Issue - meetings

The Cabinet Member for Social Care and Health Integration reported on the proposed procurement of contracts to supply the Borough’s schools with various foodstuffs.

The proposed procurement would be via a mini-competition from the Yorkshire Purchasing Organisation (YPO) Food Framework Agreement and the Cabinet Member for Corporate Performance and Delivery commented on the fact that local suppliers were not party to those Frameworks.  Reference was also made to the Council’s Healthy Eating campaign and whether the commissioning was reflective of that vision.  The Cabinet Member for Social Care and Health Integration agreed to provide her Cabinet colleagues with a detailed response, although she was able to confirm that the principles of Healthy Eating would be reflected in the quality requirements of the contract specifications.  The Leader added that the Council’s “look local” approach to contracting had already achieved a level of 17%, with a longer-term target of at least 25% which would see Barking and Dagenham being among the top 10 local authorities.

The Cabinet resolved to:

(i)  Agree to proceed with the procurement of contracts for the supply of frozen foods, groceries and other products by way of a joint call-off exercise, led by the London Borough of Havering, from the Yorkshire Purchasing Organisation (YPO) framework in accordance with the strategy set out in the report; and

(ii)  Delegate authority to the Strategic Director for Service Development and Integration, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Social Care and Health Integration, the Strategic Director of Finance and Investment and the Director of Law and Governance, to conduct the procurement exercises and enter into the contracts and all other necessary or ancillary agreements with the successful bidder(s) in accordance with the strategy set out in the report.