City Council Delegated Decision

Reference Number: 3357 Author: Jane Brierley Department: Commercial and Operations Contact: Jane Brierley (Job Title: Library Lead:Stock and Resources, Email: [email protected], Phone: 0115 8761933)

Subject: E resources tender (e-newspapers,e- magazines and e-books) as part of a consortium

Total Value: £74,400 (Type: Revenue)

Decision Being Taken: 1. To approve participation in a formal tender process with Derbyshire; Inspire () and County Council as part of a consortium to obtain e-resources (e-books, e-magazines and e-audio titles) which will be available to all library members in the participating authorities' areas.

2. To authorise Inspire to undertake a tender process on behalf of the City and the other participating authorities) to award a contract for up to four years (2 + 1 + 1) with the supplier(s) offering the most economically advantageous tender for one or more lots in accordance with the published award criteria.

3. To delegate authority to the Corporate Director of Commercial and Operations to approve the contract award prior to Inspire entering into this contract on behalf of the consortium.

4. To approve the Council entering into a Collaboration Agreement with Inspire and the other participating authorities to capture the objectives of the consortium in delivering the Library Services Project.

5. To approve expenditure for e-resources in accordance with the estimated spend to the Council of £18,600 per annum.

6. To support the implementation of the resulting contract corporately to ensure the value for money benefits of the process are fully realised.

Reference Number: 3357, Page No: 1 of 3 Reasons for the Decision(s) We currently buy our e-resources from three different suppliers only for use by Nottingham City Library users and on a yearly contract. We are currently only able to offer a limited selection of e-audio and e-magazine titles with our current budget. Entering into a consortium would allow us to achieve efficiencies in terms of sharing platform costs and sharing titles and would allow us to greatly expand our e-resource provision within our existing budgets. Two or more authorities sharing titles would give best value for money and improve the service we can offer.

Other Options Considered: 1. To discontinue the e-resources services altogether in our libraries. This was rejected as this is a part of the service that is expanding, and is a core part of our service, and allows greater equality of access for people who are visually impaired. E-resources are accessible across the City and offer equality of access to all titles.

2. Continue to buy our e-resources as a single authority. This was rejected as it is a more expensive option than buying as part of a consortium, and will mean that we are unable to expand our service to comparable levels with other authorities without increasing our expenditure.

Background Papers: None

Published Works: None

Affected Wards: Citywide

Colleague / Councillor Interests:

Consultations: Those not consulted are not directly affected by the decision.

Crime and Disorder There are no implications for crime and disorder Implications:

Equality: EIA not required. Reasons: This is not a new policy, it is a continuation of our existing service

Decision Type: Portfolio Holder

Subject to Call In: Yes

Reference Number: 3357, Page No: 2 of 3 Call In Expiry date: 28/12/2018

Advice Sought: Legal, Finance, Procurement

Legal Advice: The proposals in this report raise no significant legal issues and are supported.

The combined procurement of e-resources with other local authorities by way of a consortium, seeks to acheieve efficiencies and expand resources offered for library services within the City.

Inspire will undertake and be responsible for the procurement process and contractual documentation but the City Council will be involved in the evaluation process and be responsible for paying for a relevant percentage of service charges when due.

The Council will need to review and contribute to the proposed Collaboration Agreement to ensure it correctly reflects the Council's requirements, involvement and obligations under under and within the consortium. Legal services will support the service area throughout the process as and when required. Advice provided by Dionne Claire Screaton (Solicitor) on 04/12/2018.

Finance Advice: This decision seeks approval for a formal tender process in accordance with financial regulations for the provision of e-resources. The medium term financial plan(MTFP) for the library service includes budget provision for e-resources along with newspapers and periodicals.

To reflect likely budget reductions in future years, expenditure to be incurred may be lower than the contract value and this will need to be reflected in the procurement process. Advice provided by Maria Balchin (Finance Analyst) on 30/11/2018.

Procurement Advice: Nottingham City Council is not directly awarding this contract, NCC approval and sign off will be sought prior to Inspire entering into this contract on behalf of NCC.

Nottingham City Council Procurement colleagues will assist and oversee the tendering processs to ensure that a fully compliant value for money agreement is entered into. Advice provided by Paul Ritchie (Lead Procurement Officer) on 15/11/2018.

Signatures David Trimble (Portfolio Holder forLeisure and Localities) SIGNED and Dated: 19/12/2018 Andrew Vaughan (Corporate Director Commercial and Operations) SIGNED and Dated: 18/12/2018

Reference Number: 3357, Page No: 3 of 3