Innovative partnerships win Government praise

The two partnership frameworks were introduced as a result of the Council re-organising its property construction and maintenance operations. They have been selected by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister as one of 10 early success stories from the implementation of Best Value - a Government scheme to ensure local authority services are of the highest quality, efficiency and cost-effectiveness.

The 10 councils were selected for inclusion in a Government report after two years qualitative research gathered as part of the long term evaluation of the best value regime.

Local Government Minister Nick Raynsford said: "I congratulate Devon on making such a success of best value in their area.

'This report provides the first independent evidence that best value reviews are working well. They are helping authorities to improve service delivery and secure better outcomes for local people. The evidence confirms that best value remains an important lever to help authorities tackle their improvement planning agendas.'

The first innovative partnership was formed with the construction industry to deliver better public buildings at lower costs.

A Construction Framework Agreement with a partnership of six companies operating in Devon is driving forward the County Council's biggest ever building programme, helping the local economy and improving training opportunities.

The companies are undertaking the bulk of the County Council's major building projects for improved schools, libraries and care centres.

The partnership companies -- Bluestone plc, Costain Ltd, Dean and Dyball Ltd, Interserve Project Services Ltd, Rokbuild Ltd and Midas Construction - are encouraged to involve and work with smaller Devon suppliers and sub contractors. All six operate in the county and employ local people. The six companies were chosen after an exhaustive selection process.

Although common in the private sector, Framework Agreements are a significant step change from the increasingly outdated and costly traditional local government process of advertising, letting and managing contracts for hundreds of individual projects.

Under the Framework Agreement each of the six partner companies has more certainty of a workload spread over five years which will encourage better investment in innovative design, construction, training and safety standards.

Partner companies will have more time to plan construction and get best value from the supply chain instead of being bogged down in tendering for individual contracts.

It will enable the companies to retain a stable skilled workforce and in turn share that stability with their suppliers and sub-contractors.

A longer term relationship will provide a major incentive for the companies to be more focused on the County Council's needs as they will regard the authority as an important client and give maximum value for money.

The County Council has set a target of reducing building costs by 10 per cent over the five years of the Framework Agreement.

The second complementary partnership is with local property maintenance contractors who will deliver maintenance to Council-owned properties across Devon from next April.

Four Devon-based maintenance contractors, again chosen after rigorous evaluation, have been invited to join.

Each partner will be allocated a geographical area as their main focus for delivery and their contracts run by Devon Property's local area offices in Barnstaple, Lee Mill near Ivybridge, and Exeter.

Again, all the companies in the partnership operate in the county and employ local people.

The County Council has set a target of reducing the backlog of building repairs by 10 per cent over five years of the Framework Agreement.

The new approach will bring the County Council in line with best practice for the construction and maintenance industry being promoted by the Government through its 'Rethinking Construction' programme.

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