Agenda item

(Environment Portfolio Holder) To consider the attached report (C-068-2010/11).

(1)        That a pest control treatment service be provided through either a normal service contract or an alternative approach such as ”a preferred contractor” service sharing with another Council or the re-provision of an in-house service when the existing contract ends on 30 June 2011;

(2)        That a charge be imposed for all treatments in the future, including treatments for rats and cockroaches currently provided free of charge;

(3)        That, following Santia being placed in administration, the acquisition of the business by Rentokil plc be noted;

(4)        That the existing contract be novated to Rentokil plc for the remaining contract period;

(5)        That Contract Standing Orders be waived in order to enable a short term contract with Santia/Rentokil (or another provider if necessary) beyond June 2011, and if necessary with differing terms to the existing contract, to facilitate the completion of a EU procurement exercise;

(6)        That Contract Standing Orders C3(4) and C4 be waived until 30 June 2011 in order to allow, subject to continued satisfactory performance, orders to be placed for pest control services on a monthly basis with Rentokil plc on the same terms as the current contract; and

(7)        That a further report be submitted to a future meeting of the Cabinet on the outcome of the procurement exercise along with options for the setting of fees and concessions and any matters arising from the administration of Santia.

The Environment Portfolio Holder presented a report regarding the Council’s Pest Control Contract.

The Portfolio Holder stated that the current Pest Control Contract would expire at the end of June 2011, and a number of options for future pest control provision had been offered for consideration by the Cabinet. It was suggested that the Council should charge in future for offering cockroach treatments; these were currently free but there were not too many call-outs per annum. It was also not feasible to offer the rat service for free in the future either, especially as a number of visits were required to fully deal with the problem. An initial decision was being sought at this time, and was agreed by the Cabinet, regarding the future provision of the service and tendering processes, with a further report in due course setting out the outcome of the procurement exercise, options for service delivery and approach to concessions. An in-house ‘ghost’ bid would be prepared for comparison during the procurement exercise.

Following the publication of the agenda, the Portfolio Holder reported that the current contractor had been placed in administration and the business had been acquired by Rentokil plc. It was intended to novate the current contract to Rentokil plc in the short term and then procure a new long term contract, as set out in the original report. A number of Contract Standing Orders would have to be waived to enable this to occur, and permission was duly granted by the Cabinet. The Director of Environment & Street Scene added that Rentokil plc would continue the contract on the same terms and conditions as before until the existing contract expired on 30 June 2011, however further discussions were due to take place with Rentokil as to whether the fees should be adjusted to cover any possible additional costs.

Decision:

(1)        That a pest control treatment service be provided through either a normal service contract or an alternative approach such as ”a preferred contractor” service sharing with another Council or the re-provision of an in-house service when the existing contract ended on 30 June 2011;

(2)        That a charge be imposed for all treatments in the future, including treatments for rats and cockroaches currently provided free of charge;

(3)        That, following Santia being placed in administration, the acquisition of the business by Rentokil plc be noted;

(4)        That the existing contract be novated to Rentokil plc for the remaining contract period;

(5)        That Contract Standing Orders be waived in order to enable a short term contract with Santia/Rentokil (or another provider if necessary) beyond June 2011, and if necessary with differing terms to the existing contract, to facilitate the completion of a EU procurement exercise;

(6)        That Contract Standing Orders C3(4) and C4 be waived until 30 June 2011 in order to allow, subject to continued satisfactory performance, orders to be placed for pest control services on a monthly basis with Rentokil plc on the same terms as the current contract; and

(7)        That a further report be submitted to a future meeting of the Cabinet on the outcome of the procurement exercise along with options for the setting of fees and concessions and any matters arising from the administration of Santia.

Reasons for Decision:

To continue to provide a pest control service to residents when the current contract expired, as the service had proved to be popular with residents.

To allow Rentokil to provide the service in the short term after the Council’s contractor Santia had been placed in administration.

Other Options Considered and Rejected:

To cease the pest control service in its entirety.