Decision details

Date of Decision:

28^th March, 2025

Title:

Procurement of Postal Service provider (Whistl UK Limited) – Purchased from Framework (Collection and Delivery of Letters, Large Letters and Parcels)

Decision Maker:

(Including Job Title)

Luke Sayers

Assistant Director, Customer Information & Digital services

Finance & Customer Services 

Details of Specific Delegation

or

Delegation contained in the relevant Sub-Scheme of Delegation.

The Sub-Scheme of Delegation - Strategic Director of Finance and Customer Services, authorises Assistant Directors to act in relation to matters within their remit, specifically and in relation to this decision:

1.     In respect of all financial matters:

·        Authorisation to spend within approved budgets subject to the policies, Financial and Procurement Procedure Rules of the Council.

·        Authorisation for the virement of revenue budgets in according with the Financial and Procurement Procedure Rules of the Council.

3.     In respect of procurement, contract administration and best value:

·        In accordance with Financial and Procurement Procedure Rules, matters

relating to the specification for works, goods and services, the seeking of estimates, quotations and tenders, the evaluation of the same and acceptance of tenders relating to contracts for works, goods and services in accordance with approved budgets or supplementary estimates.

•        Where a contract for support and maintenance is renewed within five years of the original contract, authority to award such a contract.

Decision:

To make a contract award to the preferred identified through a collaborative Further Competition under the CCS Postal Services and Solutions Commercial Agreement (RM6280), Lot 2 in relation to 2nd class mail collection and delivery of letters, large letters and parcels. 

Reasons for the Decision:

The Council requires a mail collection and delivery service.

A contractor has been identified to provide the Council with an efficient and reliable delivery/collection service for business mail.  This is a key decision given the expenditure over the contract term will exceed £400k.

Details of alternative options considered and rejected:

The following alternative options were considered:

1.     Above Threshold – Open Tender Process:

This was discounted as there was a need to act quickly to enable delivery as soon as possible.  The potential value of the contract was expected to be above the threshold set out in the Procurement Contract Regulations (£177,898 (net of VAT), and the timescales associated with undertaking this type of procedure would have significantly extended timelines.

2.     Individual Further competition – CCS Postal Services and Solutions Commercial Agreement (RM6280), Lot 2

This was discounted as it was considered that using the same framework (RM6280, lot 2) as a Collaborative Further Competition would achieve increased savings.

Conflicts of interest declared by any Cabinet Member consulted by the decision maker which relates to the decision:

There are no conflicts of interest.

Dispensations Granted:

(If any)

n/a

Conflicts of interest declared by the Decision Maker if they sit as a Cabinet appointed representative to an outside body which relates to the decision:

n/a

Dispensations Granted:

(If any)

n/a

Reports or parts of reports considered

The report of the ‘24-094 Second Class Mail’ Procurement business case’ (approved by Luke Sayers, Assistant Director CIDS) sets out the decision to make an award following a collaborative further competition procedure under the CCS Postal Services and Solutions Commercial Agreement (RM6280), Lot 2 in relation to 2nd class mail collection and delivery of letters, large letters and parcels.

A procurement options appraisal was conducted to determine the most appropriate route to market. In determining the decision to award this contract, spend data was analysed over the past 4 financial years and tendered bids assessed in terms of quality (60%) and price (40%).