Agenda item

Report of the Acting Strategic Director of Regeneration and Environment

Recommendations:-

1.    That approval be given to conducting an open tender procedure process in accordance with the Council’s Contract Procedure Rules and Domestic and European Procurement Law, in order to identify a partner to deliver the Riverside House Café through a lease and profit share tenancy agreement.

Consideration was given to the report which provided detail on the implementation proposal to achieve a proposed 2019/20 budget saving by commissioning an external partner to deliver the Riverside House Café provision.

Riverside House had now been open for seven years during which time the café has become an established feature.

Soft market testing of the opportunity as a business venture had established interest and it was considered that a commissioned partner could offer a more cost effective solution to opening the café.  Existing staff would be transferred through to the organisation via TUPE.

This report had been considered by the Overview and Scrutiny Management Board as part of the pre-scrutiny process who were in support of the recommendations, but confirmed that if the tender process was not successful that future proposals be brought back for review and that preliminary work be undertaken at the earliest opportunity on alternative options in the event of the tender process not being successful.

Resolved:-  That the conducting an open tender procedure process in accordance with the Council’s Contract Procedure Rules and Domestic and European Procurement Law, in order to identify a partner to deliver the Riverside House Café through a lease and profit share tenancy agreement, be approved.