Purpose

The council processes council tax payments, benefits payments, and sundry debt administration through a revenues and benefits system, which customers interact with on a daily basis, both online, through customer services and through our revenues and benefits team.

In September the council approved the procurement of the NEC revenues and benefits back-office system for five years, with the option to extend for a further two years, on the basis it has been assessed as the most cost-effective and operationally sound option.

It delegated the selection of the customer front-end system (either enhancing NEC or transitioning to a comparable front-end solution) to the responsible director, cabinet member, and s151 officer, subject to usability testing, procurement processes and costs being within Approved Budgets.

Analysis of available options has been carried out and it has been determined that remaining with NEC for the front-end solution is the recommended solution on the basis that it delivers improved usability and accessibility, avoids significant disruption and customer confusion, minimises operational and financial risk, and prevents the need for major system change during a critical period leading up to LGR and annual billing. Accordingly, this paper recommends procuring the NEC system customer front-end system together with the NEC back-office system, as a single procurement.

The procurement will be made through a procurement compliant direct award on the VAS Framework. With the advent of local government reorganisation, the VAS Framework also includes a 90-day termination clause that will enable the council or any future council to move away from the contract with minimal financial impact should a change of system be required by the future unitary council.

Decision

The Cabinet Member for Finance and Commissioning approved the procurement of the NEC revenues and benefits customer front-end system for five years, with the option to extend for a further two years, as part of a single procurement with the NEC back-office system already approved by council, on the basis that it has been assessed as the most cost-effective and operationally sound option, and subject to this being within Approved Budgets.