Decision

Salford City Council – Record of Decision

I, Councillor Cusack, Lead Member for Corporate Services and Chairman of the Procurement Board, accept the recommendation of the Procurement Board and in exercise of the powers contained within the Council Constitution do hereby approve:

·     to undertake a procurement exercise for a Management Information System (that integrates with and operates alongside recently procured corporate management systems) for Regulatory Services, Vehicle Management Services, Waste Management Services and the Customer Contact Centre, and

·     delegate authority to officers, in consultation with Procurement and Legal Services, to undertake the procurement in accordance with the Council's Contract Procedure Rules and the Procurement Act 2023, noting that the route to market will be determined following the market engagement.

The Reasons are:

The Council's existing Civica APP Management Information System is a legacy product which is no longer being actively developed and the current contract expires on 31 March 2028. A procurement exercise is therefore required to secure a modern replacement solution, support service resilience and ensure continuity of service delivery across Regulatory Services, Vehicle Management Services, Waste Management Services and the Customer Contact Centre.

Options considered and rejected were:

·     Do nothing. This option was rejected as it would increase the risk of service disruption and leave the Council without a suitable Management Information System when the current contract expires.

·     Extend the use of the current system. This option was rejected as the system is a legacy product which is no longer actively developed and no longer fully meets service requirements.

Procuring a replacement system is the preferred option and is recommended.

Assessment of Risk:

The principal risk is failure to secure and implement a replacement Management Information System before expiry of the current contract. This could adversely impact case management, workflow management, customer interactions, reporting and operational service delivery across several council services. The proposed procurement exercise mitigates this risk by allowing time for procurement, implementation, testing, training and migration activities prior to contract expiry.

Innovate/ Best Value – identify the relevant corporate priorities specific to Salford:

·     Continuous improvement.

·     Use of resources.

·     Service delivery.

·     Partnerships and community engagement.

The proposed procurement will support the Council's commitment to Best Value by improving efficiency, reducing manual processes and making greater use of automation across service areas. The implementation of a new Management Information System will enhance reporting capabilities, improve the customer experience and provide opportunities to consolidate existing systems, supporting more integrated ways of working. Collectively, these improvements are expected to contribute to more effective service delivery and better value for money through the efficient use of resources.

The source of funding and financial advice obtained:

Supplied by Paul Guest – Finance Manager – 07/08/2026

The current Civica APP contract expires on 31 March 2028, and Civica have advised that APP is a legacy product and is no longer being actively developed. As a result, the Council is required to consider an alternative platform to support its management information requirements.

The procurement process will initially be market engagement through supplier workshops to better understand current market capabilities, emerging technologies, implementation approaches, indicative costs and available procurement routes.

The council currently has budget provision of £80,000 per annum for the existing Civica APP licence, maintenance and support arrangements. Initial market intelligence indicates that the cost of a replacement solution could be in excess of £350,000 over a five year period, although costs remain subject to market engagement and competition.

In addition to on-going licence and supports costs, there are likely to be one off implementation, migration, configuration and training costs. These costs are not yet known and will be refined through the procurement process. Any additional funding requirements will be considered through the Medium Term Financial Plan and future approval reports seeking authority to award the contract.

Legal Advice obtained:

Supplied by Lauren Armstrong – Commercial Legal – 29/07/2026

This report seeks approval to undertake a competitive market exercise to procure an MIS system as described above. When purchasing goods or commissioning services, the Council must comply with its own internal Contractual Standing Orders, and the relevant Procurement legislation (being either Procurement Act 2023, or Public Contracts Regulations 2015 if utilising a framework let before the new regime came into force).

Legal is happy to support officers with this process. If the Council is designing and undertaking its own process then Legal can assist with putting together the draft form of contract to be included in the tender pack for bidders to value and submit their bids against. Alternatively the Council may utilise an existing framework such as G-Cloud, which already has its own form of Call-Off contract. If using a pre-existing framework the Council will need to comply with the call-off requirements.

If the existing and/or incoming system/services either stores or processes individual’s personal data (particularly sensitive or special category data) then the Council’s Information Governance team will need to provide support to ensure that compliance with the Data Protection Act 2018 (for example a data protection impact assessment may be required, updates to existing Council privacy notices etc once a provider is identified).

Procurement Advice obtained:

Supplied by Jayne Whitehead – Interim Category Procurement Manager – 16/07/2026

Procurement will advise on the best route to market following market engagement in line with the Councils constitution and Public Contract Regulations PA23. Where a framework is available to meet the service needs these will be reviewed before a decision is made to run an open market tender.

The Council reserves the right not to proceed with any procurement process and potentially may consider direct award or further competition under a relevant framework as a route to market.

The procurement will include Social Value requirements aligned to the Council's Social Value Framework. Suppliers will be required to demonstrate how they will deliver social, economic and environmental benefits, including employment and apprenticeship opportunities, local supply chain participation, skills development and carbon reduction initiatives.

HR Advice obtained:

Supplied by Rachel Rennie - HR&OD Business Partner – 29/07/2026

There are no direct HR implications at this stage. In the future when a management information system has been selected, the Service will need to ensure the workforce are communicated with, engaged and appropriate training arrangements are offered to support the implementation of any new system.

Climate Change Implications obtained:

Supplied by Hayley Nixon – Strategic Lead Net Zero – 30/07/2026

The GM 5 Year Environment Plan commits GM and Salford City Council to carbon neutrality by 2038.

This system will support the Council's commitment by enabling more efficient and digital service delivery. Benefits include reduced paper use, less physical storage, and reduced officer travel through mobile working.

Contact Details:

Tim Cook, Regulatory Services Service Manager,

Regulatory Services, Place Directorate

timothy.cook@salford.gov.uk

Please delete from the bullets below any which are not relevant:

·     This matter is also subject to consideration by the Lead Member for Neighbourhoods, Environment and Community Safety. The Lead Member has been consulted and is supportive of the proposal.

·     The appropriate Scrutiny Committee to call-in the decision is the Community and Neighbourhoods Scrutiny Committee.

Signed:   Cllr Cusack         Dated:   24 August 2026.

             Lead Member

FOR DEMOCRATIC SERVICES USE ONLY:

·     This decision was published on 25 August 2026.

·     This decision will come in force at 4.00 p.m. on 2 September 2026 unless it is called-in in accordance with the Decision Making Procedure Rules.