31 March, 2017

New era for Auckland Council maintenance

Aucklanders can expect better maintenance of their local parks, buildings and open spaces following a procurement process that has identified key maintenance suppliers, each committed to delivering the highest standard of essential community services.

Each of Auckland Council’s current maintenance contracts expire on 30 June this year, giving the council the chance to identify innovative suppliers that could provide value for money and better local services for Aucklanders.

The council’s Finance and Performance Committee yesterday passed a resolution to award the new contracts.

The three major types of contracts awarded were Full Facilities, which includes sportsfield renovation, parks, open spaces and building maintenance, Arboriculture (tree maintenance), and Ecological Restoration. These new contracts will cover the whole Auckland region, but are structured in service areas aligned with local board boundaries.

The council’s Community Facilities department has also reorganised its teams to help strengthen service delivery.

Councillor Ross Clow, Chair of the Finance and Performance Committee, says: “This process is an excellent example of what Auckland Council can achieve. Staff have worked incredibly hard to implement a programme that benefits from economies of scale yet is tailored to provide efficient, high-quality localised services.”

From 1 July, Aucklanders can expect to see more responsive, streamlined local maintenance services. One supplier will now manage the cleaning of a public toilet and, while they’re at the site, will ensure bins are emptied, lights fixed, and gates and doors locked or unlocked. Until now, this has been done by different suppliers under different contractual arrangements.

The procurement process included provisions on standardising service levels across Auckland, introduced key performance indicators to ensure consistent, high quality delivery, and asked suppliers to commit to their communities by using local staff, offices and depots wherever possible.

Due to their unique characteristics, the council will continue to manage local suppliers on Waiheke and Great Barrier Islands through its Community Facilities department.

Auckland Council’s General Manager Community Facilities, Rod Sheridan, says the procurement process wasn’t about doing the same thing with different suppliers.

“Instead, it was about doing something bold and different that would move Auckland closer to being the best performing city in the world.”

“The involvement and support of our local boards has been integral to the procurement process, and we sought boards’ input in deciding service levels, the proposed geographical areas and smart procurement outcomes,” adds Sheridan. “We need to ensure that everything we do is locally driven and customer centric.”

“We are excited about the innovation this opportunity offers and using technology to take us into the future. We will be able to empty bins before they overflow by installing sensors and will install counters on public toilet doors to monitor use and schedule cleaning.”

“This procurement process has been about ensuring the suppliers who will maintain Auckland’s assets over the next five years or more will deliver value for money for ratepayers.

“This is an example of Auckland Council making our size work, and in addition to that, better managed and maintained assets will ultimately lead to further cost savings. We have added $30 million worth of value to the organisation,” says Sheridan.

Costs and a full list of successful suppliers and will be announced at the end of April once all contacts have been signed.

Finalised contracts are expected to go live on 1 July 2017.

ENDS

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