Economy, Communities & Corporate

Geoff Hughes

Mr J Smith
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E-mail: / FOI IAT10855
Claire Jacobs
01432 260 340

14 December2015

DearSir,

FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT REQUEST FOI IAT 10855

Further to previous correspondence, your request for information has now been considered, and the council’s response is set out below:

Q1 Does the council manage its own incoming mail or is this service outsourced?

  1. The council manages its own incoming mail

Q2 If outsourced who is the current provider, when did the contract start and what is the contract term?

  1. N / A

Q2a Was this contract awarded via any Frameworks e.g. CCS RM1063?

  1. N / A

Q2b What is the cost of the incoming mail service within the council?

  1. N / A

Q3 Is any of the incoming mail scanned or is it physically transported across the council?

  1. It is physically transported

Q3a What is the volume of incoming mail per day / week / month received by the council?

  1. The volume of mail incoming each day / week / month is not recorded

Q3b Is the scanning linked to any Electronic Data Records Management systems?

  1. We do not scan

If so can you confirm which ones are used within the council?

  1. N / A

Q4 If the service is provided in house how many staff are involved in:

a)Distributing incoming mail

  1. The distribution of incoming mail across council sites is sub-contracted to a bicycle courier

b)Collecting outgoing mail

  1. The mail is collected by the bicycle courier and distributed

Q5 What is the volume of outgoing mail per day / week / month sent by the council?

  1. The volume of outgoing mail sent per day / week / month is not recorded. However, in the first eight months of the year the council spent approximately £150,000 on postage.

Q6 Does the council have any centralised service for printing and sending mail?

  1. No

Q6a Does the council have any inserting machines?

  1. Yes, we have one inserting machine

If so can you advise on manufacture – model numbers?

  1. Neopost D62 07DX6847

Q6b Does the council have any franking machines?

  1. Yes, we have eight franking machines

If so can you advise on manufacture – model numbers?

  1. Neopost I5440, IJ25 x2, IS460, DS75, IJ40E, IS5000, IS350

Q7 Does the council have any hybrid mail services for sending resident letters or other correspondence?

  1. No

Q7a If yes who is the hybrid mail provider, when did this contract start and what was the contract term?

  1. N / A

Q7b What is the cost of the outgoing mail service within the council?

  1. £225,000 per annum

Q8 Does the council have any software products for sending letters electronically or SMS reminders to residents – staff?

  1. No

Q8a If so what software products are used, when where these installed and what is the contract term for support?

  1. N / A

Q8b If not are there any projects looking at digital communications?

  1. Not at the time of writing

Who is the best person to contact re these future projects?

  1. Nikki White, Customer Services & Facilities Manager

Q9 How is your returned mail processed?

  1. By hand

Q10 What is your average number of daily returned mail items?

  1. Approximately 5 items per day

Q10a Size and type of envelopes used? (DL, C5, window / plain)?

  1. DL, C5, window, plain

Q10b Is there a standard within the council?

  1. Yes, DL and C5

Q11 Are there any special stationary types used?

  1. No, all standard

Q12a Do you use pre-printed inserts?

  1. No

Q12b If so how often and where – how are these printed – inserted?

  1. N / A

Q13 Can you please provide the relevant contact details of the person(s) involved in the contracting for mail services

  1. Nikki White, Customer Services & Facilities Manager

Email:

Phone: 01432 261976

Q14 Can you please provide the contact details of the council’s Business Transformation Officer?

  1. The council does not employ a Business Transformation Officer

If you are dissatisfied with the handling of your request or you would like a review of the response provided, further information regarding our review procedure is available in the ‘Internal Review Procedure for EIR and FOI requests’ which is published on Herefordshire Council’s website via the following link:

Further information is also available from the Information Commissioner at:

Information Commissioner’s Office

Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF

Telephone: 01625 545 745

Yours faithfully

CLAIRE JACOBS

INFORMATION ACCESS OFFICER