Manchester procurement director joins North London

Mr Judson, who is employed by Defra, has been appointed as director of procurement to NLWA (North London Waste Authority) under a secondment arrangement. He will take up his post on October 1, just days after the Authority expects to submit a preliminary bid to Defra for Private Finance Initiative (PFI) funding.

He leaves the GMWDA (Greater Manchester Waste Disposal Authority) ahead of the financial close of its long-term PFI contract after a series of delays pushed back the formal signing of the £3billion agreement with Viridor Laing (see letsrecycle.com story).

The 25-year contract in northern England will see 1.4 million tones of municipal waste processed annually. Facilities include a mechanical biological treatment plant, creating refuse derived fuel to be sent to a combined heat and power plant.

London

In London, plans are at a very early stage and few details have been revealed. This includes the amount of waste NLWA will continue sending to the Edmonton incinerator which presently deals with 450,000 tonnes a year, or the future of LondonWaste Ltd, the company owned jointly by the Authority and SITA UK.

However, NLWA told letsrecycle.com it expects to submit an “Expression of Interest” in PFI credits tomorrow. Defra only accepts applications at two fixed points of the year and the deadline for this funding round is September 30. If its bid is successful, NLWA could receive a grant to cover half the capital costs for the project.

The Authority is the second-largest in the UK and is made up of seven north London councils – Barnet, Camden, Enfield, Hackney, Haringey, Islington and Waltham Forest.

Its chairman Councillor Brian Coleman, said: “I am delighted with the appointment. Potential bidders should know that we are organising a first class project and advisory team so that we are well placed to run an effective procurement process and to provide an exciting commercial opportunity.

“We will be challenging the market to provide a high quality environmental solution at a competitive price. As Greater Manchester's procurement ends, North London will be the flagship project that demands the attention of the very best in the private sector,” he added.

John Burns, director of Defra's Waste Implementation Programme, which administers PFI funding said: “North London is the second largest waste disposal authority in the country responsible for around 1 million tonnes of municipal waste. That makes their procurement vital to national ambitions as well as to the local community.

“As single service organisations, Joint Waste Disposal Authorities face a particular challenge in organising the resources for major procurements in a complex market. I am pleased that we have been able to provide very practical help to Greater Manchester and now to North London,” he added.

Manchester

Mr Judson spent almost three years as director of procurement with the GMWDA under a similar secondment arrangement.

He said his contract there was ending because the PFI contract was drawing to “a commercial close”. He explained that his role at NLWA would also involve “leadership in terms of delivering procurement requirements but that the finer details would be worked out when he got to London”.

Jane Hawkes, GMWDA's director of strategy and communications, said: “It's a seamless move for Tim Judson as we are moving towards a commercial close so it's a good time for him to transfer from one organisation to another. This was a planned move so there is no panic.”

She explained that the authority has appointed three directors earlier this year, in preparation for its new contract. They include Ms Hawkes, contract services director David Taylor and resources director Mark Newall.

Delays to the Manchester contract are said to have have occurred because of difficulties with agreements over works needed on the sites acquired for the facilities and because of due diligence proceedings being carried out by Viridor and Laing bankers.