DD2756 - Agenda and meeting management software

1.1.    Approval for an agenda-management software system has been given previously, via Director Decision (DD) 281, DD1066, DD2099 and DD2553.
1.2.    The software is a database and web-publishing tool used by the GLA’s Committee Services team to:
·    manage the preparation and publication of statutory and relevant non-statutory agendas, reports and minutes, in consistent formats, for meetings supported by the team
·    manage and publish details of committees, committee memberships and substitute memberships
·    automatically generate meetings and agenda webpages, enabling successful preparation and publication of all relevant meeting-related papers for the Mayor, London Assembly Members, Board and Authority Members, the public, media, officers, and other interested parties
·    instantly produce labelled, collated and numbered electronic papers
·    produce a calendar of meetings for the public, media, and interested external and internal users
·    generate e-mail alerts that inform all interested parties as to the dates/times of relevant meetings and the business to be transacted at those meetings.
1.3.    Since 2010, the Modern.Gov software has been used by the Committee Services team to support meetings held by the London Assembly. As the team has grown and entered into shared services arrangements with other parts of the GLA family, the team now uses five instances of the software to support meetings of the London Assembly, Mayoral bodies, the London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC), the Old Oak and Park Royal Development Corporation (OPDC), Transport for London (TfL), and the London Policing Board.
1.4.    Previously, this software was also used to support meetings of the London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority (LFEPA), clerked by the Committee Services team under shared services arrangements. Following the abolition of LFEPA, the system is still used by London Fire Brigade (LFB), which is therefore included in this procurement process. LFB will be recharged for the relevant proportion of the costs.
1.5.    It is now proposed to reprocure the Modern.Gov software, the related app and hosting services for two years, with the option of a one-year extension. The services and related licences will be procured for the benefit of the GLA and other organisations (as set out in the decision summary, above). They will be procured via a mini-competition, under the terms of the Reseller Framework 3 and with the assistance of TfL’s Procurement and Commercial team. The procurement will cover use of the software by both the GLA and the other organisations. The Reseller Framework 3 was procured in accordance with the Public Contracts Regulations 2015.
1.6.    Approval for the London Assembly’s spend on the Modern.Gov system – likely, up to £45,000 over the contract period – will be sought separately in accordance with London Assembly procedures. For clarity, spend is expected to total a maximum of £220,000. The exact division of spend between the London Assembly, other GLA budgets and each part of the GLA Group is not yet clear. This is because requirements and costs vary slightly between each instance of the software. Therefore, some leeway has been allowed for in estimating likely income to be received, and the maximum Assembly spend. 
 

2.1.    The expected outcome is the continued use of the Modern.Gov agenda management software and associated app. They play a significant role in providing an effective meetings service to a range of Mayoral boards, London Assembly Members and board members across the GLA group. They also facilitate access to meetings papers by officers, the public and the press.

3.1.    An assessment has been undertaken in accordance with the Public Sector Equality Duty in the 2010 Equality Act. There are no implications or impacts arising from this on groups with protected characteristics.

Key risks and issues 
4.1.    Delaying the re-procurement risks the current contract expiring before awarding the new contract. An agenda management system means agendas and minutes can be efficiently collated, circulated and published. It also helps ensure that meetings papers are clearly labelled and easy to navigate. Without such a system, it is likely that staff spend more time putting together and publishing meeting papers. This would potentially impact resourcing requirements, and the ability to meet relevant statutory targets. A return to manual report labelling and agenda publishing could make meeting papers less user-friendly, and harder to navigate. It could also increase the risk of confidential papers being incorrectly labelled, or inadvertently published. 
Links to Mayoral strategies and priorities
4.2.    The GLA Committee Services team carries out key functions relating to the discharge of statutory requirements in relation to formal meetings for the London Assembly, the LLDC, TfL and the OPDC. In the case of services provided to the Mayor, and the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime, the team also assists in meeting relevant transparency commitments.
Impact assessments and consultations
4.3.    The contract requirements, and the continued use of an agenda management system, have been discussed with senior stakeholders across the GLA Group.
Conflicts of interest
4.4.    There are no conflicts of interest to note from any person involved in the drafting or clearance of this decision form.
 

5.1.    This decision seeks approval from the Executive Director of the London Assembly Secretariat (“the Director”) to spend up to £190,000, over three years, on the Modern.Gov agenda management system. It should be noted that approval for the London Assembly’s spend (up to £45,000 over three years) on the agenda-management system will be sought separately, via the GLA Oversight Committee’s processes.
5.2.    Funding of up to £190,000 from TfL, the OPDC, the LLDC and LFB is expected to meet the costs of the agenda-management system over the three years. The balance – i.e., the costs for the software used to support Mayoral boards and the related costs - will be funded from the G0106 Mayoral Boards cost centre. 
5.3.    Funding for the contract period will be drawn from the Committee Services team’s budget. A detailed schedule of payments will be prepared with GLA Finance when the contract is awarded. Any future funding will be subject to budget-setting processes.
 

Power to undertake the requested decision
6.1.    The foregoing sections of this report indicate that the decisions requested of the Executive Director of London Assembly Secretariat (“the Director”) fall within the statutory powers of the GLA to promote and/or to do anything which is facilitative of, or conducive or incidental to, social development, improvement of the environment and economic development and wealth creation within Greater London. In formulating the proposals in respect of which a decision is sought, officers have complied with the GLA’s related statutory duties to:
•    pay due regard to the principle that there should be equality of opportunity for all people
•    consider how the proposals will promote the improvement of health of persons, health inequalities between persons and to contribute towards the achievement of sustainable development in the UK
•    consult with appropriate bodies.
6.2.    In taking the decisions requested of her, the Director must have due regard to the Public Sector Equality Duty – namely, the need to eliminate discrimination, harassment, victimisation and any other conduct prohibited by the Equality Act 2010; to advance equality of opportunity between persons who share a relevant protected characteristic (race, disability, sex, age, sexual orientation, religion or belief, pregnancy and maternity and gender reassignment) and persons who do not share it; and foster good relations between persons who share a relevant protected characteristic and persons who do not share it (section 149 of the Equality Act 2010). To this end, the Director should have particular regard to section 3 (above) of this report.
Procurement
6.3.    This DD seeks approval to spend up to £190,000 to procure a suitable supplier for the Modern.Gov agenda-management software. Officers are reminded to comply with the requirements of the GLA’s Contracts and Funding Code, when they procure the supplier. Furthermore, officers are reminded to put in place appropriate contractual documentation between the GLA and the relevant contractor, before the required services begin.
Shared services
6.4.    Under section 401A of the Greater London Authority Act 1999, the GLA can enter into arrangements with specified organisations – including TfL, as a functional body – for the provision of administrative, professional or technical services between each other (whether for consideration or otherwise). In decision 2, above, officers have sought approval of the receipt of up to £190,000 from, inter alia, TfL, the OPDC and the LLDC via the GLA’s shared committee services arrangements as payments to cover those organisations’ access and use of the agenda management system over the three years.
Provision of discretionary services
6.5.    This DD also relates to payments made to the GLA by LFB, for its access to the agenda-management system. Pursuant to section 93 of the Local Government Act 2003, the GLA can charge for discretionary services on a cost-recovery basis. Officers are reminded to put in place an appropriate agreement between the GLA and LFB in relation to payment for access to the agenda-management system.
 

1. The work will be delivered according to the following schedule: