Issue - meetings

Approval is sought for Oldham Council to continue participation in the Greater Manchester collaborative Managed Service Provider contract for the provision of contingent labour.

The Scrutiny Board received a report of the Assistant Director of Workforce and Organisational Culture, which was requesting approval for Oldham Council to continue participation in the Greater Manchester (GM) collaborative Managed Service Provider (MSP) contract for the provision of contingent labour following completion of the GM-wide procurement exercise and award of the contract to Reed Specialist Recruitment Ltd.

Continued participation will enable the Council to access a compliant, established framework for sourcing agency workers where temporary staffing solutions are required to maintain service delivery.

Whilst participation does not require direct financial commitment, the decision is considered sufficiently significant due to the Council's ongoing utilisation of the contract for contingent labour and its strategic role in supporting service delivery across the organisation.

The report presented two Options:

Option 1 (preferred Option - To continue participation in the GM MSP contract. This Option provides: access to a compliant and competitively procured contract, consistent contractual arrangements across GM authorities, effective management and oversight of agency spend, access to a broad supply chain of agency providers through a single managed arrangement and a reduced procurement and contract management burden for the Council.

Option 2 – To withdraw from the GM arrangement and procure independently. This option was not recommended as it would: require the Council to undertake its own procurement exercise, increase administrative and procurement costs, delay access to temporary staffing resources and would reduce opportunities to benefit from collaborative purchasing arrangements and GM-wide supplier management.

Resolved:

That the Scrutiny Board endorses the recommendations in the report of the Assistant Director of Workforce and Organisational Culture, to:  

1. Approve Oldham Council's continued participation in the Greater Manchester collaborative Managed Service Provider contract for contingent labour awarded to Reed Specialist Recruitment Ltd.
2. Authorise officers to utilise the contract for the engagement of agency workers in accordance with the Council's procurement, financial and workforce management procedures.