Is there a list of Approved Contractors for work in schools

1240/5(4873)

WRITTEN QUESTION TO THE MINISTER FOR TREASURY AND RESOURCES  BY THE CONNÉTABLE OF ST. MARY

ANSWER TO BE TABLED ON TUESDAY 3RD NOVEMBER 2009

Question

"Will the Minister advise whether there is a list of approved contractors for work to be undertaken in Island schools and, if so, advise –

(a ) h ow contractors become so listed;

(b ) h ow often the list is reviewed and

(c ) w hat measures, if any, are taken to ensure that quotes from approved contractors re main competitive with the open market?"

Answer

1. Je r sey Property Holdings(JPH) maintains a list ofapprovedcontractors to undertake maintenance workin Island schoolsandonother properties under the administration of JPH.

T h e former Education, Sport and Culture Committee maintained an approved contractor list. This was

reviewed and updated in January 2003 when the Sport Division integrated with the Education, Sport and Culture Committee to form the Department for Education, Sport and Culture and has subsequently been developed over time.

I n J anuary 2007 the property functions of the Department for Education, Sport and Culture were

transferred to JPH. That list of approved contractors was consolidated with contractor lists from other transferring departments, principally Transport and Technical Services, to form the current consolidated list.

In o r der to be included on the approved contractors' list, a company is required to provide details of their

insurances, Health & Safety policies (not mandatory if under 5 employees) references, membership of a relevant trade body and the work category in which they express an interest. In addition to these requirements, JPH considers the capability and capacity of companies when producing short lists for individual projects.

A si m ilar list of approved contractors is maintained for capital works on States buildings. Any company is

able to apply for inclusion on the approved tender list and, if successful, may be invited to tender for works. JPH may limit the value of contracts awarded to companies with which it has had no previous experience.

2. T h e approved list is underconstantreview. JPH is currently working with the Corporate Procurement section of the ResourcesDepartment to rationalise and harmonise a numberof approved contractor lists in existence within the States with a view to producing a single approved contractor database.

T h e Strategic Procurement department has launched the e-portal for States tenders in 2009 in order to maximise competition and transparency, and ensure that every contractor registered on the system has the opportunity to bid for all tenders issued. The e-portal has been widely publicised over the last 6 months

and 604 Jersey contractors have already registered, 224 of which registered under the building and maintenance category. All tenders for projects funded by the Fiscal Stimulus programme are required to be advertised on the e-portal and this is fast becoming the standard route for the issuing of States construction and maintenance projects. In order to win any tender via the e-portal or otherwise, contractors must meet the specific requirements of the tender, which will as a matter of course include the

conditions listed in Answer a).

3. J P H follows the requirements of Financial Direction 5.7 when purchasing goods and services. The guidance notes in section 6 of the Financial Direction provide for a minimumnumber of quotestobe obtained.

F o r c apital works, JPH adopts the policy contained within Financial Direction 5.6. When selecting the

tender short list, the following are among the points that are considered:

• the firm's financial standing and record;

• whether the firm has had recent experience of building at the required rate of completion over a comparable contract period;

• the firm's experience and reputation in the area in question;

• whether the management structure of the firm is adequate for the type of contract envisaged; and

• whether the firm will have adequate capacity at the relevant time.