DD2553 Reprocurement of Modern.gov Agenda Management System

1.1 Approval for an agenda management system and app has been given previously via DD281, DD1066 and DD2099.

1.2 The system is a database and web-publishing tool that is 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 web pages, thereby enabling successful preparation and publication of all relevant meeting-related papers for the Mayor, London Assembly Members, Board 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 system has been used by the Committee Services team to support meetings held by the London Assembly. Additionally, further to the establishment of shared-services arrangements with other parts of the GLA family, it has been used by the team to support meetings of several Mayoral bodies from July 2011 onwards; and meetings of the LLDC and the OPDC since October 2012. The contract was expanded to include TfL’s Committee team in summer 2013.

1.4 Previously, this system 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. Since the abolition of the LFEPA, the system has continued to be used by the LFC. The LFC is therefore included in this procurement process, and will be recharged for the relevant proportion of the costs.

1.5 The services and related licences will be procured by the TfL Commercial team, on behalf of the GLA and the wider group’s organisations, using TfL’s reseller framework which was procured in accordance with the Public Contracts Regulations.

1.6 The procurement will also include hosting services, including server patching and testing in line with Microsoft’s patch-release schedule.

1.7 Approval for the London Assembly’s spend on the Modern.gov system – likely to be up to an additional £56,000 over a four-year period – will be sought separately in accordance with London Assembly procedures.

2.1 Continued use of the Modern.gov agenda management system and associated app – providing an effective service for board/committee meetings and papers to the Mayor’s Office, London Assembly Members, board members across the GLA Group, officers, public and the press – is the expected outcome of this process.

3.1 The implications or impacts arising from this decision on groups with protected characteristics have been reviewed. It is considered that there are none.

Key risks and issues

4.1 A delay in reprocurement risks the current contract expiring prior to award for the new contract period. The GLA Group needs an agenda management system and it is a vital component to the work of the bodies listed above. Without an agenda publishing system, there would potentially be delays in agenda production and publication, leading to significant service delivery issues, particularly where statutory deadlines apply. The Mayor and elected Members/Board Members would be unable to access papers via the app – which might result in an increase in printing costs.

Links to Mayoral strategies and priorities

4.2 The GLA Committee Services team carries out key functions relating to the discharge of statutory duties by the London Assembly, the Mayor, the LLDC, TfL and the OPDC. The continuation of use of this product will automate some of these functions.

Impact assessments and consultations

4.3 The requirement and continued use of an agenda management system has been discussed with senior stakeholders including the LLDC, the OPDC and TfL. These discussions have been led by the Assistant Director of Committee and Member Services.

5.1 Executive Director of Secretariat approval is sought for appointment and entry into contract with a suitable supplier to deliver the agenda management system, up to a maximum of £145,000 over a four-year period. It should be noted that approval for the London Assembly’s spend (up to £56,000 for four years) on the agenda management system will be sought separately via the GLA Oversight Committee’s processes.

5.2 Approval is also sought for the receipt of up to £100,000 from TfL, the OPDC and the LLDC towards funding the agenda management system over that four-year period, as part of the standard charges under the respective shared services agreements; and for receipt of up to £25,000 from the LFC to recoup the cost of their instance of the agenda management system also over four years. The balance will be paid from Cost Centre G0106.

5.3 The contract, over four years, will be at a net cost of £20,000 to the GLA, as £125,000 is proposed to be funded by functional bodies as agreed via the shared-service agreements with TfL, the OPDC, the LLDC and the LFC. The net cost of £20,000 over four years (£5,000 per annum), subject to the Mayoral Boards committee services budget being agreed as part of the 2022-23 budget-setting process, will be funded from the Mayoral Boards budget. The contract will be managed by the Committee Services unit, which is part of the Mayoral Board’s budget area within the Chief Officer Directorate. Funding for the contract period will be drawn from the Committee Services team’s budget, with a detailed schedule of payments to be prepared in liaison with GLA Finance at the time of contract award.

6.1 The foregoing sections of this report indicate that the decisions requested of the director fall within the statutory powers of the Authority to promote and/or to do anything that is facilitative of, or conducive or incidental to, social development, improvement of the environment and economic development and wealth creation within Greater London; and in formulating the proposals in respect of which a decision is sought, officers have complied with the Authority’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 United Kingdom
• 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, gender, age, sex, 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 Officers must ensure that any external services required for the project be procured in accordance with the Authority’s Contracts and Funding Code, and with the assistance of TfL’s commercial team. Furthermore, officers must ensure that appropriate contractual documentation be executed by both the Authority and the relevant contractor prior to the commencement of the required services.

• DD281

• DD1066

• DD2099