Posted on 19-12-2009 at 10:00
Tenders Bids and PQQ are going to be the norm it seems!
Private firms are to be invited to tender for some Edinburgh City Council services in the new year in a bid to save £90m for the local authority.
It follows a full council meeting on Thursday where councillors voted in favour of the move.
Refuse collection, school meals and street cleaning are included among a raft of departments, which could be put out to tender.
The council meeting was one of the longest on record, lasting 13 hours.
The motion was supported by the council's Lib Dem/SNP coalition as well as the Conservatives, but it was opposed by Labour and the Greens.
The result was 40 votes in favour and 18 against the motion.
It is expected that, when the services are re-tendered, the council could make savings of between 10% and 30% in each department.
Council leader Jenny Dawe said the council was facing its worst financial crisis in a century and a radical change was needed.
Ms Dawe said: "This is the beginning of a process to inform decisions on future service delivery.
"Proposals would only be progressed were a strong business case demonstrated."
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