Comment

It is common knowledge in the local business community that tendering for council contract is a lost cause. Better to spend your time panning for gold in the river Tay.

What's the sense in a publication and CD rom to promote the local Perthshire business talent and outsourcing the work elsewhere. Can we assume the Perth and Kinross council has no faith in the abilities of the local business community.

Seminars, for tendering, that's a good idea. Especially if the council staff are sent on a course first. The brief document for the Perthshire Publication was especially vague and covered three double sided A4 sheets. Normally a written brief for a project that size covers 20 - 40 pages and additionally includes the full corporate style guide of the organisation.

Contract row leads to calls for seminar

CLAIM AND counter claim about local companies missing out on the opportunity to cash in on the new "Perthshire" brand in the run-up to the G8 Summit in Gleneagles, has prompted a call for Perth and Kinross Council to hold a seminar which will clear up the local authority's tendering process.

Auchterarder web design professional Jayne Shenstone spent several weeks working with her partner and professional photographer on a CD rom to promote the area ahead of this summer's summit. She accused the council of "utter hypocrisy" after this contract and others went to agencies outwith Perth and Kinross.

Ms Shenstone claimed that, as the local authority is supposed to be promoting Perthshire, It has failed to practice what it preaches. The council issued a vigorous denial, with a spokesperson insisting, "Perth and Kinross Council strongly rebuts any suggestion that decisions to allocate design and marketing projects are made on the basis of anything other than a clear, rigorous and transparent procurement process."

Local people are afforded an opportunity to submit proposals for key projects, the spokesman pointed out, but said that the council is legally required to ensure it secures value for money. Councillor John Lloyd yesterday stepped into the debate by suggesting to the convener of enterprise and infrastructure, Councillor Alan Livingstone, that local businesses need to be provided with a clearer picture of how the tendering process works to avoid a repetition of such a spat.

Mr Lloyd said "In the wake of Perth and Kinross "Graphic Design businesses failing to land any G8 contracts, how about a seminar on the tendering process for local companies? In my time as convener of roads and transport we were clients for the Perth Flood Prevention Scheme and the Tay street enhancement programme. "The very same charges were levelled at us by local contractors who expected a share of the £22 million cake. On looking into their complaints it transpired that some of them had not even tendered and some were unsure of the process.

"I suggested a seminar for local civil engineering contractors but our director of legal services, whose remit it was, left. With charges and counter charges flying around in the wake of the G8 graphics contracts, may I suggest that in order to clear the air, Perth and Kinross Council on its own holds a seminar for local business. "This would cover the tendering process from European level down to local level and I would expect it to be a robust two-way exercise with local companies suggesting improvements on our part.

Original story from the Perthshire Courier 27/02/05 written by Eric Nicolson