Purpose

The charging of the service fee is a contractual requirement with Open Systems Lab (OSL), the supplier of PlanX. Fees collected from each application are returned to OSL and contribute to
subsidising the ongoing operation of the platform, supporting the long-term goal of establishing PlanX as a self-sustaining service. As the volume of applications processed through PlanX increases, and a greater proportion of fee income is returned to OSL, the Council’s overall annual contract cost can be reduced.

Decision

Approval has been granted to implement the PlanX Applicant Service Charge in line with the PlanX Doncaster Council contract (ref: C12229). As set out on page 14 of the contract: “For
each application or request submitted via the PlanX software provided under this Agreement, where the application includes a combined fee (‘Application Fee’) of £100 or more (including
VAT), the Buyer (Doncaster Council) agrees to apply an additional service charge of £40 plus applicable VAT (the ‘Service Charge’) on the applicant. The Buyer shall be responsible for collecting the Service Charge from the applicant at the time of submission of each relevant planning application.”

Alternative options considered

OSL’s assessment of the annual running costs of PlanX indicated that the baseline contract cost to local authorities would be approximately double the current level, which could significantly
undermine the platform’s sustainability, as such costs would be difficult for most councils to justify. To address this, the introduction of the PlanX Applicant Service Charge on eligible applications was proposed to offset supply costs and bring the platform in line with other commercial models that apply a similar processing fee. After consideration, the Council opted to adopt this approach, reducing its overall annual contract costs while supporting the long-term
viability and sustainability of the platform