Issue - meetings

The Portfolio Holder for Corporate Finance and Resources to submit a report seeking Cabinet approval to award a new finance system contract and recommend to Council the approval of the necessary funding to support the implementation.

(1)  Cabinet AUTHORISED the award of the contract for a new finance system to the chosen supplier;

(2)  Cabinet DELEGATED authority to the Director for Governance and Regulatory Services to draft and/or finalise any necessary legal documentation;

(3)  Cabinet RECOMMENDED to Council the approval of £250k to be allocated from the Corporate Priorities Reserve in order to fund this project.

Councillor Ronnie de Burle, Portfolio Holder for Corporate Finance and Resources introduced the report, the purpose of which was to seek Cabinet approval to award a new finance system contract and recommend to Council the approval of the necessary funding to support the implementation.

Councillor de Burle gave a summary of the report, highlighting that the Council’s current financial system was no longer suitable for business needs and a procurement process had been put in place to acquire a new system.  This would be a major cost to the Council but was vital to enabling financial procedures and processes to be undertaken ie invoicing, debt recovery etc.  ‘Supplier A’ was the Council’s preferred provider due to cost, quality and the ability to interface with neighbouring councils.  The total implementation cost could be reduced through in-house support.  Once the system was implemented, there would be an annual saving of £15k in maintenance and licensing.

During discussion the following points were noted:

·         The Council would not be able to continue without replacing the system once it moved into being unsupported.  This would effect the council’s ability to carry out debt collection, invoicing, and  financial  transactions.

·         The proposed solution was a good system at a good price.

·         Clarification was sought on the length of the contract and the Director for Corporate Services provided the information that this was a five year contract with an option to extend for five years.

·         Members requested the that Project Benefits and Outcomes, as detailed at paragraph 6.4 of the report be clearly set out for Members at the Council meeting on 18 December ie what did improved reporting capabilities and improved debt management functionality mean in practical terms. 

DECISIONS (KEY DECISION)

(1)  Cabinet AUTHORISED the award of the contract for a new finance system to the chosen supplier;

(2)  Cabinet DELEGATED authority to the Director for Governance and Regulatory Services to draft and/or finalise any necessary legal documentation;

(3)  Cabinet RECOMMENDED to Council the approval of £250k to be allocated from the Corporate Priorities Reserve in order to fund this project.

Reasons for decisions:

The Council had undertaken a full procurement process which identified the chosen supplier as the preferred bidder against the award criteria.