Limited have committed to the following Community Benefits: Community Benefit Description No of People / Activity Financial Support for a Social Enterprise or other approved community initiative 50 ___________________________________________________________________ Implications of the Report 1. Financial – This Contract will increase Council income by approximately £519,500.00 excluding VAT over the Contract Period of 10 years. The anticipated Award Date is 2 June 2025. Page 169 of 232
Page 170
2. HR & Organisational Development – None directly arising from this report. 3. Community/Council Planning – Place: this Contract will ensure that all bus shelters within Renfrewshire are cleaned and maintained during the Contract Period. 4. Legal –This procurement exercise was conducted as an Open Procedure relating to a Concession Contract for a contract value below the Procurement Regulations threshold for a Concession contract and above the Threshold required for approval at this Board. 5. Property/Assets – this Contract will ensure that all bus shelters within Renfrewshire are cleaned and maintained during the Contract Period. 6. Information Technology – None directly arising from this report. 7. Equality & Human Rights - None directly arising from this report. 8. Health & Safety – Clear Channel UK Limited’s Health and Safety policies and procedures were evaluated by Corporate Health and Safety and met the Council’s requirements regarding Health and Safety. 9. Procurement – the procurement procedures outlined within this report ensures compliance with the Council’s Standing Orders relating to Contracts. 10. Risk – Clear Channel UK Limited’s insurances have been assessed and evaluated to confirm that they meet the requirements regarding insurance risk. 11. Privacy Impact – None directly arising from this report. 12. Climate Risk – the level of impact associated with provision of these works have been assessed using the Scottish Government Sustainability Test and is considered low risk. Clear Channel UK Limited will deliver the service in a manner that minimises the impact their activities will have on the environment. 13. Children’s Rights – none arising directly from this report. Page 170 of 232
Page 171
14. Cosla Policy Position – none arising directly from this report. _______________________________________________________ List of Background Papers None ___________________________________________________________________ Author: Brian Bradley, Assistant Category Manager, 0141 487 1522, brian.bradley@renfrewshire.gov.uk Page 171 of 232
Page 172
___________________________________________________________________ To: Finance, Resources and Customer Services Policy Board On: 3 April 2025 ___________________________________________________________________ Report by: The Director of Finance and Resources and the Director of Environment, Housing and Infrastructure ___________________________________________________________________ Heading: Contract Authorisation Report for Scottish Procurement Framework Agreement for the Supply of Natural Gas ___________________________________________________________________ 1. Summary 1.1 The purpose of this report is to inform the Finance, Resources and Customer Services Policy Board of the new collaborative Scottish Procurement Framework Agreement for the Supply of Natural Gas established by Scottish Procurement (Scottish Procurement is part of the Scottish Government and acts on behalf of Scottish Ministers to implement procurement policies and processes), and to note the Council’s estimated annual spend under this Framework. The Council’s gas requirements are procured via this Framework. 1.2 The new Scottish Procurement Framework Agreement for the Supply of Natural Gas period is from 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2027 (with Scottish Procurements options for a further three annual extensions to 31 March 2030). The Council’s Call-Off Contract starts on 1 April 2025 to 31 March 2027 (with options for a further three annual extensions to 31 March 2030). This is a Sole Supplier Framework, and the appointed provider is TotalEnergies Gas and Power Limited. ___________________________________________________________________ Item 19 Page 172 of 232
Page 173
2. Recommendations It is recommended that the Finance, Resources and Customer Services Policy Board: 2.1 notes the contents of this Report. 2.2 notes that the Council’s annual spend for gas under this Scottish Procurement Framework Agreement for the Supply of Natural Gas is estimated to be £2.5 million, excluding VAT. The total estimated spend under this Call-Off Contract (including the extension periods) is £13 million, excluding VAT. _________________________________________________________ 3. Background 3.1 Scottish Procurement formally known as Procurement Scotland was launched in March 2008 with a remit of developing and implementing procurement strategies for national commodities on behalf of all Scottish public bodies. 3.2 Scottish Procurement is the delegated third party who acts on behalf of Scottish Public Bodies through an Agency Agreement to ensure the cost-effective procurement of gas supplies. The existing Agency Agreement in place between Renfrewshire Council and the Scottish Ministers, which allowed the Scottish Procurement and Commercial Directorate to place any Call-Off Contract on the Council’s behalf under a relevant framework agreement was signed by the Chief Executive on behalf of Renfrewshire Council on 13 March 2012. 3.3 The previous Scottish Procurement Framework Agreement for the Supply of Natural Gas for the Scottish public sector expired on 31 March 2024. This recently expired framework agreement was a sole supplier framework with TotalEnergies Gas and Power Limited as the appointed provider. From 2022/23 to date, the Council has spent £8.6 million on the supply of gas under the previous framework agreement. 3.4 Following the award of the new Scottish Procurement Framework Agreement for the Supply of Natural Gas, the Framework period was live from 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2027 with the Scottish Ministers option to extend for up to 3 years to 31 March 2030 in single year extensions, with public sector access from 1 April 2025. 3.5 The Council’s Call-Off Contract starts on 1 April 2025 to 31 March 2027, (with options for a further three annual extensions to 31 March 2030). This is a Sole Supplier Framework, and the appointed provider is TotalEnergies Gas and Power Limited. Page 173 of 232
Page 174
3.6 Scottish Procurement, on behalf of Renfrewshire Council, will sign a Supply Contract with TotalEnergies Gas and Power Limited. There are three agreements which form part of these contractual commitments: 1. Scottish Procurement Framework Agreement for the Supply of Natural Gas SP-23-03 between Scottish Procurement and TotalEnergies Gas and Power Limited. 2. Agency Agreement between Scottish Procurement and Renfrewshire Council. 3. Supply Contract Call-off Contract between Renfrewshire Council and TotalEnergies Gas and Power Limited. ___________________________________________________________________ Implications of the Report 1. Financial – The estimated forecasted spend of this Call-Off Contract over the period including extensions 1 April 2025 to 31 March 2030 is £13 million, excluding VAT. 2. HR & Organisational Development – None directly arising from this report. 3. Community/Council Planning – None directly arising from this report. 4. Legal – There is a pre-existing Agency Agreement (The Scottish Procurement Agency Agreement relating to the supply of Electricity & Natural Gas between Renfrewshire Council and The Scottish Ministers) which details the level of authority granted to Scottish Procurement by Renfrewshire Council to act on its behalf in awarding these types of supply contract. 5. Property/Assets – None directly arising from this report. 6. Information Technology – None directly arising from this report. 7. Equality & Human Rights – None directly arising from this report. 8. Health & Safety – None directly arising from this report. 9. Procurement – The procurement procedures outlined within this report were undertaken by Scottish Procurement who would have ensured that statutory requirements were met in respect of procurement procedures. The Council’s Procurement department were not involved in this purchase. Page 174 of 232
Page 175
10. Risk – This would have been assessed and evaluated by Scottish Procurement at Framework level and confirmed that they meet the minimum requirements. 11. Privacy Impact – None directly arising from this report. 12. Climate Risk – Scottish Procurement confirmed that they carried out a sustainability test at framework level. 13. Children’s Rights – None directly arising from this report. 14. Cosla Policy Position – None directly arising from this report. _______________________________________________________ List of Background Papers (a) None ___________________________________________________________________ Author: Brad Cooper, Procurement Assistant, Corporate Procurement Unit, brad.cooper@renfrewshire.gov.uk Page 175 of 232
Page 176
___________________________________________________________________ To: Finance, Resources and Customer Services Policy Board On: 3 April 2025 ___________________________________________________________________ Report by: The Director of Environment, Housing and Infrastructure and the Director of Finance and Resources ___________________________________________________________________ Heading: Contract Authorisation Report for: Renfrewshire House Archive Store Roof Concrete Slab Waterproofing Works (RC-CPU-24-070) ___________________________________________________________________ 1. Summary 1.1 The purpose of this report is to seek the approval of the Finance, Resources and Customer Services Policy Board to award a Works Contract for Renfrewshire House Archive Store Roof Concrete Slab Waterproofing Works, (RC-CPU-24-070) to W.H. Kirkwood Limited. 1.2 The recommendation to award the Contract follows a procurement exercise which was conducted in accordance with the Council’s Standing Orders Relating to Contracts 1 January 2024 for a below Regulated (Works) contract using the Quick Quote Procedure. 1.3 A Quotation Request Form was approved by the Interim Strategic Category Manager on the 11 December 2024 and the Project Manager on 13 December 2024. ___________________________________________________________________ 2. Recommendations It is recommended that the Finance, Resources and Customer Services Policy Board: 2.1 Authorises the Head of Corporate Governance to award a Contract for Renfrewshire House Archive Store Roof Concrete Slab Waterproofing Works (RC-CPU-24-070) to W. H. Kirkwood Limited. Item 20 Page 176 of 232
Page 177
2.2 Authorises the Tendered Contract Sum of £219,475.85, excluding VAT. 2.3 Authorises a contingency spend of £21,947.59 which equates to 10% of the Contract Sum. 2.4 Authorises a total Approved Contract Value of £241,423.44 (which is the total of the Contract Sum plus the contingency spend). 2.5 Note the Date of Commencement of the Works is 1 May 2025, and the Date for Completion of the Works is 24 July 2025. Any changes to these dates will be confirmed in the Council’s Letter of Acceptance to W. H. Kirkwood Limited. _________________________________________________________ 3. Background 3.1 Renfrewshire Council requires a competent and suitably qualified contractor to remove existing concrete screed and slabs from the main ramp at Renfrewshire House and install new spray applied waterproof membrane, reinstalling screed and slabs to original lines and level. 3.2 A Quick Quote procurement process was utilised for this Contract. To initiate this procurement process 6 organisations were invited to participate in the Quick Quote. The tender documentation was published on Public Contracts Scotland – Tender portal on 9 January 2025 with the tender documentation available for downloading from the PCS-Tender portal from this date. 3.3 By the closing date set for the return of electronic tender submissions, 12 noon on 6 February 2025, 3 organisations submitted a tender response, 2 organisations did not respond, and 1 organisation declined to respond due to the timescales. CPU issued a feedback request from the organisations that did not submit a tender response; however, no feedback has been provided to date. 3.4 In accordance with the Council’s Standing Orders Relating to Contracts 1 January 2024, Tenderers were required to complete a Single Procurement Document (SPD) to be submitted as part of their Quotation Response. All 3 Quotation Responses were evaluated against a pre-determined set of criteria in the form of the SPD by representatives from the following Council Services: Property Services, the Corporate Procurement Unit, Corporate Risk and Corporate Health & Safety. 3.5 During the technical evaluation period 1 tenderer was deemed non- compliant as it did not meet the Specification required. Page 177 of 232
Page 178
3.6 The remaining 2 Quotation Responses received complied with the minimum selection criteria of the SPD. The 2 Quotation Responses were each evaluated against the Award Criteria which were based on a weighting of 70.00% Price and 30.00% Quality. 3.7 The scores relative to the Award Criteria for each of the remaining two Quotation Responses are noted below: Company Price (70%) Quality (30%) Total (100%) W. H. Kirkwood Limited 70.00% 27.50% 97.50% Hugh L S McConnell Limited 38.59% 26.25% 64.84% 3.8 The evaluation of Quotation Responses received identified that the submission by W. H. Kirkwood Limited was the most economically advantageous tender. 3.9 The form of Contract is SBCC Minor Work Building Contract Scotland (MW/Scot) 2016 Edition including the Employer’s Amendments. 3.10 Community Benefits were requested as part of the procurement process and W. H. Kirkwood Limited confirmed that the following Community Benefits would be made available to the Council for this Contract: __________________________________________________________________ Implications of the Report 1. Financial - Financial and Economic Standing have been assessed as part of the tender selection criteria – which W. H. Kirkwood Limited met. The Approved Contract Value of up to £241,423.44 excluding VAT will be met through the Capital – General Services budget. 2. HR & Organisational Development – None directly arising from this report. 3. Community/Council Planning – • Green - Integrating climate considerations into our long term strategic and financial planning as an organisation Community Benefit Description No of People / Activity Work Experience Placement for an individual 16+ years of age 1 Page 178 of 232
Page 179
• Living Our Values - Ensuring Renfrewshire Council delivers Best Value for our citizens and customers, that we are a well governed, effective organisation. 4. Legal - The Procurement for this Contract was conducted as a below Regulated (Works) Quick Quote Procurement Procedure in accordance with the Council’s Standing Orders Relating to Contracts 1 January 2024. 5. Property/Assets – This Contract will remove existing concrete screed and slabs from Renfrewshire House main ramp and install new spray applied waterproof to protect the contents of the Archive Store. 6. Information Technology - None directly arising from this report. 7. Equality & Human Rights - None directly arising from this report. 8. Health & Safety – W. H. Kirkwood Limited health and safety credentials are currently being evaluated by Corporate Health and Safety. 9. Procurement – The procurement procedure outlined within this report ensures that the Council meets its statutory requirements in respect of procurement procedures, efficiency and modern government. 10. Risk - W. H. Kirkwood Limited insurances have been assessed and evaluated to confirm that they meet the requirements regarding insurance risk. 11. Privacy Impact - None directly arising from this report. 12. Climate Risk – Mitigations the Council has taken in regard to sustainability within this Contract include: - The Contractor to complete and submit Climate Change Plan document for information - The Contractor has provided evidence of UKAS (or equivalent) accredited independent third party certificate of compliance with BS EN ISO 14001 (or equivalent) or a valid EMAS (or equivalent) certificate 13. Children’s Rights – None directly arising from this report. 14. Cosla Policy Position – None directly arising from this report. _______________________________________________________ Page 179 of 232
Page 180
List of Background Papers None ___________________________________________________________________ Author: Stuart McLean, Procurement Adviser, stuart.mclean@renfrewshire.gov.uk Page 180 of 232
Page 181
___________________________________________________________________ To: Finance, Resource and Customer Services Policy Board On: 3 April 2025 ___________________________________________________________________ Report by: The Director of Finance and Resources and the Director of Environment, Housing and Infrastructure ___________________________________________________________________ Heading: Four Contracts for Housing Support Services - Provision of a Floating Support Service x 2 RC-CPU-24-251 and RC-CPU-24-268, Provision of a Housing First Service RC-CPU-24-254 and Make it Your Own: 1-2-1 Support (Creative Tenancies) RC-CPU-24-269 ___________________________________________________________________ 1. Summary 1.1 The purpose of this report is to seek the approval of the Finance, Resources and Customer Services Policy Board to enter into four separate Contracts for Housing Support Services as detailed in 2.1 below. 1.2 The procurement exercise for each of these Contracts was conducted under the Negotiated Procedure in accordance with the Procurement Reform (Scotland) Act 2014 and the Council’s Standing Orders relating to Contracts for Health and Social Care Services. 1.3 A Contract Strategy covering all four Contracts was approved by the Head of Housing Services and the Interim Corporate Procurement Manager on 4 February 2025. ___________________________________________________________________ 2. Recommendations It is recommended that the Finance, Resources and Customer Services Policy Board: 2.1 Authorises the Head of Corporate Governance to enter into four separate Contracts for the following Services: Item 21 Page 181 of 232
Page 182
a. RC-CPU-24-251 Provision of a Floating Support Service to Turning Point Scotland (Company Registration Number SC194639), for a contract period of 10 months and for a value of up to £208,330 excluding VAT, with the option to extend for 12 months for an additional value of up to £249,996 excluding VAT. The total value if the extension option is taken is up to a maximum of £458,326 excluding VAT. b. RC-CPU-24-268 Provision of a Floating Support Service to RAMH (Company Registration Number SC141458), for a contract period of 10 months for a value of up to £97,500 excluding VAT, with the option to extend for 12 months for an additional value of up to £117,000 excluding VAT. The total value if extension option is taken is up to a maximum of £214,500 excluding VAT. c. RC-CPU-24-254 Provision of a Housing First Service to Blue Triangle (Glasgow) Housing Association Limited (Company Registration Number SP1835RS), for a contract period of 10 months for a value of up to £171,875 excluding VAT, with the option to extend for 12 months for an additional value of up to £206,250 excluding VAT. The total value if extension option is taken is up to a maximum of £378,125 excluding VAT. d. RC-CPU-24-269 Make it Your Own: 1-2-1 Support (Creative Tenancies) to Impact Arts (Projects) Limited (Company Registration Number SC225422), for a contract period of 10 months for a value of up to £103,333 excluding VAT, with the option to extend for 12 months for an additional value of up to £124,000 excluding VAT. The total value if extension option is taken is up to a maximum of £227,333 excluding VAT. 2.1.1 Any extension to an individual Contract will be at the discretion of Renfrewshire Council and subject to both funding being available and satisfactory operation and performance during the initial period of the respective Contract. 2.2 To note that each of these four Contracts are intended to commence on 1 June 2025, but where this is not achieved the exact Commencement Date will be confirmed in the respective Council Letter of Acceptance. _________________________________________________________ Page 182 of 232
Page 183
3. Background 3.1 These Contracts cover the provision of Housing Support and Floating Support Services across the Renfrewshire Council area and will replace existing contracts which are due to expire on 31 May 2025. 3.2 The Contracts will support people to maintain their tenancies, providing stability and avoiding homelessness; paragraph 3.3 below provides a more detailed summary of each service being provided under these Contracts. They will offer a range of support appropriate to the individual, and approximately 320 service users per year will benefit from the support provided via these contracts. This may include mental health support, addictions support or other services assessed as appropriate. 3.3 The Contracts provide support on the following basis: Provision of a Floating Support Service (2 contracts) The respective Providers will offer a range of services including housing support and practical support to meet the assessed needs and outcomes of the service users. The services delivered will vary, being flexible and responsive to meet the needs and outcomes of each individual service user. Provision of a Housing First Service (1 contract) The Provider will deliver similar services to the Floating Support Services, however the services delivered under this contract are designed to meet the Scottish Government homeless policy initiative for rapid re-housing. Housing First is an innovative approach to providing wrap around support for someone who is homeless to be able to access and sustain settled accommodation. Make it Your Own: 1-2-1 Support (Creative Tenancies) (1 contract) The Provider will offer people, referred by the Council's Housing Service, who are moving into their first tenancies, with free creative workshops to help plan and design personalisation of their new home. 3.4 For each of these four Contracts, the Interim Corporate Procurement Manager has approved the procurement of a negotiated contract without competition in accordance with the Council’s Standing Orders Relating to Contracts under Schedule 5. (Special Arrangements for Contracts for Social and Other Specific Services and for Health or Page 183 of 232
Page 184
Social Care Services) for a contract made under Section 12 (1) of the Procurement Reform (Scotland) Act 2014. 3.5 The Invitation to Contract for each of these Contracts was published on 4 February 2025 with the following providers invited to respond to specific opportunities: A. RC-CPU-24-251 Provision of a Floating Support Service – Turning Point Scotland; B. RC-CPU-24-268 Provision of a Floating Support Service – RAMH; C. RC-CPU-24-254 Provision of a Housing First Service - Blue Triangle (Glasgow) Housing Association Limited; D. RC-CPU-24-269 Make it Your Own: 1-2-1 Support (Creative Tenancies) - Impact Arts (Projects) Limited. 3.6 Each of the providers noted in paragraph 3.5 above had submitted a response to the relevant Invitation to Contract by the return deadline of 12 noon on 25 February 2025. 3.7 Separate evaluations for each contract were carried out by representatives from Housing Services, Corporate Procurement Unit, ICT, Corporate Risk and Corporate Health and Safety. In accordance with Council’s Standing Order relating to Contracts 11.5, a Single Procurement Document (Scotland) (“SPD (Scotland)”) was required to be completed, and the Tender submission received for each Contract was considered against predetermined criteria in the form of the SPD (Scotland). 3.8 Following review of the SPD (Scotland) received for each Contract: A. Tender submission for RC-CPU-24-251 Provision of a Floating Support Service from Turning Point Scotland is compliant with the selection criteria set out within the SPD (Scotland); B. Tender submission for RC-CPU-24-268 Provision of a Floating Support Service from RAMH is compliant with the selection criteria set out within the SPD (Scotland); C. Tender submission for RC-CPU-24-254 Provision of a Housing First Service from Blue Triangle (Glasgow) Housing Association Limited is compliant with the selection criteria set out within the SPD (Scotland); D. Tender submission for RC-CPU-24-269 Make it Your Own: 1-2- 1 Support (Creative Tenancies) from Impact Arts (Projects) Page 184 of 232
Page 185
Limited is compliant with the selection criteria set out within the SPD (Scotland). 3.9 The responses were then evaluated against the Price/Quality Award Criteria detailed in the respective Invitation to Contract. 3.10 The evaluation outcome for each Contract is noted as follows: 3.10.1 Tender submission for RC-CPU-24-251 Provision of a Floating Support Service: • Turning Point Scotland submission met the requirements set out in the Invitation to Contract; • Turning Point Scotland confirmed they will deliver the Services within the budget available; • The Council is satisfied that the tender submission is of suitable quality to deliver the Service required. 3.10.2 Tender submission for RC-CPU-24-268 Provision of a Floating Support Service: • RAMH submission met the requirements set out in the Invitation to Contract; • RAMH confirmed they will deliver the Services within the budget available; • The Council is satisfied that the tender submission is of suitable quality to deliver the Service required. 3.10.3 Tender submission for RC-CPU-24-254 Provision of a Housing First Service: • Blue Triangle (Glasgow) Housing Association Limited submission met the requirements set out in the Invitation to Contract; • Blue Triangle (Glasgow) Housing Association Limited confirmed they will deliver the Services within the budget available; • The Council is satisfied that the tender submission is of suitable quality to deliver the Service required. 3.10.4 Tender submission for RC-CPU-24-269 Make it Your Own:1-2- 1 Support (Creative Tenancies): • Impact Arts (Projects) Limited submission met the requirements set out in the Invitation to Contract; Page 185 of 232
Page 186
• Impact Arts (Projects) Limited confirmed they will deliver the Services within the budget available; • The Council is satisfied that the tender submission is of suitable quality to deliver the Service required. 3.11 Community Benefits were requested as part of each Contract. The following Community Benefits will be delivered under the respective contracts: RC-CPU-24-251 Turning Point Scotland Community Benefit Number Offered S/NVQ (or equivalent) for • New Employee • Existing Employee • Supply Chain Employee 2 Industry Awareness Events • Schools • Invest in Renfrewshire – Employability • Further Education 1 RC-CPU-24-268 RAMH Community Benefit Number Offered Job for an unemployed individual 1 Work Experience Placement for an individual in full time education 2 Industry Awareness Events • Schools • Invest in Renfrewshire – Employability • Further Education 2 Commitment to ensure that supply chain opportunities are prioritised for Renfrewshire based businesses 1 RC-CPU-24-254 Blue Triangle (Glasgow) Housing Association Limited Community Benefit Number Offered S/NVQ (or equivalent) for • New Employee • Existing Employee • Supply Chain Employee 1 Industry Awareness Events • Schools • Invest in Renfrewshire – Employability • Further Education 1 Business advice/support to a local SME /Social Enterprise/ Voluntary organisation 1 Page 186 of 232
Page 187
RC-CPU-24-269 Impact Arts (Projects) Limited) Community Benefit Number Offered Work Experience Placement for an individual 16+ years of age 1 ___________________________________________________________________ Implications of the Report 1. Financial – The costs for each of the contracts as detailed below will be met by Housing Services revenue budget. • RC-CPU-24-251 Provision of a Floating Support Service up to a maximum of £458,326 excluding VAT for the maximum Contract period of 22 months. • RC-CPU-24-268 Provision of a Floating Support Service up to a maximum of £214,500 excluding VAT for the maximum Contract period of 22 months. • RC-CPU-24-254 Provision of a Housing First Service up to a maximum of £378,125 excluding VAT for the maximum Contract period of 22 months • RC-CPU-24-269 Make it Your Own: 1-2-1 Support (Creative Tenancies) up to a maximum of £227,333 excluding VAT for the maximum Contract period of 22 months 2. HR & Organisational Development – None directly arising from this report. 3. Community/Council Planning: • Our Renfrewshire is well – Supporting the wellness and resilience of our citizens and communities. • Our Renfrewshire is fair - Addressing the inequalities which limit life chances. • Our Renfrewshire is safe – Protecting vulnerable people and working together to manage the risk of harm. Council Plan - Place: - Building strong, safe and resilient communities. The places and houses in which people live are fundamental to quality of life, we will need to do more to ensure that quality, affordable housing is available to meet the changing needs of Renfrewshire’s population. Page 187 of 232
Page 188
4. Legal – The procurement of each of these four contracts has been conducted in accordance with Section 12 (1) of the Procurement Reform (Scotland) Act 2014 and the Council’s Standing Orders relating to Contracts for individual negotiated contracts without call for competition. 5. Property/Assets - None directly arising from this report. 6. Information Technology – Each of the recommended providers were evaluated by the Council’s Security & Compliance team and met the Council’s requirements. 7. Equality & Human Rights - The recommendations contained within this report have been assessed in relation to their impact on equalities and human rights. No negative impacts on equality groups or potential for infringement of individuals’ human rights have been identified arising from the recommendations contained in the report. If required following implementation, the actual impact of the recommendations and the mitigating actions will be reviewed and monitored, and the results of the assessment will be published on the Council’s website. 8. Health & Safety – Each of the four recommended providers were evaluated by the Council’s Corporate Health and Safety team and met the Council’s requirements. 9. Procurement – The procurement procedures outlined within this report shall ensure that the Council meets its statutory requirements in respect of procurement procedures, efficiency, and modern Government. 10. Risk – Each of the four recommended providers were evaluated by the Council’s Corporate Risk team and met the Council’s requirements. 11. Privacy Impact - As part of the procurement exercise, a data privacy impact assessment was conducted by Housing Services and the Council’s Information Governance team. Each of the Providers recommended in this report will be a Data Controller and will be required to comply with the Conditions of Contract including Data Protection Conditions. 12. Climate Risk – The level of impact associated with the services provided under these Contracts was assessed using the Scottish Government Sustainability Test and is considered to be low impact Page 188 of 232
Page 189
13. Children’s Rights – This report does not cover a new policy, function or strategy nor a substantive change to an existing policy, function or strategy which will have an impact on children’s rights. 14. Cosla Policy Position - None directly arising from this report. _______________________________________________________ List of Background Papers – none. ___________________________________________________________________ Author: Sarah Ford, Senior Procurement Specialist, Corporate Procurement Unit, Sarah.Ford@renfrewshire.gov.uk Page 189 of 232
Page 190
___________________________________________________________________ To: Finance, Resources and Customer Services Policy Board On: 3 April 2025 ___________________________________________________________________ Report by: The Director of Finance and Resources and the Director of Environment, Housing & Infrastructure ___________________________________________________________________ Heading: Contract Authorisation Report for: Housing Management System Consultancy (RC-CPU-24-237) ___________________________________________________________________ 1. Summary 1.1 The purpose of this report is to seek approval of the Finance, Resources and Customer Services Policy Board to award a Contract (Call-Off Contract) for Housing Management System Consultancy to Gravitas Recruitment Group Limited. 1.2 The recommendation to award a Call-Off Contract follows a procurement exercise conducted in accordance with the Crown Commercial Services G-Cloud 14 Framework Agreement RM1557.14 Framework Schedule 5: Award Procedure and the RM1557.14 G-Cloud 14 (Lots 1, 2 and 3) Buyer Guide (Buyer Guide) and Renfrewshire Council’s Standing Orders Relating to Contracts for an above Threshold Services Contract. 1.3 A Contract Strategy was approved by the Head of Housing Services on the 21 February 2025 and Digital Category Manager on the 13 February 2025. __________________________________________________________________ Item 22 Page 190 of 232
Page 191
2. Recommendations It is recommended that the Finance, Resources and Customer Services Policy Board: 2.1 Authorises the Head of Corporate Governance to award the Contract for Housing Management System Consultancy to Gravitas Recruitment Group Limited being a Call-Off Contract made under Lot 3 of the Crown Commercial Services G-Cloud 14 Framework Agreement (RM1557.14). 2.2 Authorises the Call-Off Contract for a Term of 14 months. The proposed Call-Off Start Date is 6 May 2025, however, the actual Call- Off Start Date will be confirmed in the Crown Commercial Services G- Cloud 14 Framework Agreement RM1557.14 Call-Off Order Form. 2.3 Authorises the maximum approved Call-Off Contract value of up to £248,000, excluding VAT, for the full Call-Off Contact Term. 2.4 Authorises the Liability Cap of £1 million per year in direct loss or damage to the property, £2 million during the Call-Off Contract Term for Buyer Data Defaults, and an annual total liability of the Supplier for all other Defaults will not exceed the greater of £1 million or 125% of the Charges payable by the Buyer to the Supplier during the Call-Off Contract Term (whichever is the greater). 3. Background 3.1 The Council has a requirement to appoint a consultant who will be responsible for leading the Implementation of the new integrated Housing Management System provided by NEC Software Solutions UK Limited which will include the redesign and re-engineering of associated processes and ways of working. 3.2 The Council has procured a fully integrated Housing Management System to replace several legacy systems which have become outdated. To fully support the Head of Housing Services to manage the implementation of the new housing management system, the appointed Consultant will manage multiple complex workstreams throughout the implementation of the system. This includes structuring and controlling those workstreams and their interdependencies, so they collectively deliver the outputs needed to provide the capability to deliver all implementation milestones. This will include providing direction and guidance to the wider, multi-disciplinary project team, consisting of the Housing Services, Building Services, IT and Finance. Page 191 of 232
Page 192
3.3 The appointed Consultant for this project will have a degree or professional qualification in a relevant subject and/or the ability to evidence equivalent level of knowledge, training, and experience required to undertake this role. 3.4 The Council carried out a procurement exercise conducted in accordance with the Crown Commercial Services G-Cloud 14 Framework Agreement RM1557.14 Framework Schedule 5: Award Procedure and the RM1557.14 G-Cloud 14 (Lots 1,2 and 3) Buyer Guide (Buyer Guide) and Renfrewshire Council’s Standing Orders Relating to Contracts for an above Threshold Services Contract. Following evaluation, it was identified that Gravitas Recruitment Group Limited would provide best value to the Council and should progress to Award in accordance with the G-Cloud 14 requirements. 3.5 Following the Framework Schedule 5: Award Procedure and the Buyer Guide, the Council followed the steps 1-3 using search criteria as detailed below: Search Criteria Search Criteria Details Results 1 Housing Management System 366 suppliers 2 Implementation 71 suppliers 3 NEC 4 suppliers 3.6 After applying the relevant filter and search criteria, four solutions were identified from four G-Cloud 14 suppliers: Gravitas Recruitment Group Limited, Investigo Limited, Manifest Software Solutions Limited, and Home Connections. 3.7 Following Step 4: Evaluation and selection of the Buyer Guide, a desktop analysis was conducted following the initial search to assess the shortlisted Suppliers suitability against the Council’s requirements. This exercise identified that two suppliers could not comply with the Council’s requirements. 3.8 Then, permitted per the Buyer Guide “Direct award on lowest price only if they are comparable services”, the pricing of the remaining two suppliers that could comply with the requirements (as per the Supplier Service Offering available on the G-Cloud 14 Framework) was compared to identify best value. Page 192 of 232
Page 193
3.9 Results from the desktop analysis based on price identified that Gravitas Recruitment Group Ltd rates were 6% lower than the remaining comparable service. It was therefore identified that Gravitas Recruitment Group Ltd would provide best value to the Council and should therefore progress to stage 5 – Award. 3.10 The Contract will be formed using Call-Off Contract (Order Form) and Call-Off Terms. 3.11 Community Benefits have been requested as part of the Framework Award Procedure. Gravitas have confirmed they will provide community benefits and these community benefits will be confirmed in the Call-Off Contract Order Form. Implications of the Report 1. Financial - The maximum approved Call-Off Contract value of up to £248,000 excluding VAT is for a period of 14 months commencing on 6 May 2025. 2. HR & Organisational Development -None directly arising from this report. 3. Community/Council Planning – • Working together to improve outcomes - Adopting a 'place shaping' approach to developing our communities - working together to maximise our collective impact and influence across economic, social, physical, cultural and environmental policies and practices 4. Legal – This procurement was carried out in accordance with Crown Commercial Services G-Cloud 14 reference RM1557.14 Framework Agreement Schedule 5: Award Procedure and (Lots 1,2 and 3) Buyer Guide and the Council’s Standing Orders Relating to Contracts for an above Threshold value Services Contract. 5. Property/Assets – None directly arising from this report. Page 193 of 232
Page 194
6. Information Technology – The services delivered under this Contract will ensure the Council has access to the specialist knowledge and advice required to implement its new Housing Management software system. To effectively deliver this services under this Call-Off Contract, the appointed consultant will be provided with a Council laptop. 7. Equality & Human Rights - None directly arising from this report. 8. Health & Safety - None directly arising from this report. 9. Procurement - This procurement exercise was conducted in accordance with Crown Commercial Services G-Cloud 14 RM1557.14 Framework Schedule 5: Award Procedure and the RM1557.14 G-Cloud 14 (Lots 1,2 and 3) Buyer Guide and Renfrewshire Council’s Standing Orders Relating to Contracts. 10. Risk - The following liability caps apply as part of the Call-Off Contract: • Liability Cap clause - Defaults by either party resulting in direct loss or damage to the property (including technical infrastructure, assets or equipment but excluding any loss or damage to Buyer Data) of the other Party will not exceed £1 million per year. • The annual total liability of the Supplier for Buyer Data Defaults resulting in direct loss, destruction, corruption, degradation of or damage to any Buyer Data will not exceed £2 million of the Charges payable by the Buyer to the Supplier during the Call-Off Contract Term (whichever is the greater). • The annual total liability of the Supplier for all other Defaults will not exceed the greater of £1 million or 125% of the Charges payable by the Buyer to the Supplier during the Call-Off Contract Term (whichever is the greater). • Any of the Supplier’s professional consultants are required to have professional indemnity insurance to a minimum value of £1,000,000 for each individual claim and will hold the following liability caps as part of the Call-Off Contract. 11. Privacy Impact - None directly arising from this report. 12. Climate Risk - None directly arising from this report. 13. Children’s Rights – None directly arising from this report. Page 194 of 232
Page 195
14. Cosla Policy Position - None directly arising from this report. _________________________________________________________ List of Background Papers – None _________________________________________________________ Author: Stuart McLean, Procurement Adviser, stuart.mclean@renfrewshire.gov.uk Page 195 of 232
Page 196
___________________________________________________________________ To: Finance, Resources and Customer Services Policy Board On: 3 April 2025 ___________________________________________________________________ Report by: The Director of Finance and Resources and the Director of Environment, Housing & Infrastructure ___________________________________________________________________ Heading: Contract Authorisation Report: Housing Removal, Relocation and Warehouse Storage Framework – RC-CPU-24-120 ___________________________________________________________________ 1. Summary 1.1 The purpose of this report is to seek the approval of the Finance, Resources and Customer Services Policy Board to enter into a multi- supplier Framework Agreement for the Housing Removal, Relocation and Warehouse Storage (RC-CPU-24-120). 1.2 The recommendation to award the Framework Agreement follows a procurement exercise conducted in accordance with the Public Contracts (Scotland) Regulations 2015 for an above GPA Threshold Framework using the Open Procedure (Services) and the Council’s Standing Orders Relating to Contracts. 1.3 A Contract Strategy was approved by the Director of Environment, Housing and Infrastructure and the Interim Corporate Procurement Manager on the 20 December 2024. ___________________________________________________________________ 2. Recommendations It is recommended that the Finance, Resources and Customer Services Policy Board: Item 23 Page 196 of 232
Page 197
2.1 Authorises the Head of Corporate Governance to enter into a Framework Agreement for the Housing Removal, Relocation and Warehouse Storage (RC-CPU-24-120) with the following tenderers, as ranked in the following order: 1st – Kelerbay Limited t/a Doree Bonner International 2nd – Clockwork Removals Limited 3rd – Kwikshift European Transportation & Logistics Ltd 2.2 Note that Kwikshift European Transportation & Logistics Ltd’s place on the Framework Agreement is subject to the provision of evidence that the Tenderer maintains insurances that meet the minimum requirements regarding insurable risk as set out in the tender documentation. 2.3 Note the Framework Agreement shall be for an initial period of 3 years with the option, at the sole discretion of the Council, to extend the Framework Agreement for a period of 1 year to a maximum period of 4 years. The Framework Agreement is anticipated to commence on 1 May 2025. The actual commencement date will be confirmed in the Council’s Letter of Acceptance. 2.4 Authorises spend up to a value of £350,000 excluding VAT under all Call-Off Contracts made under the Framework Agreement. 2.5 Note the Framework Agreement has no guarantee as to the continuity and value of work available to the Framework Service Provider; and 2.6 Note that Framework Service Providers awarded rights to participate under the Framework Agreement are each required to enter into a Data Processor Agreement with the Council. _________________________________________________________ 3. Background 3.1 The Council has a requirement to establish a multi-supplier Framework Agreement for the Housing Removal, Relocation and Warehouse Storage Services. The Framework Agreement will be ranked as detailed within the Council’s Invitation to Tender. The Framework Agreement is required for housing removals and storage which may be required throughout the Council’s Housing and Homeless teams. The Council has a statutory duty to provide these services for persons who find themselves homeless and are being assisted by the Council’s Housing Advice and Homeless Services. Page 197 of 232
Page 198
3.2 A contract notice advertising the tender opportunity was dispatched via the Public Contracts Scotland portal to the Find Tender System (FTS) with the notice published on FTS on 20 December 2024 and the tender documentation available for downloading from the Public Contracts Scotland – Tender platform on this date. 3.3 During the live Tender period, 15 organisations expressed an interest in the Framework Agreement. By the closing date set for return of electronic tender submissions 12 noon on 6 February 2025, 6 organisations submitted a response, and 9 organisations did not respond. 3.4 The 6 Tender Submissions received were evaluated against a pre- determined set of criteria in the form of the Single Procurement Document (SPD) by representatives from the following Council Services: Environment, Housing and Infrastructure, Corporate Procurement Unit, Corporate Risk and Corporate Health and Safety. 3.5 The 6 Tender Submissions met the minimum selection criteria of the SPD (Scotland) and progressed to evaluation of the Award Criteria which was based on a weighting of 35.00% Quality / 65.00% Price. The outcome of this evaluation determined the total score achieved by each tenderer. 3.6 The scores relative to the Award Criteria for the 6 Tender Submissions are noted below. In accordance with the Invitation to Tender, the top 3 scoring tenderers will be awarded the right to participate on the Framework Agreement. Tenderer Quality Score (35%) Price Score (65%) Total Score (%) Rank Kelerbay Limited t/a Doree Bonner International 31.75% 56.68% 88.43% 1 Clockwork Removals Limited 33.00% 51.83% 84.83% 2 Kwikshift European Transportation & Logistics Ltd 27.00% 48.63% 75.63% 3 Richard Healey Removals Ltd 31.75% 36.32% 68.07% 4 Johnsons 1871 Limited 33.75% 33.94% 67.69% 5 Harrow Green Limited 31.75% 31.04% 62.79% 6 Page 198 of 232
Page 199
3.7 Any Call-off contract (Call-offs) made under the Framework Agreement will follow the award procedures as set out in the Framework Agreement by either (1) directly selecting a Service Provider according to the Direct Award procedure or (2) conducting a Mini-Competition Process. It is envisaged that the majority of Call-offs will follow the Direct Award procedure, however circumstances may arise where not all of the terms of the proposed contract are laid down in the Framework Agreement, or that services required are for a high value or complex service and the option of a Mini-Competition Process would be pursued. Where the Direct Award procedure is undertaken, the 1st ranked Service Provider will be contacted to undertake the requirement. If the 1st ranked Service Provider is unable to undertake the requirement, the 2nd ranked Service Provider would be contacted, and so on. 3.8 Community Benefits were requested as part of this procurement process and the successful tenderers have confirmed that the following Community Benefits would be made available once each Service Provider has reached £30k of spend on the framework. Kelerbay Limited t/a Doree Bonner International Community Benefit Description No of People / Activity Job for an unemployed individual 1 Modern Apprenticeship 2 Work Experience Placement for an individual 16+ years of age 1 Industry Awareness Events 1 Clockwork Removals Limited Community Benefit Description No of People / Activity Job for a young person (age 16-24) from a recognised priority group e.g. from the councils' most deprived data zones 1 Job for an unemployed individual 1 Modern Apprenticeship 1 Work Experience Placement for an individual 16+ years of age 1 Work Experience Placement for an individual in full time education 1 "Industry Awareness Events 2 Page 199 of 232
Page 200
• Schools • Invest in Renfrewshire – Employability • Further Education" Industry Skill Transfer to Schools 2 Commitment to ensure that supply chain opportunities are prioritised for Renfrewshire based businesses 1 Business advice/support to an SME/Social Enterprise/Voluntary organisation 1 Non-financial support for a Community Project 1 Kwikshift European Transportation & Logistics Ltd Community Benefit Description No of People / Activity Job for a young person (age 16-24) from a recognised priority group e.g. from the councils' most deprived data zones 1 Modern Apprenticeship 2 Work Experience Placement for an individual 16+ years of age 4 "Industry Awareness Events • Schools • Invest in Renfrewshire – Employability • Further Education" 2 Business advice/support to a local SME /Social Enterprise/ Voluntary organisation 2 Commitment to ensure that supply chain opportunities are prioritised for Renfrewshire based businesses 1 Financial Support for a Social Enterprise or other approved community initiative 1 Non-financial support for a Social Enterprise or other approved community initiative 1 ___________________________________________________________________ Implications of the Report 1. Financial - The maximum spend under the Framework Agreement is up to the value of £350,000.00 excluding VAT, though there is no guarantee of continuity or value of orders placed under this Framework Agreement. The spend under this framework will be funded from the Housing Revenue Account capital and revenue budgets, and the Homeless Prevention revenue budget within the General Services. Page 200 of 232
Page 201
2. HR & Organisational Development – None directly arising from this report. 3. Community/Council Planning – • Fair - Reducing inequalities in Renfrewshire, focusing on supporting our communities through the cost-of-living crisis with dignity and empowering people to live fulfilled lives • Living Our Values - Ensuring Renfrewshire Council delivers Best Value for our citizens and customers, that we are a well governed, effective organisation 4. Legal - The procurement of this Framework Agreement has been conducted as an above GPA Threshold Open Procedure (Services) in accordance with the Council’s Standing Orders Relating to Contracts and the Public Contracts (Scotland) Regulations 2015, as amended. 5. Property/Assets - None directly arising from this report. 6. Information Technology – The service provider’s cyber security submissions have been assessed by representatives from the Council’s cyber security team and met the Council’s requirements regarding cyber security. 7. Equality & Human Rights - None directly arising from this report. 8. Health & Safety – All three recommended Tenderers’ health and safety submissions have been evaluated by the Corporate Health and Safety team and meet the Council’s minimum requirements regarding health and safety. 9. Procurement – The procurement procedures outlined within this report ensure that the Council meets its statutory requirements in respect of procedures, efficiency, and modern Government. 10. Risk – Two of the recommended Tenderers’ insurances have been assessed and evaluated to confirm that they have met the minimum requirements regarding insurable risk. Kwikshift European Transportation & Logistics Ltd place on the Framework Agreement is subject to them providing evidence they meet this requirement. Page 201 of 232
Page 202
11. Privacy Impact - The three recommended Tenderers have confirmed compliance with the form of the Data Processor Agreement and have committed to sign the agreement prior to the award of their respective right to participate under this Framework Agreement. 12. Climate Risk – The level of impact associated with provision of this service has been assessed using the Scottish Government Sustainability Test and is considered to be low risk. 13. Children’s Rights – None directly arising from this report. 14. Cosla Policy Position – None directly arising from this report. _______________________________________________________ List of Background Papers (a) None ___________________________________________________________________ Author: Aileen Ross, Procurement Adviser, aileen.ross@renfrewshire.gov.uk Page 202 of 232
Page 203
___________________________________________________________________ To: Finance, Resources and Customer Services Policy Board On: 03 April 2025 ___________________________________________________________________ Report by: The Director of Finance and Resources, Renfrewshire Council and the Chief Officer, Renfrewshire Health and Social Care Partnership ___________________________________________________________________ Heading: Contract Authorisation Report: Flexible Framework for the Provision of Care at Home and Housing Support Services (RC-CPU-23-048) ___________________________________________________________________ 1. Summary 1.1 The purpose of this report is to seek the approval of the Finance, Resources and Customer Services Policy Board to authorise the Head of Corporate Governance to award a place on the Flexible Framework for the Provision of Care at Home and Housing Support Services (RC- CPU-23-048) (“Flexible Framework”) to each of the Tenderers detailed within Appendix 1 of this report. 1.2 The recommendation to award this Flexible Framework follows a procurement exercise which was conducted as an Open Procedure for an above Threshold contract in accordance with the Public Contracts (Scotland) Regulations 2015, as amended, for Social and Other Specific Services. 1.3 A Contract Strategy for this Flexible Framework was approved by: 1.3.1 The Head of Health and Social Care, RHSCP on 16 December 2024; 1.3.2 The Chief Finance Officer, RHSCP and the Interim Corporate Procurement Manager, Renfrewshire Council on 17 December 2024. ___________________________________________________________________ Item 24 Page 203 of 232
Page 204
2. Recommendations 2.1. It is recommended that the Finance, Resources and Customer Services Policy Board: a) Authorises the Head of Corporate Governance to award a Flexible Framework for the Provision of Care at Home and Housing Support Services, reference RC-CPU-23-048, to the 15 Tenderers listed in Appendix 1 of this report; b) Authorises the maximum approved value of up to £160 million for the duration of the Flexible Framework, including use of any extension periods, for all Individual Service Contracts (ISCs) made under this Flexible Framework; c) Authorises the Flexible Framework for an initial period of 4 years with the option to extend, at the discretion of the Council, for a further period of 12 months on 3 separate occasions. The anticipated Commencement Date of the Flexible Framework is 01 May 2025; the actual Commencement Date will be confirmed in the Council’s Letter of Acceptance to each successful tenderer identified in Appendix 1 of this report; d) Notes that a Provider’s Appointment Date may be after the Commencement Date of the Flexible Framework. e) Notes that where the Council reopens the Flexible Framework, a recommendation will be presented to the Finance Resources and Customer Services Policy Board for approval of any New Entrants. _________________________________________________________ 3. Background 3.1. This Flexible Framework will provide both RHSCP (who support the Council in the performance of social care functions) and where necessary, the Council, the facility to purchase services via Individual Service Contracts (ISCs) under this Flexible Framework. These will support (predominantly older) people to live independently in their own homes for as long as possible with the care and support they need being tailored to them, provided in a tailored and responsive manner. There may be the occasional requirement for an ISC to be arranged by Children’s Services for a young person. The new Flexible Framework is intended to be used for future replacements for the Council’s current contracts for these types of service. Page 204 of 232
Page 205
3.2. Tenderers appointed to the Flexible Framework as Providers will deliver outcome-focused support for each individual assessed as requiring an ISC to be made under this Flexible Framework. ISC are available under both Self Directed Support (SDS) Options 2 and 3. 3.3. The procurement process for the Flexible Framework was conducted using the Open Procedure in accordance with the Public Contracts (Scotland) Regulations 2015 for a Social and Other Specific Services and the Council’s Standing Orders Relating to Contracts. 3.4. A Contract Notice was published on the Find a Tender Service via the Public Contracts Scotland website on 17 December 2025. The Invitation to Tender was also published and available on this date from Public Contracts Scotland – Tender. The Tender Deadline was 12 noon on 03 February 2025. 3.5. During the tender live period, 87 economic operators viewed the tender opportunity prior to the Tender Deadline: • 26 submitted tender responses • 51 did not submit a response • 10 declined to respond. Feedback was sought from those who did not submit, and responses included that economic operators could not meet the scope of requirements included, or did not meet the minimum tender requirements. 3.6. The 26 Tender Submissions received were evaluated against a pre- determined set of criteria in the form of the Single Procurement Document (SPD) (Scotland), by: representatives from the Corporate Procurement Unit (CPU); representatives from RHSCP; Health and Safety; Risk and Cyber teams, against pre-determined bidder selection criteria which assessed competence, expertise and financial stability. One Tenderer did not pass this element of the SPD (Scotland) and was not evaluated further. 3.7. As part of the Quality requirements, the Technical Experience section of the SPD (Scotland) was evaluated by representatives from the RHSCP. Tenderers had to detail experience, including appropriate Care Inspectorate registration and the minimum tendered grades as well as demonstrate capacity and capability to deliver services within the Renfrewshire Council area. 10 of the Tenderers did not pass the technical experience element of the SPD (Scotland) and were not evaluated further. Page 205 of 232
Page 206
3.8. All 15 Tenderers recommended for award of a place on the Flexible Framework (Appendix 1) confirmed compliance with the minimum selection criteria set within the SPD (Scotland). 3.9. Each of the 15 remaining Tender Submissions was then evaluated against the published award criteria of 100% Quality by representatives from both the CPU and the RHSCP. As the Invitation to Tender had stated the standard set hourly rate for Services for this Flexible Framework, the Price evaluation consisted of each Tenderer accepting that stated hourly rate. All 15 Tenderers recommended for award of a place on the Flexible Framework (Appendix 1) confirmed acceptance of the stated hourly rate. The Total Score achieved by each Tenderer recommended for award of a place on the Flexible Framework is detailed in Appendix 1. 3.10. Tenderers were required to complete Renfrewshire Council’s Cyber Security Questionnaire, and this was evaluated by the Council’s Cyber Security team. As part of the Flexible Framework management requirements all 15 Tenderers recommended for award of a place on the Flexible Framework (Appendix 1) are required to undergo an annual review to ensure ongoing compliance and/or improvement of their current Cyber Security status. 3.11. As part of the Invitation to Tender, Tenderers were required to confirm their commitment to delivering Community Benefits throughout the duration of the Flexible Framework. Community Benefits will be linked to cumulative annual spend of ISCs made with each Tenderer awarded and accepting a place on the Flexible Framework. All 15 Tenderers recommended for award of a place on the Flexible Framework (Appendix 1) have confirmed their commitment to providing Community Benefits. 3.12. The Flexible Framework is not ranked and ISCs will be awarded based on the needs of the individual service user requiring support. 3.13. The Flexible Framework will be reopened to allow new providers to join at a later date as a New Entrant. The timescales for any reopening will be dependent on when the Council identifies a requirement to reopen. Any New Entrant will be required to satisfy the same minimum criteria as those Providers awarded a place from the Commencement Date. ___________________________________________________________________ Page 206 of 232
Page 207
Implications of the Report 1. Financial - The maximum approved value of £160 million, excluding VAT, for the initial four year period plus further extension of 3 x 12 months will be met from the RHSCP Adult Services Budget. The anticipated Commencement Date for the Flexible Framework is 01 May 2025. As this is a Flexible Framework, there is no guarantee of ISCs or business for any awarded Provider through the Flexible Framework. 2. HR & Organisational Development - None directly arising from this report. 3. Community/Council Planning – • Place – working together to enhance wellbeing across communities - Developing local plans that reflect the voices of our communities, alongside strengthening our local partnerships, working together to deliver local priorities. • Fair – nurturing bright, happy and healthy futures for all – o Reducing inequalities in Renfrewshire, focusing on supporting our communities and empowering people to live fulfilled lives; o Working with a range of partners to support the improved health and wellbeing of our citizens. 4. Legal - This procurement was carried out in accordance with the procedures for an above Threshold Flexible Framework as permitted under part 7 of the Social and Other Specific Services contracts of the Public Contracts (Scotland) Regulations 2015, as amended, and the Council’s Standing Orders Relating to Contracts. 5. Property/Assets – None directly arising from this report. 6. Information Technology – The Council’s Security & Compliance team evaluated the cyber security evidence submitted by each of the 15 Tenderers recommended for award of a place on the Flexible Framework (Appendix 1). ICT will support the review of cyber security evidence on an annual basis, as well as any Tenderers applying as a New Entrant at a future date. 7. Equality & Human Rights - None directly arising from this report. 8. Health & Safety – The Corporate Health and Safety team evaluated the Health and Safety evidence submitted by each of the 15 Tenderers recommended for award of a place on the Flexible Framework (Appendix 1), and these met the Council’s minimum requirements. Page 207 of 232
Page 208
9. Procurement – The procurement procedures outlined within this report shall ensure that the Council meets its statutory requirements in respect of procurement procedures, efficiency and modern Government. 10. Risk - The Council’s Risk team evaluated the insurance evidence submitted by each of the 15 Tenderers recommended for award of a place on the Flexible Framework (Appendix 1), and these met the Council’s minimum requirements. 11. Privacy Impact – The Council’s Information Governance Team and RHSCP conducted a data protection impact assessment as part of the procurement exercise. Each of the 15 Tenderers recommended for award to the Flexible Framework (Appendix 1) will be Data Controllers and will be required to comply with the Conditions of Contract including Data Protection Conditions. 12. Climate Risk – The level of impact associated with the services was assessed using the Scottish Government Sustainability Test and is considered to be low impact. 13. Children’s Rights –Where applicable, this report supports compliance with Article 3 (best interests of the child) and Article 23 (children with disabilities) of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. 14. Cosla Policy Position – None directly arising from this report. _______________________________________________________ List of Background Papers – None ___________________________________________________________________ Author: Shona Brydson, Senior Procurement Specialist, Corporate Procurement Unit, shona.brydson@renfrewshire.gov.uk Page 208 of 232
Page 209
Appendix 1 Recommended Tenderers for Flexible Framework for the Provision of Care at Home and Housing Support Services (RC-CPU-23- 048): Tenderer Company Registration Number Care Inspectorate Registered Provider Number Total Score (100%) All Care Services Ltd SC599935 SP2018013149 58.88% Call-In Homecare Limited SC157767 SP2004007104 92.50% Care1 Professional Services Ltd 08775076 SP2016012749 69.00% Caring Hearts Limited 08271879 SP2013012051 77.50% Delight Supported Living Ltd SC364247 SP2009010723 63.63% HRM Homecare Services Ltd. SC167583 SP2004006645 89.00% Independent Lifestyle Limited t/a Compcare SC116929 SP2004004456 42.50% Integrity Social Care Solutions Ltd SC576777 SP2017013026 56.00% Invercare Services Ltd SC478118 SP2014012360 83.75% M-Verth Limited SC604149 SP2020013525 75.63% Oncall Care Service Ltd SC490956 SP2014012403 77.50% Scotia Homecare Solutions Limited SC662472 SP2020013589 67.63% SCRT Limited SC346942 SP2018013043 92.25% Wheatley Care SC252526 SP2006008236 69.88% Wilkerr Care Services Ltd SC693855 SP2021000219 77.63% Page 209 of 232
Page 210
___________________________________________________________________ To: Finance, Resources and Customer Services Policy Board On: 3 April 2025 ___________________________________________________________________ Report by: The Director of Finance and Resources, Renfrewshire Council and the Chief Officer, Renfrewshire Health and Social Care Partnership ___________________________________________________________________ Heading: Contract Authorisation Report for the Preparation and Supply of Community Meals (Sandwiches) (RC-CPU-24-276) ___________________________________________________________________ 1. Summary 1.1 The purpose of this report is to seek the approval of the Finance, Resources and Customer Services Policy Board to award a contract for the Preparation and Supply of Community Meals (Sandwiches)(RC- CPU-24-276), Lot 1 Core Product Range to PJ’S Foods Limited. (Lot 2 Frozen Product Range will not be awarded due to no bids received. 1.2 The recommendation to award the Contract follows a procurement exercise which was conducted as an Open Procedure for an above GPA threshold supplies contract in accordance with the Public Contracts (Scotland) Regulations 2015, as amended. 1.3 A Contract Strategy for this Contract was approved by: 1.3.1 The Chief Finance Officer, Renfrewshire Health and Social Care Partnership (RHSCP) on 22 August 2024; and 1.3.2 The Head of Health and Social Care, RHSCP and the Strategic Category Manager, Renfrewshire Council on 21 August 2024. ___________________________________________________________________ Item 25 Page 210 of 232
Page 211
2. Recommendations It is recommended that the Finance, Resources and Customer Services Policy Board: 2.1 Authorises the Head of Corporate Governance to award a Contract for the Preparation and Supply of Community Meals (Sandwiches) (RC- CPU-24-276) Lot 1 Core Product Range to PJ’S Foods Limited (Company Registration Number SC206871). 2.2 Authorises up to a maximum contract value of £481,298.76 (£120,324.69 per annum) excluding VAT for the full contract period, including the extensions. 2.3 Authorises the award of the Contract for an initial period of 2 years with the option to extend at the sole discretion of the Council for a further period of 12 months on 2 separate occasions. The anticipated Commencement Date of the Contract is 1 May 2025; the actual Commencement Date will be confirmed in the Council’s Letter of Acceptance. _________________________________________________________ 3. Background 3.1 The Community Meals Service aims to support individuals in maintaining their independence within the community by delivering hot and cold nutritious meals directly to the door for service users. The provision of hot meals is available via a Scotland Excel Framework Agreement, therefore the scope of this Contract covers the sandwiches/light lunch (e.g. wraps, rolls, etc.) element only. Lot 2 for frozen sandwiches was also included in the tender to support the service with business continuity planning in the event of a service interruption, however this lot is not recommended for award as no bids were received. This contract will replace a current contract which expires on 30 April 2025. 3.2 The procurement process for the Contract was conducted using the Open Procedure for an above GPA threshold Supplies Contract in accordance with the Public Contracts (Scotland) Regulations 2015 and the Council’s Standing Orders Relating to Contracts. 3.3 A Contract Notice was published on the Find a Tender Service via the Public Contracts Scotland website on 22 January 2025. The Invitation to Tender was also published and available on this date from Public Contracts Scotland – Tender. The tender submission deadline was 12 noon on 21 February 2025. Page 211 of 232
Page 212
3.4 During the tender period, 5 economic operators viewed the tender opportunity; 1 response was submitted for Lot 1 Core Product Range, 1 tender received were incomplete, and 3 did not respond by the Tender Deadline. No submissions were received for Lot 2 Frozen Product Range. Feedback was sought from those who did not submit, and responses received confirmed they could not meet the Specification. 3.5 The 1 Tender Submission received was evaluated against a pre- determined set of criteria in the form of the Single Procurement Document (Scotland) (SPD), evaluated by representatives from the Corporate Procurement Unit (CPU), the RHSCP, Health and Safety and Risk. 3.6 The Tenderer confirmed compliance with the minimum selection criteria set within the SPD. The submission was then evaluated by both CPU and representatives from RHSCP against the published award criteria of 45.00% Quality and 55.00% Price. 3.7 The scores relative to the Award Criteria for the tender submission are noted below; Tenderer Quality (45%) Price (55%) Total Score PJ’S Foods Limited 41% 55% 96% 3.8 Community Benefits were requested as part of the procurement process and PJ’S Foods Limited confirmed that the following Community Benefits would be delivered as part of the Contract: Community Benefit Description No of People/ Activities Job for an unemployed individual 1 S/NVQ (or equivalent) 5 _________________________________________________________________ Implications of the Report 1. Financial - The cost for this Contract will be up to a maximum value of £481,298.76 (£120,324.69 per annum) excluding VAT over the full 2- year contract period plus 2 x 12-month optional extensions and will be met by the RHSCP revenue budget. The anticipated Commencement Date is 01 May 2025. 2. HR & Organisational Development - None directly arising from this report. Page 212 of 232
Page 213
3. Community/Council Planning – • Our Renfrewshire is fair - protecting the most vulnerable members of our communities, assisting residents to remain in their own homes, reducing inequalities • Place - delivering services for everyone • Living Our Values - delivering best value for our residents. 4. Legal - This procurement was carried out in accordance with the procedures for an above GPA Threshold Supplies Contract under the Public Contracts (Scotland) Regulations 2015, as amended and the Council’s Standing Orders Relating to Contracts. 5. Property/Assets – None directly arising from this report. 6. Information Technology – None directly arising from this report. 7. Equality & Human Rights - None directly arising from this report. 8. Health & Safety - PJ’S Foods Limited was evaluated by the Council’s Corporate Health and Safety team and meet the Council’s minimum requirements. 9. Procurement – The procurement procedures outlined within this report shall ensure that the Council meets its statutory requirements in respect of procurement procedures, efficiency and modern Government. 10. Risk - PJ’S Foods Limited was evaluated by the Council’s Risk team and meet the Council’s minimum requirements. 11. Privacy Impact - None directly arising from this report. 12. Climate Risk - None directly arising from this report. 13. Children’s Rights – None directly arising from this report. 14. Cosla Policy Position – None directly arising from this report. _______________________________________________________ List of Background Papers – None. ___________________________________________________________________ Author: Ashley Hopkirk, Procurement Assistant, Corporate Procurement Unit, ashley.hopkirk@renfrewshire.gov.uk Page 213 of 232
Page 214
___________________________________________________________________ To: Finance, Resources and Customer Services Policy Board On: 3 April 2025 ___________________________________________________________________ Report by: The Director of Finance and Resources and the Director of Environment, Housing and Infrastructure ___________________________________________________________________ Heading: Contract Authorisation Report for Sheltered Housing Fire Alarm Upgrades (RC-CPU-23-189) ___________________________________________________________________ 1. Summary 1.1 The purpose of this report is to seek the approval of the Finance, Resources and Customer Services Policy Board to award a Works Contract for the Sheltered Housing Fire Alarm Upgrades (reference RC-CPU-23-189) to A. Alexander & Son (Electrical) Limited. 1.2 The recommendation to award the Sheltered Housing Fire Alarm Upgrades Contract follows a procurement exercise which was conducted in accordance with the Open Procedure under the Council’s Standing Orders Relating to Contracts. 1.3 A Contract Strategy was approved by the Interim Corporate Procurement Manager on 17 January 2025 and both the Head of Housing Services and Head of Facilities and Property Services on 22 January 2025. ___________________________________________________________________ 2. Recommendations It is recommended that the Finance, Resources and Customer Services Policy Board: Item 26 Page 214 of 232
Page 215
2.1 Authorises the Head of Corporate Governance to award a Works Contract in the form of SBCC Standard Building Contract without Quantities for use in Scotland (SBC/Q/Scot), 2011 Edition, as amended and incorporating the Employer’s Amendments, for the Sheltered Housing Fire Alarm Upgrades (RC-CPU-23-189) to A. Alexander & Son (Electrical) Limited. 2.2 Authorises the award of the Contract for the Contract Sum of £718,694.00 value excluding VAT. 2.3 Authorises a contingency spend of £35,934.70 which equates to 5% of the Contract Sum. 2.4 Authorises a total Approved Contract Value of £754,628.70 excluding VAT, which is the total of the Contract Sum plus the contingency spend). 2.5 Note, this Contract has a sectional completion requirement of 12 sections. Section 1 Date of Possession of the Site is 26 May 2025 and Section 12 Date of Completion is 17 April 2026, all Section dates will be set out in the Council’s Letter of Acceptance. 2.6 Note the award of this Contract requires the provision of a Data Processor Agreement as indicated within the tender documentation. _________________________________________________________ 3. Background 3.1 A central requirement of the Environment, Housing and Infrastructure department is to ensure that statutory legislation is being met so that Council operated properties, facilities and assets are properly maintained in line with relevant legislation. 3.2 The Council has twelve sheltered housing complexes consisting of 300 properties. The properties within these sheltered housing complexes are subject to a range of different maintenance and compliance requirements. 3.3 As part of these requirements the Council requires to appoint a suitably qualified Contractor to carry out the removal of old fire alarm systems and replace them with new digital fire alarm systems in all properties and common areas within each of the sheltered housing complexes. 3.4 To initiate the procurement process a Contract Notice was published on Public Contracts Scotland advertising portal on 23 January 2025 with tender documentation available for downloading from Public Contracts Scotland – Tender portal from this date. Page 215 of 232
Page 216
3.5 During the live tender period, 28 organisations expressed an interest in the tender. By the closing date set for the return of electronic tender submissions on 12 noon, 13 February 2025, 6 organisations submitted a tender response, 9 organisations declined to respond, and 13 organisations did not respond. 3.6 Tenderers were required to complete a Single Procurement Document (SPD) to be submitted with their tender submission in accordance with the standing Order relating to Contracts 11.5 requirement. All 6 organisations were evaluated against a pre-determined set of criteria in the form of the SPD by representatives from the following Council Services: Property Services, the Corporate Procurement Unit, Corporate Risk, and Corporate Health & Safety. 3.7 The 6 tender submissions complied with the minimum selection criteria of the SPD. The 6 tender submissions were each evaluated against the Award Criteria which were based on a weighting of 40.00% Price and 60.00% Quality. 3.8 During the technical evaluation period 1 tenderer was deemed non- compliant due to not complying with the Specification in relation to the Asbestos Management. 3.9 During the commercial evaluation period it was identified that 3 tenderers had each failed to complete the Pricing Documentation as required and were excluded from the competition. 3.10 The remaining 2 tender submissions scores relative to the Award Criteria are noted below: Quality (60%) Price (40%) Total (100%) 1 A. Alexander & Son (Electrical) Limited 60.00% 40.00% 100.00% 2 Ventro Ltd 55.00% 25.14% 80.14% 3.11 The evaluation of tender submissions received identified that the submission by A. Alexander & Son (Electrical) Limited is the most economically advantageous tender. 3.12 Community Benefits were requested as part of the procurement process and A. Alexander & Son (Electrical) Limited have committed to the following Community Benefits. Community Benefits Description No of People / Activity Work Experience Placement for an individual 16+ years of age 2 Financial Support for a Community Project/Group. 1 Non-financial support for a Community Project/Group 1 Page 216 of 232
Page 217
___________________________________________________________________ Implications of the Report 1. Financial The costs for this Contract of £754,628.70, excluding VAT, will be met through the Housing Revenue Account Capital Budget. 2. HR & Organisational Development - None directly arising from this report. 3. Community/Council Planning – • Our Renfrewshire is thriving – maximising economic growth, which is inclusive and sustainable. • Our Renfrewshire is well - supporting the wellness and resilience of our citizens and communities. • Our Renfrewshire is fair - addressing the inequalities which limit life chances. • Our Renfrewshire is safe - protecting vulnerable people and working together to manage the risk of harm. Green - leading Renfrewshire to Net Zero. Living Our Values - Delivering best value for our citizens and customers. 4. Legal – The procurement of this Contract was conducted in accordance with the requirements of the Council’s Standing Orders Relating to Contracts 1 January 2024 for a below Regulated value Works Contract. 5. Property/Assets – The Contract will ensure that statutory legislation are being met to ensure that Council operated properties, facilities and assets are properly maintained in line with the legislation. 6. Information Technology - None directly arising from this report. 7. Equality & Human Rights - None directly arising from this report. 8. Health & Safety - A. Alexander & Son (Electrical) Limited Health and Safety Submission was evaluated by the Council’s Corporate Health & Safety team and meet the minimum requirements regarding health & safety. Page 217 of 232
Page 218
9. Procurement – The procurement procedure outlined within this report ensures that the Council meets its statutory requirements in respect of procurement procedures, efficiency, and modern Government. 10. Risk - A. Alexander & Son (Electrical) Limited insurances have been assessed and evaluated to confirm they meet the minimum requirements regarding insurable risk. 11. Privacy Impact – A Data Processor Agreement will be in place between Renfrewshire Council and A. Alexander & Son (Electrical) Limited. 12. Climate Risk – The level of impact associated with provision of these works have been assessed using the Scottish Government Sustainability Test and is considered as Low Risk. 13. Children’s Rights – None directly arising from this report. 14. Cosla Policy Position – None directly arising from this report. _______________________________________________________ List of Background Papers (a) None ___________________________________________________________________ Author: Kevin Milliken, Senior Procurement Specialist, Corporate Procurement Unit (kevin.milliken@renfrewshire.gov.uk) Page 218 of 232
Page 219
___________________________________________________________________ To: Finance, Resource and Customer Services Policy Board On: 3 April 2025 ___________________________________________________________________ Report by: The Director of Finance and Resources and the Chief Officer Renfrewshire Health and Social Care Partnership ___________________________________________________________________ Heading: Contract Authorisation Report for Low Level, Preventative, Health & Wellbeing Services for Older Adults in Renfrewshire (RC-CPU-24-191) ___________________________________________________________________ 1. Summary 1.1 The purpose of this report is to seek the approval of the Finance, Resources and Customer Services Policy Board to enter into a Contract for Low Level, Preventative, Health & Wellbeing Services for Older Adults in Renfrewshire with ROAR-Connections for Life Ltd. 1.2 The recommendation to award this Contract follows a procurement exercise which was conducted as a Negotiated Procedure in accordance with the Procurement Reform (Scotland) Act 2014 and the Council’s Standing Orders relating to Contracts for Health or Social Care Services. 1.3 A Contract Strategy for this Contract was approved by the Head of Strategic Planning and Health Improvement, Renfrewshire Health and Social Care Partnership (RHSCP) on 4 February 2025 and the Interim Corporate Procurement Manager on 6 February 2025. ___________________________________________________________________ 2. Recommendations It is recommended that the Finance, Resources and Customer Services Policy Board: Item 27 Page 219 of 232
Page 220
2.1 Authorises the Head of Corporate Governance to award a Contract for Low Level, Preventative, Health & Wellbeing Services for Older Adults in Renfrewshire, reference RC-CPU-24-191 to ROAR-Connections for Life Ltd (Company Registration Number: SC390855). 2.2 Authorises the award of the Contract for a period of 3 years with no option to extend. The anticipated Commencement Date of the Contract is 1 June 2025; the actual Commencement Date will be confirmed in the Council’s Letter of Acceptance. 2.3 Authorises up to a maximum approved contract value of £630,000 (£210,000 per annum) excluding VAT. _________________________________________________________ 3. Background 3.1 This new contract will replace an existing contract for Low Level, Preventative, Health & Wellbeing Services for Older Adults in Renfrewshire that is due to expire on 31 May 2025. 3.2 The Provider will deliver: • a flexible range of low-level preventative services, including befriending, designed to address the potential impact of social isolation on older adults; • companionship to isolated and excluded older adults with a view to reducing feelings of loneliness; and • create opportunities for older adults in Renfrewshire to enhance their quality of life, maintain existing skills and promote engagement with their community through increased social networks. 3.3 The procurement process for this Contract was conducted as a Negotiated Procedure in accordance with the Procurement Reform (Scotland) Act 2014 and the Council’s Standing Orders Relating to Contracts for Health or Social Care Services. 3.4 ROAR-Connections for Life Ltd was invited to respond to the Council’s Invitation to Contract which was published on 6 February 2025 with a return deadline of 20 February 2025. 3.5 In accordance with Council’s Standing Order relating to Contracts 11.5 a Single Procurement Document (Scotland) (“SPD (Scotland)”) was required to be completed by the provider, the Tender submission from ROAR-Connections for Life Ltd was evaluated and met the predetermined criteria in the SPD (Scotland). Page 220 of 232
Page 221
3.6 ROAR-Connections for Life Ltd submission was evaluated by officers from the RHSCP, Corporate Procurement Unit, ICT, Corporate Risk Management and Corporate Health and Safety. ROAR-Connections for Life Ltd met the Award Criteria for both Quality and Price as set out within the Invitation to Contract. 3.7 Community Benefits were requested as part of this procurement process. ROAR-Connections for Life Ltd has confirmed the following Community Benefits will be delivered as part of the Contract: Community Benefit Number Industry Awareness Events 5 ___________________________________________________________________ Implications of the Report 1. Financial – The costs for this Contract will be met by the RHSCP Adult Services budget with a maximum approved contract value of up to £630,000 (£210,000 per annum) for the full contract period, excluding VAT. 2. HR & Organisational Development – None arising directly from this report. 3. Community/Council Planning – • Our Renfrewshire is well - Tackling isolation and loneliness, by connecting people to their communities, and to services, and enable people to live healthier, for longer by supporting our older population to stay active. Developing strong community-based services that respond to local need. • Our Renfrewshire is fair - Tackling health inequalities and narrowing the gaps in healthy life expectancy. We work closely with our key partners to provide care, support and to protect our most vulnerable citizens, our older people and people with particular needs. Together we help them live their best possible lives, free from harm and able to thrive. 4. Legal - The procurement of the Contract follows a procurement exercise which was conducted as a Regulated Procurement for Health or Social Care Contracts using the Negotiated Procedure and in accordance with the Council Standing Orders relating to Contracts. 5. Property/Assets – None arising directly from this report. Page 221 of 232
Page 222
6. Information Technology - The recommended Provider was evaluated by the Council’s Security & Compliance team and met the Council’s requirements. 7. Equality & Human Rights - The recommendations contained within this report have been assessed in relation to their impact on equalities and human rights. No negative impacts on equality groups or potential for infringement of individuals’ human rights have been identified arising from the recommendations contained in the report. If required following implementation, the actual impact of the recommendations and the mitigating actions will be reviewed and monitored, and the results of the assessment will be published on the Council’s website. 8. Health & Safety - ROAR-Connections for Life Ltd was evaluated by the Council’s Corporate Health and Safety team and met the Council’s requirements. 9. Procurement – The procurement procedure outlined within this report shall ensure that the Council meets its statutory requirements in respect of procurement procedures, efficiency, and modern Government. 10. Risk - ROAR-Connections for Life Ltd was evaluated by the Council’s Corporate Risk team and met the Council’s requirements. 11. Privacy Impact - As part of the procurement exercise, a data privacy impact assessment was conducted by the RHSCP and the Council’s Information Governance team. The Provider recommended in this report will be a Data Controller and will be required to comply with the Conditions of Contract including Data Protection Conditions. 12. Climate Risk - The level of impact associated with the Contract was assessed using the Scottish Government Sustainability Test and is considered to be low impact. 13. Children’s Rights – This report does not cover a new policy, function or strategy nor a substantive change to an existing policy, function or strategy which will have an impact on children’s rights. 14. Cosla Policy Position – None directly arising from this report. _______________________________________________________ List of Background Papers – none. ___________________________________________________________________ Author: Amy Crumb, Procurement Assistant, Corporate Procurement Unit, Amy.Crumb@renfrewshire.gov.uk Page 222 of 232
Page 223
___________________________________________________________________ To: Finance, Resources and Customer Services Policy Board On: 3 April 2025 ___________________________________________________________________ Report by: The Chief Executive and the Director of Finance and Resources ___________________________________________________________________ Heading: The Provision of a GIS System (RC-CPU-24-266) –Revised liability limits and change of Contract Period ___________________________________________________________________ 1. Summary 1.1 The purpose of this report is to seek approval from the Finance, Resources and Customer Services Policy Board to approve the revised limitation of liabilities for this Contract and to Change the Contract Period. 1.2 The original contract for the Provision of a GIS System (RC-CPU-24- 266) was approved by the Finance, Resources and Customer Services Policy Board meeting on 13 February 2025. 1.3 The reasons for the revised limit of liability are set out in section 3 of this report. __________________________________________________________________ 2. Recommendations 2.1 It is recommended that the Finance, Resources and Customer Services Policy Board: 2.1.1 Approves a change of the Contract Period to 35 months from 1 May 2025 to 31 March 2028. 2.1.2 Approves the revised liability cap as contained in the Master Agreement which applies to the US Licenced products for the Provision of a GIS System (RC-CPU-24-266) as follows: Item 28 Page 223 of 232
Page 224
a) Neither Customer, Esri, not any Esri authorised distributor third party licensor will be liable for any indirect, special, incidental or consequential damages; lost profits; lost sales; loss of goodwill or costs of procurement of substitute goods or services. b) Neither Customer, Esri, not any Esri authorised distributor third party licensor will be liable for any direct damages exceeding the applicable licence fees, or current subscription fees, or Service fees paid or owed to Esri during the twelve (12) month period prior to the date upon which the related claim arose. 2.1.3 Approves the liability cap as contained in the General Terms which apply to the UK licenced products and the professional services for the Provision of a GIS System (RC-CPU-24-266) as follows: • Each party’s total aggregate liability to the other in contract tort including negligence) or otherwise under an Order will be limited to a sum equal to 110% of the Charges payable by the Customer pursuant to such Order. • Neither party shall have any liability to the other in contract, tort (including negligence) or otherwise arising out of or in connection with this Agreement or any Loss of data including without limitation Customer Data 2.1.4 Approves the liability cap as contained in the UK Software Licence Agreement which apply to the UK Data Loader product for the Provision of a GIS System (RC-CPU-24-266) as follows: Licensor’s total cumulative liability to the Licensee under this Licence, shall in no event exceed 110% of the amount paid by to Licensor for the Software. 3. Background 3.1 The Council currently utilises a suite of GIS software products which are produced by Environmental Systems Research Institute Inc (ESRI Inc.) and supplied under licence by their sole UK distributor ESRI (UK) Limited. As the products are bespoke to ESRI Inc, the Council conducted a negotiated procedure to purchase the Enterprise Licence Agreement via their national UK distributor ESRI (UK) Limited. Page 224 of 232
Page 225
3.2 A recommendation to Award this Contract was presented at the Finance Resources and Customer Services Policy Board on 13 February 2025, however, during further review of the proposed terms and conditions, a liability cap has been identified, for which approval was not sought at the February 2025 Policy Board meeting. This report recommends that Members accept the liability cap proposed and identified at Recommendation 2.2. As the system is made up of a number of different products, there are different terms and liability caps that apply to each. 3.3 The costs and charges in respect of this Contract will be funded by the Chief Executives Policy and Partnerships Budget. Due to the remodelling of the previous licence structure for the GIS services requirement, the Council will benefit from a reduced annual cost for these licences which will be £80,671 excluding VAT in year 1 of the Contract, £66,121 excluding VAT in year 2 and £69,426 excluding VAT in year 3 and these will be the figures applicable for the liability cap each year with exception to the liability cap for the UK Data Loader product, as referenced in section 2.1.4 of this report, which accounts for £15,000 a year of the overall contract value. 3.4 A number of products form the GIS software system, each are governed by different terms and conditions. Therefore, the award of this Contract is subject to the Council agreement of the Supplier’s Small Enterprise Agreement Local Government Licence, Master Agreement, the General Terms and the Esri UK Software Licence Agreement as use of these GIS services requires the Council to agree these Supplier terms and conditions and the Master Agreement so referenced. 3.5 As there is no delegation under the Scheme of Delegated functions for any Council Officer to approve any liability caps on behalf of the Council for Contracts with a value of above the GPA Threshold, this report is submitted to request approval to revise the cap in liabilities as noted in recommendation 2.1 above. Implications of the Report 1. Financial The maximum approved Contract value of £216,218 excluding VAT for the full Contract period, this includes costs of £80,671 excluding VAT in year 1 of the Contract, £66,121 excluding VAT in year 2 and £69,426 excluding VAT in year 3 and these will be the figures applicable for the liability cap each year with exception to the liability cap for the UK Data Page 225 of 232
Page 226
Loader product, as referenced in section 2.1.4 of this report, which accounts for £15,000 a year of the overall contract value. 2. HR & Organisational Development None arising directly from this report. 3. Community/Council Planning – Working together to improve outcomes – this Contract will ensure the Council takes advantage of new technologies to deliver better and more efficient services. 4. Legal This procurement exercise was conducted under the negotiated procedure of The Public Contracts (Scotland) Regulations 2015 and the requirements of the Council’s Standing Orders relating to Contracts. The award of this Contract is subject to the Council agreement of the Supplier’s Small Enterprise Agreement Local Government Licence once agreed by the Council. 5. Property/Assets No property/assets implications have arisen or are anticipated as this will be a cloud based hosted system. 6. Information Technology This Contract will ensure continuation of the licensing of the GIS software system, avoiding disruption to the service should the current contract expire with no subsequent Contract in place. 7. Equality & Human Rights None arising directly from this report 8. Health & Safety None arising directly from this report 9. Procurement For Contracts with a value of above the GPA Threshold, there is no delegation to officers to accept liability limits, so Members are asked to agree these terms. 10. Risk The liability caps outlined in Section 2 of this report will apply to this Contract. Page 226 of 232
Page 227
11. Privacy Impact None arising directly from this report. 12. Climate Risk None arising directly from this report. 13. Children’s Rights None arising directly from this report. 14. Cosla Policy Position None arising directly from this report. _________________________________________________________ List of Background Papers Contract Authorisation Report for the Provision of a GIS System (RC-CPU-24-266) 13 February 2025 ____________________________________________________ Author: Rachel Davison, Digital Category Manager, Rachel.davison@renfrewshire.gov.uk Page 227 of 232
Page 228
___________________________________________________________________ To: Finance, Resources and Customer Service Policy Board On: 3 April 2025 ___________________________________________________________________ Report by: The Director of Finance and Resources ___________________________________________________________________ Heading: Contract Authorisation Report for Document Solution Centre Print Devices (RC-CPU-24-210) ___________________________________________________________________ 1. Summary 1.1 The purpose of this report is to seek the approval of the Finance, Resources and Customer Services Policy Board to award a Services Contract for Document Solution Centre Print Devices to Xerox (UK) Limited. 1.2 The recommendation to award the Call-off Contract follows a procurement exercise conducted as a mini-competition in accordance with Scottish Procurement’s Managed Print Solutions Framework Agreement SP-21-046 (Framework Agreement) and the Council’s Standing Orders Relating to Contracts for a Services Contract above the Threshold value. 1.3 A Contract Strategy was approved by the Director of Finance & Resources and the Corporate Procurement Manager on the 26 September 2024. ___________________________________________________________________ 2. Recommendations It is recommended that the Finance, Resources and Customer Services Policy Board: Item 29 Page 228 of 232
Page 229
2.1 Authorises the Head of Corporate Governance to award a Call-off Contract for Document Solution Centre Print Devices, reference RC- CPU-24-210 to Xerox (UK) Limited following a mini competition exercise under Scottish Procurement’s Managed Print Solutions Framework Agreement SP-21-046. 2.2 Authorises the Call-off Contract for an initial period of 3 years with an optional extension period of up to two additional one-year periods. It is anticipated that the Call-off Contract Commencement Date will be 2 June 2025 however the actual Call-off Contract Commencement Date will be advised in the Standard Terms of Supply Order Form. 2.3 Authorises the Call-off approved Contract value for the initial 3-year Period up to a maximum value of £350,000 excluding VAT. Where both extension periods are utilised by the Council, the total Call-off approved Contract value will be up to a maximum value of £500,000, excluding VAT. 2.4 Authorises that the liability of either Party, Xerox (UK) Limited or the Council for Defaults, is limited to £2,500,000 for any one incident as per Schedule 5 Call off Terms and Conditions of the Scottish Procurement’s Managed Print Solutions Framework Agreement SP-21- 046 applicable to any Call-off Contracts made under it. _________________________________________________________ 3. Background 3.1 The Council has a requirement for the provision and replacement of leased print devices for the Document Solution Centre, which is the Council’s production level professional print service. The Council requires the Service Provider to supply, deliver, install the devices, provide training for all Document Solution Centre staff, and provide maintenance and servicing of the devices. The current contract expires on 30 September 2025, however a 12-week lead in time is required to exchange the Council’s old printing devices for the new devices leased under this Call-off Contract, and for those new devices to be fully operational by 1 October 2025. 3.2 The procurement exercise for this Call-off Contract was conducted as a mini-competition under the Scottish Procurement’s Managed Print Solutions Framework Agreement SP-21-046 and in accordance with the related Buyers Guide and the procedures for use of third-party Framework Agreements under the Council’s Standing Orders Relating to Contracts. Page 229 of 232
Page 230
3.3 The mini-competition was issued to the 9 Service Providers on the Framework Agreement via the Public Contract Scotland Tenders Portal on 29 January 2025. By the submission deadline of 12 noon on 19 February 2025, 1 tender submission was received from Xerox (UK) Limited. The reason for the other tenderers not responding was that they were either unable to meet the specification, or did not have the capacity. 3.4 All Service Providers completed the Standard Procurement Document (SPD) (Scotland) when applying for a place on the Scottish Procurement’s Managed Print Solutions Framework Agreement SP-21- 046. As part of the mini-competition, tenders were asked to confirm that there have been no changes to the SPD since being appointed to the Framework Agreement. Xerox (UK) Limited have confirmed that there have been no changes to their SPD (Scotland) submission since appointment to the Framework Agreement. 3.5 The tender submission from Xerox (UK) Limited were evaluated against the mini-competition award criteria of 50.00% Quality and 50.00% Price. 3.6 The scores relative to the Award Criteria for Xerox (UK) Limited are noted below. Tenderers Name Quality Score (50%) Price Score (50%) Total Score (100%) Xerox (UK) Limited 45.50% 50.00% 95.50% 3.7 The evaluation of the tender submission received was deemed best value and within the budget available. Schedule 5 Call-off Terms and Conditions and the Call-off Contract requirements will be agreed with Xerox (UK) Limited and formed under the Standard Terms of Supply Order Form. 3.8 Xerox (UK) Limited has committed to deliver the following community benefits as part of this Call-off Contract: Community Benefit Outcome Description No of People / Activity Industry Awareness Events 1 Industry Skill Transfer to Schools 1 Non-financial support for a Social Enterprise within Renfrewshire 1 Financial Support for a Community Project/Group 1 Non-financial support for a Community Project/Group 2 Page 230 of 232
Page 231
___________________________________________________________________ Implications of the Report 1. Financial - The Call-off approved Contract value for the initial 3-year period is up to a maximum value of £350,000 excluding VAT. Where both 1-year extension periods are utilised by the Council, the total Call- off approved Contract value will be up to a maximum value of £500,000 excluding VAT. 2. HR & Organisational Development – None directly arising from this report. 3. Community/Council Planning – • Fair – Xerox (UK) Limited were assessed within this procurement process regarding their approach to ensuring Fair Work First practices throughout their organisation. • Green – The Call-off Contract is aligned to the Green Print Strategy by recycling ink cartridges and reducing emissions by alternative methods to call outs. • Living Our Values - the Council must work smarter and in fundamentally different ways, sharpening the focus of our organisation to meet the significant financial challenges and encourage staff to think about how they print that will drive efficiencies. 4. Legal - This Procurement was carried out in accordance with the Scottish Procurement’s Managed Print Solutions Framework Agreement SP-21-046 Buyers Guide and Renfrewshire Council’s Standing Orders Relating to Contracts for a Services Contract above Threshold value. 5. Property/Assets - The Council will lease the printing devices provided for the period of the Call-off Contract, including the optional extension periods, if utilised. 6. Information Technology - ICT and Cyber Security was evaluated by the Council’s ICT Services and Xerox (UK) Limited meet the minimum requirements. 7. Equality & Human Rights – none directly arising from this report. Page 231 of 232
Page 232
8. Health & Safety – Xerox (UK) Limited health and safety credentials were evaluated by Corporate Health and Safety and met the Council’s minimum requirements regarding health and safety. 9. Procurement – The procurement exercise was conducted in accordance with the Scottish Procurement’s Managed Print Solutions Framework Agreement SP-21-046. Buyers Guide under the Scottish Procurement’s Managed Print Solutions Framework Agreement SP-21- 046 and Renfrewshire Council’s Standing Orders Relating to Contracts. 10. Risk – Xerox (UK) Limited insurance documentations were evaluated by the Council’s Risk Manager and were as deemed to meet the minimum requirements. The liability of either Party for Defaults under this Call-off Contract is limited to £2,500,000 for any one incident as per Schedule 5 Call-off Terms and Conditions of the Scottish Procurement’s Managed Print Solutions Framework Agreement SP-21-046, applicable to any Call-off Contracts made under it. 11. Privacy Impact - As part of the procurement process, a data protection impact assessment (DPIA) was conducted by the Service and the Council’s Information Governance team and this confirmed that no personal information is being processed or stored therefore a data processor agreement is not required. 12. Climate Risk – The level of impact associated with provision of this service has been assessed using the Scottish Government Sustainability Test and is considered to be low risk. The considerations for this Call-off Contract are for the ink cartridges to be recycled by Xerox (UK) Limited in accordance with the relevant regulations. 13. Children’s Rights – None arising directly from this report. 14. Cosla Policy Position – None arising directly from this report. _______________________________________________________ List of Background Papers Not applicable ___________________________________________________________________ Author: Gillian Gordon, Senior Procurement Specialist, gillian.gordon@renfrewshire.gov.uk Page 232 of 232