To receive any disclosures of interest.

None received.

To confirm as a correct record the minutes of the Joint Shared Services Committee held on 19 November 2012.

The Minutes of the meeting of the Joint Shared Services Committee held on 19 November 2012 were confirmed as a correct record and signed by the Chairman.

Service and Financial Planning (Minute JSS31/12)

Revenues and Benefits

The Director of Corporate Resources and Governance updated the Joint Committee on the time taken to progress Benefit Applications.

Item                            Target            Present Position

Time to Process        22 days          22 days Three Rivers

New Claims                                       21 days Watford

Change in

Circumstances          8 days             27 days Three Rivers

                                                            22 days Watford

In April 2012 the numbers of change in circumstance applications outstanding was 5,300.  This now stood at 2,900.

The improvement in performance had recently dipped due to the transfer of records to the Atlas System.

The Director of Corporate Resources and Governance would submit a report to the next meeting of the Joint Committee on the time taken to deal with the backlog in change of circumstances cases.

None received.

To receive a presentation concerning the proposed award of a contract to supply ICT services.

RESOLVED –

that the presentation from Capita the preferred Managed Services Provider for ICT be noted.

The Joint Committee received a presentation from Capita the preferred Managed Services Provider for ICT.

In reply to comments and questions from the Joint Committee the representatives from Capita stated:

-        Capita are aware of the recent Audit report which highlighted weaknesses in ICT security; the results of the Audit were broadly comparable with other Local Authorities. Approximately 50 of the recommendations would be covered by due diligence and delivered in transition and transformation; 27 only the Council could do and 3-4 would be the subject of discussion between Capita and the Council.

          There would be a positive and constructive approach to deal with those recommendations for which the Council were responsible.  Capita was a proactive organisation and would advise on security throughout the contract.

-        In relation to improvement of service Capita would:

          (a)             Stabilise the ICT Service.

          (b)             Provide Innovation Forums.

          (c)             Offer a wide range of Cloud Computing Services

          Capita had instigated innovative working at other authorities, an example would be residents in London Borough of Lewisham using their own IPhone application to submit photographs of graffiti.

          The handover would be seamless with the service desk being responsive.

-        The areas of risk in respect of the contract had diminished as due diligence had been undertaken before the contract had been awarded.

-        It was imperative that the Councils appoint a Client side to act as focal point to interact during the contract.  To ensure monitoring the contract by ICT professionals and two posts would be the correct size as a large Client side increased delay in decision making.

          The day-to-day management of the contract by Capita would be the responsibility of an Account Manager who would also be responsible for another Council in London.

-        In respect of reducing the cost of the service, savings could be made by the use of different forms of technology, and Capita would bring in other areas from its portfolio to drive economies.  No commitment could be made at this stage concerning savings on staff costs.

-        In relation to the Council ensuring it was up-to-date on the introduction of new technologies, Capita as a large Company knew what innovations were likely to be introduced, Capita would inform and discuss with the Council and see if any new technologies were applicable to the Council environment.

-        The Data Centre had never gone down; Capita provided command and control systems for the Police and other emergency services and therefore had to ensure they provided a high level of resilience.  A 24/7 help desk would be available with a response in 15 minutes and any problem fixed in 2 hours.

-        Any outstanding Audit recommendations from previous reports would be delivered during transition and the move to Capita’s data centre which would happen in quarter 3 of the next financial year.

-        There would be on-site staff at each Council.

-        The present turnover of staff was less than 1% in Capita and approximately 70% of existing staff had been transferred  ...  view the full minutes text for item JSS39/12

The Chairman to move:-

“that, under Section 100A (4) of the Local Government Act 1972, the press and public be excluded from the meeting for the following item(s) of business as it is likely, in view of the nature of the business to be transacted or the nature of the proceedings, that if the press or public were present during consideration of the item(s) there would be disclosure to them of exempt information as defined under the respective paragraphs of Part 1 of Schedule 12A to the Act.”

If approved the Chairman will ask the press and public to leave the meeting at this point.

RESOLVED –

that, under Section 100A (4) of the Local Government Act 1972, the press and public be excluded from the meeting for the following item(s) of business as it is likely, in view of the nature of the business to be transacted or the nature of the proceedings, that if the press or public were present during consideration of the item(s) there would be disclosure to them of exempt information as defined under the paragraph 3 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A to the Act.

This report sets out the outcome of the due diligence process held with the preferred bidder for the provision of Managed ICT Services to the councils.

RESOLVED –

1.      that Joint Shared Services Committee (JSSC) notes the content of the report and associated appendices.

2.      that the recommendation that Capita should be awarded the ICT contract for an initial five year period (with the option to extend for a further two years) be approved, subject to paragraph (5) below.

3.      that the final contract price (as detailed at Section 8 of the report) be agreed and the Director of Corporate Resources (Three Rivers) and the Head of Strategic Finance (Watford) be delegated  in consultation with the Chair and Vice Chair any minor variations.

4.      that the approval from the two councils for one off capital expenditure of £584k and £189k per annum for project costs be sought.

5.      that the legal representatives of both councils finalise all contract documentation.

6.      that the transition process commence with immediate effect and that recruitment for the client team be commenced as soon as possible.

7.      that staff consultation be held immediately following the decisions of this meeting.

8.      that access to the decision be made available immediately.

9.      that access to this report be denied until the matter has been concluded.

The Joint Committee received a report which set out the outcome of the due diligence process held with the preferred bidder for the provision of Managed ICT Services to the Council.

In reply to questions from Members, officers indicated:

-        That the Council’s Human Resources team had met with representatives of Capita in relation to the transfer of staff, Capita were very experienced in this area and consultation would be undertaken with staff.

-        Terms and Conditions of staff in the ICT Section were already harmonised.

-        An exit plan had already been put in place before the Contract was let.

-        The physical infrastructure was adequate but the ICT Section had a hardware budget to invest in infrastructure in the future.

RESOLVED –

1.      that Joint Shared Services Committee (JSSC) notes the content of the report and associated appendices.

2.      that the recommendation that Capita should be awarded the ICT contract for an initial five year period (with the option to extend for a further two years) be approved, subject to paragraph (5) below.

3.      that the final contract price (as detailed at Section 8 of the report) be agreed and the Director of Corporate Resources (Three Rivers) and the Head of Strategic Finance (Watford) be delegated  in consultation with the Chair and Vice Chair any minor variations.

4.      that the approval from the two councils for one off capital expenditure of £584k and £189k per annum for project costs be sought.

5.      that the legal representatives of both councils finalise all contract documentation.

6.      that the transition process commence with immediate effect and that recruitment for the client team be commenced as soon as possible.

7.      that staff consultation be held immediately following the decisions of this meeting.

8.      that access to the decision be made available immediately.

9.      that access to this report be denied until the matter has been concluded.