ADD2209 World Cities Culture Forum

1.1 The WCCF is the biggest global network of senior leaders from over 30 city governments who are all championing the pivotal role of culture in cities. They realise that culture needs to be the golden thread running across city policy from education to regeneration, from housing to health.

1.2 Each year an unprecedented gathering of cultural officials come together to share ideas and knowledge about culture’s role in public policy in a world city context. The Summit is a chance to share successes, learn from mistakes and together build the arguments and evidence we need to re-position culture in global cities. London has hosted the summit twice (in 2012 and 2015), Istanbul hosted in 2013, Amsterdam in 2014, Moscow in 2016, Seoul in 2017, and San Francisco will host in 2018.

1.3 The GLA currently has a concessionary agreement with BOP Consulting Ltd (BOP) until 31 March 2019, for BOP to manage and administer the WCCF. As the forum has developed since its inception, and the number of cities has grown, this has resulted in a substantial amount of data arising from the reports which have been published to accompany the annual summits.

1.4 Much of the knowledge and history relating to each city is held with individuals who have managed the relationships. This makes WCCF vulnerable to data and knowledge loss in instances of staff change over.

2.1 To create a centralised database which tracks the history of WCCF Member and target cities.

2.2 To reduce the risk of data loss through staff changes, by creating an accessible system which any authorised person working on WCCF can easily access, reference and understand.

2.3 To have a stand-alone record of information about WCCF, which would help future proof it, if there are changes to WCCF governance in future years.

3.1.1 Under Section 149 of the Equality Act 2010, as a public authority, the Mayor of London must have ‘due regard’ to the need to eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment and victimisation as well as to advance equality of opportunity and foster good relations between people who have a protected characteristic and those who do not.

3.2 The World Cities Culture Forum includes discussions on access to culture for all citizens and shares

examples of good practice. The annual summits provide opportunities for sharing sessions and in the past Moscow, Madrid, Singapore and Amsterdam have presented on the challenges they have faced in ensuring all citizens have the opportunities to access culture for discussion with other cities.

As part of the World Cities Culture Forum research programme the Transformational Cultural Projects Report was produced, which focused on cultural projects that served to democratise culture, making it more inclusive and accessible, both geographically, and in terms of what is offered. The Report also recognised and validated informal cultures and marginalised groups, and their cultural expression. This report was shared with members of the Forum and is publicly available on the WCCF website.

4.1 As detailed in this decision, officers are requesting an exemption from the GLA Contracts and Funding Code to enable BOP to be appointed, without a competitive tender exercise, to carry out

The development work, design and delivery of a database system for WCCF.

4.2 Officers request that an exemption from the GLA’s Contracts and Funding Code be approved and BOP appointed due to the following reasons:

• BOP have managed WCCF since its inception and deal with ongoing management and administration. BOP are unique in their ability to understand the needs and requirements of any database which is to be developed to support the WCCF and member cities. Going out to tender for these services and potentially appointing another supplier to carry out these services would result in additional and unnecessary resource in arranging meetings between BOP and the supplier to ensure they understood the needs and requirements of any potential database. Therefore, appointing BOP will achieve greater value for money.

• Once set up, the database would need to be managed on a day to day basis by BOP.

• BOP’s technical knowledge of the WCCF programme, their close working relationships with member cities and their representatives, and their comprehensive understanding of the aims and objectives of the WCCF all make it extremely difficult to separate the services required from the existing work that BOP are already delivering

5.1 Approval is being sought for the expenditure of up to £15,000 for the World Cities Culture Forum in 2017/18.

5.2 The proposed expenditure will be funded from the 2017/18 Culture and Creative Industries Unit budget and subsequently managed within the same unit.

6.1 Sections 1 and 2 of this report indicate that:

the decisions requested of the Director concern the exercise of the GLA’s general powers, falling within the GLA’s statutory powers to do such things considered to further or which are facilitative of, conducive or incidental to the promotion of economic development and wealth creation, social development or the promotion of the improvement of the environment in Greater London; and 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; and

• Consult with appropriate bodies.

6.2 In taking the decisions requested, 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, and to advance equality of opportunity between persons who share a relevant protected characteristic (race, disability, gender, age, sexual orientation, religion or belief, pregnancy and maternity and gender reassignment) and persons who do not share it and foster goods 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.

6.3 Part C of the Contracts and Funding Code (the ‘Code’) requires the GLA to seek a call off from a suitable framework, where, possible, or if not, undertake a tender process which will be managed by TfL in respect of the services. However, the Director may approve an exemption from this requirement under Paragraph 10, Part C of the Code upon certain specified grounds. One of those grounds is that the approval of the exemption relates to BOP’s previous involvement in a specific current project continuation of existing work that cannot be separated form this new project/work. Officers have indicated at paragraph 4.2 in this report that this ground applies and the proposed contract affords value for money.

On this basis the Director may approve the proposed exemption if satisfied with the content of this report.

6.4 Officers must ensure that an appropriate contract is put in place and executed by BOP and the GLA before the commencement of the services.