Decision details

(i)  Subject to approval of Council recommendations (i), that approval is given for the procurement of a Neutral Vendor contract for the supply of temporary agency staff.

(ii)  That authority is delegated to the Service Director Human Resources and Organisational Development to carry out a procurement process for the delivery of a Neutral Vendor contract for temporary agency staff as set out in this report, and to enter into a contract for the delivery of the service in accordance with the Contract Procedure Rules.

(iii)  To authorise the Service Director Human Resources and Organisational Development to take all necessary actions to implement the proposals contained in this report.

1.  Southampton City Council will always have the need for some temporary staff, and in certain fields will need these staff at an hour’s notice.  This applies in particular to essential customer facing roles, such as those in social care and waste and recycling, as well as those roles supporting our cultural and visitor economy. The reasons for this include covering unforeseen absences such as sickness and also to fill vacancies that would lead to service failure if not backfilled prior to them being filled permanently. 

2.  The Council Recruitment team assist managers to recruit employees on a fixed-term basis if a temporary post is needed for longer than six months. The intention is for this team to fulfil temporary staff requests of less than six months in future, wherever this is achievable. However, the Council will still need to use agencies for some specialist staff, particularly because these staff often stay with specialist agencies that provide regular work across several employers as opposed to single assignments.

3.  The recruitment of temporary agency staff must be done effectively and compliantly, and therefore the Council should seek to have a contract in place with a supplier with a flexible network of agencies to provide this service. The current arrangement terminates at the end of this Financial Year and a formal and compliant procurement process must take place in advance of this date to ensure continuity of service. Undertaking a formal procurement process will ensure the Council achieves best value for money, as well as factoring in other considerations such as local employment in line with the Social Value and Green City Procurement policy. It will also ensure compliance with Council Financial and Procurement rules.

1.  There is no option to withdraw this service as the Council would not have all staff required to meet essential service needs and would lead to service failures, including for example, support for vulnerable persons and waste collection.

2.  The Council has applied its Southampton City Council First (SCC First) policy and determined that the Council Recruitment team will begin recruiting temporary staff for periods of less than six months. This SCC First assessment has determined that this team will not, however, be able to source all temporary staff, as some specialists are only available via particular agencies such as those for solicitors and IT professionals.

3.  Extending the current contract by means of a procurement exemption is not a viable alternative option as it would not be compliant with public procurement law and leaves the Council at significant risk of legal challenge.