Purpose

This report seeks Corporate Director approval to commence an exercise to procure automation software for council tax.

Decision

For the reasons set out in this report, the Corporate Director has decided to:

1)    Commence a procurement exercise for a software solution that will automate the processing of customer contacts in relation to council tax for an initial term of 2 years with the option of two 1-year extensions. The cost of the initial two-year term is estimated at £360,000, with each of the 1-year extensions costing a further £180,000, should they be triggered.

Alternative options considered

Do nothing - Continue to process council tax record changes manually using existing resources and processes. This is not recommended as it does not address current service pressures or support strategic efficiency objectives.

Recruit additional officers - Increase staffing levels to process council tax changes manually. This is not recommended as while it could provide short-term capacity it does not deliver sustainable transformation or long-term value for money.

Process Improvement Without Automation - Review and streamline current processes, forms and workflows without implementing automation technology. This could provide incremental improvements but would not deliver the scale of benefits achievable through automation.