Decisions

Approval to postpone a procurement process in respect of replacement GCC insurance contracts and to modify the current GCC insurance contracts by extending the term of each contract for a period of one year.

Background

1. The Council’s current corporate insurance contracts expired on 23rd June 2023.

2. It is a statutory requirement that the Council has in place Motor Insurance and Employer’s Liability insurance. Without insurance cover the Council would need to hold higher levels of reserves to meet loss, damage or liability suffered by the Council.

3. The council was unable to undertake the expected re-procurement as planned, for reasons that could not have been foreseen. The Council is legally required to have either insurance cover, or to meet the costs of insurable events directly from its own funds.

4. The Head of ARA decided therefore to extend the Council’s existing insurance contracts by a period of one year. This ensures that the Council has sufficient insurance cover, at the most economically available cost, and allow for a thorough tender exercise to be undertaken in 2023-24.

Having fully considered all the available information, I have decided to reject the alternative options and take the recommended decision for the reasons set out in the report to ratify the following decisions taken by the Head of Audit Risk Assurance (ARA):

1.    To postpone for a period of 12 months the completion date of a procurement process in respect of the following replacement insurance contracts that was initially approved by the Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Finance and Change on 23^rd March 2023:

i.       Property Insurance;

ii.      Liability Insurance;

iii.     Motor Insurance;

iv.     Engineering Inspection/Insurance;

v.      Computer Insurance

vi.     Marine Insurance;

vii.   School Legal Expenses;

viii.  School Travel Insurance;

ix.     Fidelity Guarantee Insurance;

x.      Travel and Personal Insurance; and

xi.     Terrorism Insurance.

2.    To extend the term of each of the Council’s 11 above-mentioned existing contracts of insurance for an interim period of 12 months (i.e., the period commencing on 24^th June 2023 and expiring on 23^rd June 2024) in order to ensure that such insurance cover remains in force while the replacement contracts described in Recommendation 1 are procured.

In coming to this decision I have given due and full regard to the requirements of the public sector equality duty contained in section 149 of the Equality Act 2010 (“the Act”) by reference to the law itself.