Highlands and Islands Consortium

28th June 2011

THE Highlands and Islands Consortium, which is made up of Argyll and Bute Council, Comhairle nan Eilean Siar, The Highland Council, Moray Council, Orkney Council and Shetland Islands Councils, has awarded framework contracts for providing design services in civil engineering, transportation, planning and environmental related projects.

Framework contracts are agreements which set out specific terms and conditions for contracts. These Framework Contracts cover ten lots including Policy Support and Development (Planning), Strategic Planning (Transport Planning), Development and Delivery (Civil Engineering and Environment), Contract and Legal Services, Traffic Signals and IT Solutions and Project Planning.

The contracts will complement the Councils' in-house provision of technical and design services, significantly reducing the Councils' tendering costs over the next four years; enabling quick appointments when required; giving immediate access to specialist advice and securing competitive rates as a result of combined bargaining power.

Working in partnership in this way also achieves an improvement in performance in terms of sharing and transferring knowledge, incorporating best practice and collectively resolving challenges across all six authorities to deliver Best Value.

Councillor John Laing, Chairman of The Highland Council's Transport Environmental and Community Services, said: "Partnership working is extremely important to The Highland Council. By joining with our colleagues in Argyll and Bute, Comhairle nan Eilean Siar, Moray, Orkney and Shetland we are able to get a much better deal for our residents. The Highland and Islands Consortium is an example of partnership working at its best and I am delighted that The Highland Council is part of it."

One of the first projects in the Highlands to use the framework will be work on strengthening the fendering system at Portree Pier. The estimated cost of the work is �200,000.