Agenda item

Report of the Chamberlain.

The Committee considered a report of the Chamberlain concerning the introduction of a Safety Schemes in Procurement (SSIP) accreditation when tendering for work with clearly identifiable health and safety (H&S) risks.

During discussion the following comments were made:-

A Member stated that he still felt that the accreditation was unnecessary and would be too onerous for small businesses. Discussion ensued during which, amongst other things, the following comments were made:-

·                It was pointed out that accreditation would be sought only where there were clearly identifiable health and safety risks;

·                Consideration should be given to making the initiative desirable and not mandatory. It should also be run for a trial period and reviewed thereafter. Several Members supported this suggestion.

·                The proposal had been considered and approved by the relevant internal officer groups. A number of options had been considered in detail before settling on an accreditation process. At £75.00, the cost of the process was affordable and it was also transferrable.

RESOLVED - that SSIP accreditation be introduced on a non-mandatory basis.