Urban Mines have published a report Delivering socio-economic benefits from municipal waste management contracts - a toolkit, developed to assist local authorities, bidders/contractors and third sector partners to deliver social and economic benefits from municipal waste management contracts. The Green Best Practice indicator Boxes can be considered separately and for subsequent dissemination. It provides a checklist of benefits to consider and also to look for in preparing tenders and bids, as well as delivering contracts.
The examples and the guidance have been developed through consultation with a range of organisations and individuals. These have included different types of local authority, bidders, contractors, third sector organisations and wider stakeholders such as Defra. A Steering Group including representatives from the above groups also provided valuable support to the process.
Whilst it is best to consider these aspects as early as possible in a procurement process (preferably prior to the Outline Business Case), examples presented show that benefits can be developed even after a contract is operational. The type of waste contract being procured (collection, HWRC (Household Waste Recycling Centre), reuse/recycling, treatment) is important to what type of benefits can be delivered.
The type of social and economic benefits considered include:
employment
education and skills
economic regeneration
resources for the community
inclusion
third sector participation
partnership working
charitable support induced
communications
The scale of the procurement taking place (running into billions across England) is reviewed. Legal and procurement issues can arise but examples and guidance are given that demonstrate that these issues are not insurmountable. Delivering maximum social and economic benefits from a waste management contract is largely down to the procuring authority. Enlightened bidders and an active third sector can present the opportunities, but it is the authority that ultimately decides what goes into a contract.
Copies of the document Delivering socio-economic benefits from municipal waste management contracts - a toolkit (0.7 MB) are available for download from Urban Mines' website at:
http://www.urbanmines.org.uk/assets/files/s/sainsburytoolkit_1484.pdf
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