3 Working in partnership
14. To achieve best value on these types of deals
takes partnership and a real understanding of each other's business.
The Committee concluded in 2005 that, although there had been
moves on both sides to work in partnership, it had not yet been
fully achieved. In the first years of the contract, the offshore
ownership put a strain on the relationship.[18]
15. Since then the Department and Mapeley had
been improving the relationship but they had still not formed
a fully effective partnership. The Department recognised that
a true partnership involved sharing information about business
strategy, transparency and engagement at Board level. The Department
and Mapeley were working together to achieve greater transparency,
and had recently set up a new Board consisting of members from
both organisations, which will meet twice a year.[19]
16. The Department's vacation plans had offered
an opportunity for greater dialogue, and the Department included
Mapeley in its consultation for building closures, but only provided
fuller details towards the end of 2008. In approaching the Department
in January 2009, Mapeley wanted to obtain as much clarity as it
could on the Department's plans, in terms of the buildings and
timings involved.[20]
17. The two organisations did not share key information
in a consistent manner, such as having a shared database of property
information, a joint understanding of vacation allowances use,
or a shared risk register. The Department and Mapeley were currently
negotiating settlement of a £12 million claim Mapeley lodged
in 2009 for services that date back to 2002. The reason for the
delay in invoicing was that the Department and Mapeley did not
have an agreed methodology for pricing the services. They were
now working to resolve the matter as part of wider negotiations
on a range of issues. The Department was also improving its processes
to obtain better visibility on issues such as these.[21]
18 Qq 17 and 60; HC (2004-05) 553, para 17; C&AG's
Report, para 3.13 Back
19
Qq 4, 54 and 55; C&AG's Report, para 3.12 Back
20
Qq 11 and 54; C&AG's Report, para 2.19 Back
21
Qq 25-27 and 30; C&AG's Report, paras 1.5 and 3.14 Back
| 
