Gould 'pooled' council contract be a model for others to follow?

摘要

Hertfordshire-based Gristwood & Toms, one of the UK's largest specialist arboricultural contractors, has been awarded a "jointly procured single-supplier framework contract" for three London boroughs that could serve as a model for other local authorities wishing to make efficiencies in an age of ever tighter public spending.Led by the borough of Islington in collaboration with Waltham Forest and the City of London Corporation, the contract, which commenced in July, covers all aspects of public tree care including pruning, felling and planting. The total value is "up to E14m" says the contractor, with a potential term of seven years.Islington's tree service manager Jake Tibbetts says: "This joint procurement shows that by working together councils can reduce costs and resources needed to procure contracts. Whilst the boroughs will call off individual contracts, some aspects of the ongoing contract management will be shared, delivering further efficiencies."