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Tayside Contracts looks to stop seeking private sponsorship of awards bash over ‘improper behaviour’ allegation fears

The annual event held at the Caird Hall is extensively funded by sponsorship from private companies.

Tayside Contracts headquarters. Image: Gareth Jennings/DC Thomson.
Tayside Contracts headquarters. Image: Gareth Jennings/DC Thomson.

Tayside Contracts may no longer seek sponsorship from private companies to finance their annual employee awards bash over fears it could lead to allegations of “improper behaviour”.

The local authority contracting organisation holds the Tayside Contracts Excellence  Awards (TEA) ceremony each year at the Caird Hall.

The event, which was first held in 2010, recognises employees’ achievements throughout the year and often sees up to 400 invited guests attend the bash.

But soaring costs have prompted a review by senior management, with a report revealing the cost of operating the most recent in-person awards ceremony had risen to £43,000.

Around 75% of the total cost, the report detailed, was funded through sponsorship by several suppliers to Tayside Contracts.

However the reliance on third-party funding has sparked fears the organisation could be accused of bias by companies who fail to secure a contract with them.

‘It is important to avoid the possibility of such allegations’

The report said: “Although seeking sponsorship is not illegal, it does expose the organisation to the risk of contractors making allegations of improper behaviour on any occasion when Tayside Contracts subsequently have a business relationship with a sponsor.

“Such allegations might be made against the organisation as a whole, but they might also be made against individual officers.

“Given that Tayside Contracts works in both the public sector and in a competitive environment, it is important to avoid the possibility of such allegations, thereby protecting Tayside Contracts’ reputation and interests.”

Tayside Contracts provides services including gritting, cleaning and catering across the region. Image: DC Thomson.

The report concluded that although no complaints regarding inappropriate behaviour had been received during the period that the awards have operated, the practice of seeking sponsorship to financially support the event would be discontinued.

Instead, members of the Tayside Contracts joint committee were asked to vote in favour of introducing a more streamlined and overall lower cost awards event.

This would see see the previously agreed budget of £11,000, which was set in 2009, reduced to £6,000 – the equivalent to £2 per employee of Tayside Contracts.

The event will also no longer be held at the Caird Hall but rather a public building or local hotel, depending on cost.

Second vote to be held

Councillors on the committee initially voted in favour of the streamlined event at their most recent meeting, however it has since transpired there were not enough members present for it to stand.

It’s understood a further vote on the matter will be brought forward in due course.

A spokesperson for Tayside Contracts said: “A report was submitted to the Tayside Contracts Joint Committee reviewing different options for formally recognising the outstanding public service provided by the organisation’s employees.

“One of the issues highlighted in the report related to the appropriateness of continuing to use sponsorship to part fund the awards event, as this creates a risk of perception that Tayside Contracts may favour a contractor, which has provided sponsorship support, over other suppliers.

“There is no evidence that this has happened, however the risk of this perception still remains.”

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