Agenda item

The Portfolio Holder for Finance and Enabling presented a report in respect of the renewal of the Council’s Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) System contract.  The Executive Committee was informed that the existing contract was due to expire at the end of June 2023 and therefore a new contract was required.  The Council was aiming to procure the system using a local government framework and the new contract would need to take into account that the Council would not be using the HR and Payroll modules, as had been originally intended.  There remained a backlog in respect of cash receipting, but the Council was on track to clear this by the end of the calendar year.  The only other option would be to procure another system from an alternative supplier.  However, the cash receipting backlog would still need to be cleared on the existing system prior to transfer and there would be extra implementation time and financial investment required.  The contract for the Wincave system, required in relation to cash receipting, was due to expire later in the year but would also need to be renewed.  In concluding the presentation of the report, the Portfolio Holder for Finance and Enabling recognised that there had been challenges for the Council in terms of the introduction and implementation of the ERP system but Members were asked to note that the organisation was generally satisfied with how the majority of the system functioned.

After the report had been presented, Members commented on the following matters:

·             The length of the report and whether this was sufficient to make a decision, given the difficulties with the implementation of the ERP system and the issues identified in the Section 24 Notice.

·             The level of savings that would arise from renewing the ERP system without including the HR and Payroll module.  Members were advised that the figures would be subject to the outcomes of the tender process, although it was likely to result in financial savings.

·             The potential to recoup funding from the software provider.  Officers explained that pricing would be set out in the framework contract, and reductions would be made as not all modules originally purchased (HR and Payroll) would be repurchased.   This would be the same framework as that which had originally been used and it was anticipated that this would result in a reduction in the fee by approximately 25 per cent.

·             The acronyms and other terminology used in the report and the benefits of providing clarification in these types of reports in respect of such technical terms, particularly where they were referenced in the resolutions or recommendations in a report.

·             The implications of postponing taking a decision on this matter after the contract had expired.  Officers explained that the current contract would remain in place, as there would be a requirement to continue to work with the existing contractor for at least a further two years to resolve the backlog and have a year of “normal running”.  This framework contract duration was two years plus two further one-year extensions.

·             The potential for the Leader to provide Members with further clarification on the financial costs to the Council involved in renewing the contract once the tender process had been completed.

·             The potential for Members to raise concerns with the relevant Portfolio Holder in respect of the length of reports and detail within specific reports in advance of Executive Committee meetings.

During consideration of this item, the suggestion was made that, due to the subject matter and the issues that had been identified in the Section 24 Notice, the proposals detailed in the report should be referred to Council for determination.  However, Officers explained that, as the finances required to pay for the renewal of the system had already been incorporated into the budget framework, a decision was required from the Executive Committee, rather than Council.  It was noted that other Members could be involved in the process, through consideration at a meeting of the Budget Scrutiny Working Group and whilst this could not take place now before the Executive Committee determined the matter, there was still time for the group to scrutinise the background to the decision prior to the end of the month and the expiration of the existing contract.

RESOLVED that

1)          the Council reprocures TechOne but at a reduced licence fee to reflect that HR and Payroll will not be used and delegate the finer negotiations to the Executive Director of Resources;

2)          the AMS contract continues until the Council have confidence that their inhouse resource is capable of delivering all or part of that function; and

3)          the Wincave contract is renewed via a tender process in the autumn.