Biffa may lose South Staffordshire bins deal
Council bosses in South Staffordshire are set to refuse a bid by waste company Biffa to collect rubbish across the district for another seven years.
Chiefs revealed they were concerned about being tied to a long-term contract, but also fears they might not be able to find an alternative, leaving no-one to empty the bins.
The council has instead agreed to propose a two-year extension.
Biffa was handed a seven-year contract to empty bins in South Staffordshire in 2013, with an option to extend it by a further seven years when it was up.
But council leaders are reluctant to agree to another long-term deal at a time when resources are stretched.
They instead want to extend the agreement until 2022, with the future of bin collections in the district to be revisited then.
South Staffordshire Council said ‘the proposed two year extension will enable the council to digest fully the implications of the national resources and waste strategy’.
The authority is hopeful Biffa will agree to the two-year deal, otherwise it could leave them having to find a replacement company to collect the bins.
Bosses have warned finding an alternative provider could be challenging given the strain on local authorities.
Council leader Brian Edwards said the authority needed to ‘keep our options open’.
He added: “It’s not only the finances, we don’t know what the situation will be from the Government in terms of legislation on waste. I hope (Biffa will agree).
"We wouldn’t have done this without discussing it with them.”
A report said: “If approved the current contract will continue seamlessly beyond March 31, 2020 for a period of two further years.
“If the extension is not approved the procurement process will be required to commence swiftly in order for the council to procure a legal, value-for-money contract in accordance with all associated regulations, while also allowing sufficient time within the process for the development of contract documentation, robust evaluation and service mobilisation.
“If the council is not able to procure a legally compliant contract it will not be able to collect household waste in contravention of a number of statutory obligations.
“It cannot be determined that extending the contract for the seven-year term permitted, incorporating the increased costs, demonstrates best value, but similarly it cannot be proven that reprocuring the contract at this time would not expose the council to a number of external risks highlighted in this report.”
