Decision details

Community Meals Freezer Storage

Decision Maker: Joint Strategic Director - Community and Wellbeing, Joint Strategic Director - Housing and Environment

Decision status: Recommendations Approved

Is Key decision?: No

Is subject to call in?: No

Decision:

We are requesting for the end of a lease agreement for the hire of a 40ft freezer container for our community meals service, and to enter a contract to purchase a unit outright.

This purchase will be funded via a grant, and will ultimately save the council money as the purchase will be cheaper than continuing with a long term lease agreement.

This freezer unit will ensure that we can continue delivering hot meals to vulnerable residents in Guildford and provide resilience and consistency of meal provision for the service.

Reasons for the decision:

The decision is linked to the implementation of the new community meals service model.

Due to the number of hot meals we deliver and to ensure we have enough frozen stock for emergency planning situations or occasions where there are delivery issues with the supplier, we need to have enough capacity on site to store meals.
Without this freezer unit, we would be in danger of loss of service.

Alternative options considered:

The alternative decision would be to continue renting a unit, however this would prove more costly in the long term. Agreed with Jo Knight that the most cost effective solution would be to purchase a new unit.

Source of Authority to take Decision:

Samantha Hutchison - Joint Assistant Director,
In her absence Marcus Harvey Joint Assistant Director for Environment

Source of authority to take decision : Councils Constitution Part 3,
Page 3-50, Ref 2.8.7: To take any action in relation to procurement and the letting of contracts for goods and services, within approved budgets.

 

Publication date: 02/09/2024

Date of decision: 02/09/2024