Agenda item

Report of Director of Regeneration and Planning.

Lead cabinet member:  Councillor Jonathan Dow.

(1) Robertson Aecom Consortium appointed as preferred bidder for the energy and sustainability joint venture and awarded contract to work with Eastbourne Borough Council and Lewes District Council as private sector partner subject to satisfactory finalisation and completion of contractual agreements.

(2) New joint board for energy and sustainability set up comprising EBC and LDC members as nominated by group leaders on a politically proportionate basis; such board will be advisory only and substitute members may be drawn from any political group.

(3) Director of regeneration and planning be given delegated authority, in consultation with the lead cabinet member for place services and where appropriate the chief finance officer and assistant director – legal and democratic services, (i) to take all necessary operational decisions to implement the joint venture; and (ii) to agree the inclusion in the joint venture structure of other participants.

(4) Director of regeneration and planning given delegated authority, in consultation with the lead cabinet member for place services and where appropriate the assistant director – legal and democratic services, to agree the terms of an inter-authority agreement to govern the relationship between EBC and LDC as founding participants under the arrangement.

19.1 Cabinet considered the report of the director of regeneration and planning to set up a structure with a private sector partner that would deliver a range of projects to meet environmental ambitions whilst also ensuring resilience against future energy, sustainability and climate change challenges..  Setting up a strategic partnering agreement (SPA) joint venture, was a low cost, low risk option putting the council in a strong position alongside Lewes District Council (LDC) to deliver sustainability ambitions, and invest in significant capital projects with the potential for financial return.  A similar report had been made to LDC’s cabinet and approval given to the recommendations at their meeting on 26 June 2017.

19.2 The joint venture could be used to accelerate the delivery of projects, which would be completed to agreed timescales, and to a high standard.  Use of a private sector joint venture partner would mean that other contractors could be brought into projects without the requirement for a time consuming and costly procurement exercise.  Other benefits were the facility to bundle up smaller projects, some of which would be of community benefit and building a local supply chain for sub-contractors.  Cabinet approved the public procurement process for selecting a private sector partner at their meeting on 25 May 2016.

19.3 The procurement process had been undertaken on behalf of both councils, as founding partners.  The invitation to submit final tender stage had now concluded, completing the procurement process.  The Robertson Aecom Consortium were recommended as the preferred bidder and subject to the approval of both council’s cabinets and satisfactory finalisation of the contractual agreements it was recommended that they were appointed as the joint venture partner for a period of 20 years, to provide a long term arrangement for a framework for the right strategic planning and investment to take place.

19.4 Further details of the objectives of the joint venture, supporting documentation, governance arrangements, and legal and financial implications were set out in the report.

19.5 Resolved (key decision): (1) That the Robertson Aecom Consortium be appointed as the preferred bidder for the energy and sustainability joint venture and award it a contract to work with Eastbourne Borough Council and Lewes District Council as the private sector partner subject to satisfactory finalisation and completion of the contractual agreements.

(2) That the setting up of a new joint board for energy and sustainability comprising Eastbourne Borough Council and Lewes District Council members as nominated by the group leaders on a politically proportionate basis be approved; such board will be advisory only and substitute members may be drawn from any political group.

(3) That director of regeneration and planning be given delegated authority to take all necessary operational decisions to implement the joint venture in consultation with the lead cabinet member for place services and where appropriate the chief finance officer and assistant director – legal and democratic services.

(4) That director of regeneration and planning be given delegated authority to agree the inclusion in the joint venture structure of other participants in consultation with the lead cabinet member for place services and where appropriate the chief finance officer and assistant director – legal and democratic services.

(5) That director of regeneration and planning be given delegated authority, in consultation with the lead cabinet member for place services and where appropriate the assistant director – legal and democratic services, to agree the terms of an inter-authority agreement to govern the relationship between Eastbourne Borough Council and Lewes District Council as founding participants under the arrangement.