New re-use shops at recycling centres could come as part of a contract to manage ten of them across Lincolnshire from April next year.
Details of the tender will go before members of the county’s Environment Scrutiny Committee on Friday and, in a change to the current system, each site will be offered as a separate lot.
“The proposed procurement will largely replicate the current service but introduce enhancements, particularly a greater emphasis on reuse through initiatives such as expanding Re-Use shops,” says a report going before the committee.
The contract is estimated at around £8.4m over four years, subject to inflation.
The county council does not directly manage the vast majority of the sites, only Tattershall which it wants to keep.
But running all the centres would cost more in terms of employment, management, administration and training.
“Retaining Tattershall as an in-house operated facility provides the council with a valuable control site against which the performance of the contracted HWRC network can be assessed and benchmarked,” members of the committee will be told.
There is no mention within the report of opening the sites for longer hours, which many people have asked for in light of the introduction of a new booking system being introduced across Lincolnshire.
“Whilst direct control of all sites could potentially provide greater oversight of service delivery and allow the council to implement operational changes more rapidly, these benefits are considered to be outweighed by the additional costs, resource requirements and operational costs,” the report adds.
The new contract will be shorter in time, three or four years, due to the Local Government Review (LGR) which is set to see Lincolnshire County Council abolished. Having each site individually lotted is ‘likely to reduce the impact of LGR’ on the contract’, the report states.
“A shorter initial term reduces the risk of the council being committed to contractual arrangements that may no longer represent best value or align with future operating models.”
Entering into a longer-term contract may come with added costs due to a period of uncertainty during the reorganisation of local government. Although a longer contract could also encourage site investment to reduce queuing and improve recycling ability.
The procurement process will also offer the chance to offer opportunities including supporting apprenticeships, community partnerships and engagement with the voluntary, community and social enterprise sector.
“The expansion of the reuse activities also presents opportunities to work with local charities and community organisations helping to make reusable items available to residents, reducing waste, supporting vulnerable communities and generating wider social, environmental and economic benefits across Lincolnshire,” the report says.
The current contract expires next March and all the available extensions have been exhausted.
