Chamber and committees

I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-19027 on 23 October 2018. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at: http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx .

In accordance with Government Guidance on Approval and Evaluation, Scottish Water operates a capital governance process which requires project budgets to be set and approved at predetermined gateways before the project can proceed to the next phase. In accordance with industry best practice, each project cost is set at the outset and is managed and monitored regularly.

The approved stage budget for the Rhu project is £2.4m. The current latest best estimate (LBE) for the project is £2m. The project is currently forecast to be delivered for approx. £400k below budget. This was primarily as a result of utility diversions being lower cost than originally anticipated.

I refer the member to the answer to question S5W–19024 on‎ 11 October 2018. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx .

I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-18852 on 26 September 2018. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx .

Public bodies must ensure taxpayers get the best possible value for money.

Once a requirement has been identified, and as part of the process of developing the appropriate sourcing strategy, it is important to consider what the right approach for the particular goods, services or works to be purchased is. This includes balancing the advantages that may be gained from aggregating demand against those which may be gained from opening competition up to a broader supply base.

A framework agreement covering many individual requirements is one possible route to market. Framework agreements are generally used for purchases where there is a requirement for a high volume of goods, works or services, or a repeat need where exact quantities or timings are unknown. They offer a quick and relatively inexpensive route to market. They establish in advance the terms under which subsequent call-off contracts are awarded and can remove the need for subsequent contract awards to follow a new advertised competition .

We are currently working in partnership with the Scottish Retail Consortium to develop a joint retail strategy and we will publish the strategy in due course.

I refer the member to answer to question S5W-19172 on 23 October 2018. The Scottish Government will undertake additional consultations and impact assessments before implementing any changes to customer charges.

All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx .

Scottish Water will present the finalised consultation report to a multi-stakeholder group (Water Industry Commission for Scotland, Scottish Government, Customer Forum, SEPA, DWQR and Citizens Advice Scotland) on 25 October and will publish the report on its website thereafter.

Scottish Water will publish their updated ‘Shaping the future of your water and waste water services’ document in 2019 alongside their Strategic Plan. This plan will ultimately be agreed with Ministers and Regulators.

Information on single person status discounts is available from the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 60136) .