Under the WIDP Contract (Schedule 18) the membership of the Liaison Committee consists of three representatives from each party plus a non-voting Chairman. The Chairman is nominated alternately by the Authority and the Contractor every six months. The Liaison Group can decide to appoint additional non-voting members.
In two tier areas it is generally advisable to appoint a representative from the Waste Collection Authorities to the Liaison Committee. The independent certifier and a funder's representative may be proposed as non-voting members by the Contractor. The meetings should be attended by the Construction Sub-Contractor during the works period and the Operating Sub-Contractor during the Services period.
The Authority and the Contractor should nominate senior managers who are authorised to make key decisions about the project to attend the Board. This will send a signal to each organisation as to how they view each other. A CBI report on contract management12 recommends that "all projects should have a project sponsor at the highest level to provide strategic vision and point of accountability through the whole life of the contract".
WIDP recommends that the Authority's members of the Liaison Committee should normally include:
• the relevant Director from the Authority (normally also the SRO);
• the Head of Waste Management; and
• the Authority's Contract Manager.
The Contractor's representatives are likely to include:
• a Director from the Contractor; and
• the Contractor's Contract Manager.
The Contract Management Manual should document the practical arrangements associated with the monthly meeting cycle. Recurring issues should be standing items on the agenda. Accurate minutes should be taken and draft minutes circulated soon after the meeting so that the minute can form an agreed record of what was agreed at the meeting.
Projects may also wish to consider working up a partnership agreement or shared vision document which sits outside the Contract. This would not be legally binding but would set out the parameters of the public and private sector working relationship and include practical details. Some projects have found this to be a valuable exercise which helped build the relationships between the two parties to the Contract. However, care must be taken to avoid creating any confusion in relation to contractual obligations, governance arrangements etc.
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12 CBI "Realising best practice in procurement and contract management" Nov 2006, available at