Overview

As part of its corporate approach to contract and partnership management, Watford Borough Council commissioned SLC to conduct an independent end of year health check and review of its leisure centre management contract with Everyone Active.

SLC had previously supported the council with the procurement of the new leisure contract during 2017/18 and were therefore well placed to provide a ‘critical friend’ role in reviewing progress. The review was designed to assess the effectiveness of the contract in delivering against the Council’s required strategic outcomes, both in terms of the performance of Everyone Active but also the overall approach to contract management and partnership working.

Approach

SLC’s review focused on the following four key areas:

  1. Sport and Physical Activity Outcomes – A review of delivery against Key Performance Indicators and commitments made in the tender submission relating to increased participation in sport and physical activity, particularly amongst key target groups and through the outreach programme.
  2. Financial Performance – A review of Everyone Active’s income and expenditure accounts and comparison with the financial and usage projections contained in their original tender submission.
  3. Asset Management and Health and Safety – A review of Planned Preventative Maintenance systems, capital expenditure and lifecycle replacement works and compliance with statutory certification e.g. gas, electric and water etc. This also included a review of Health and Safety systems and reporting. Specialist input into the review of Asset Management and Health and Safety was provided by SLC’s trusted associates, QMP.
  4. Contract Management and Governance – A review of overall contract management including the role of the Strategic Partnership Board.

Outcome

SLC’s report provided the Council’s Leadership Team and Portfolio Holders with valuable insight on the performance of Everyone Active and its approach to current and future contract management. The findings have been shared with Everyone Active and both parties will be working together to build on the successes and address areas of weakness as part of a truly collaborative and best practice approach to ongoing service delivery.

TESTIMONIAL

This is the second time we’ve commissioned SLC to undertake an end of year review and once again it’s proven to be hugely valuable. Effective commissioning isn’t just about putting in place the right arrangements with the right partners, it’s about making sure the services are delivered in the right way on an ongoing basis. To have our contract independently reviewed by industry experts who really understand what good looks like and who tell you what you need to know rather than what you might want to hear is why SLC are our ‘go to’ consultants.

Chris Fennell, Head of Leisure and Environmental Services

Watford Borough Council (March 2021)

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