Is there life after Equans? Council ponders its options after June 2025

                                                  

A PARTING of the way is on the cards for North East Lincolnshire and its private sector partner, Equans (formerly Engie).

The contract between the two organisations expires in June next year, paving the way for NELC to take back services in house or to strike up deals with other organisations.

The council  leadership does have a plan, but, at present, it is intent on keeping this under wraps.

That means the future is uncertain for staff currently employed by Equans which provides the following services: 

• Facilities Management

• Housing Enforcement and Grant Administration

• Disabled Facilities Grants

• Highways and Transport

• Parking Services

• Design Services (Architectural Services, Highways Design, Civil Engineers, Quantity Surveyance, Landscape Design and Principal Contractor role)

• Planning and Development Management/Planning Enforcement

• Flood Risk Management

• Building Control

• Strategic Planning

• Security

• Some support services including procurement and communications. 

It was back in July 2010 that NELC decided to offload these activities - initially to Balfour Beatty Workplace which sold on to a French company, Cofely GDF Suez, thence to Engie before Equans  (owned by another French company, Bouygues) came on the scene in October 2022.

A report to councillors states:  "The contract is due to end on  June 30, 2025.

"A new delivery model is required as the existing contract cannot be extended beyond July 1, 2025.”

The following options have been considered behind the scenes:

• Reprocure the services on the open market 

• Bring services in-house

• Review the contract service by service with different approaches for different areas

• Establish an arms-length delivery company to deliver the services based on similar existing arrangements with Care Trust Plus and Lincs Inspire

• Partnership or joint venture.

"The review found no real financial or service benefit to any one option, and thus recommended that any solution should be considered entirely on which option offers the best potential to meet its current and future challenges and opportunities. 

Another factor that has come into the equation is the prospect of  local government which will involve the election of a mayor, increased revenue from Whitehall and closer working than hitherto with two sister authorities -  North Lincolnshire Council and   Lincolnshire County Council.

The likelihood is that NELC will opt for a hybrid arrangement, with some services coming back in house and others set up in such a way to involve partnership with private sector companies.

However, for more details we need to be patient.