Business Rates Review

Royal Berkshire Fire Authority (the Authority) requires a review of the business rates charged on its estates to ascertain if any ongoing savings could be achieved by appealing the underlying rateable value (RV) of each property owned, including investment properties and fire stations. The Authority will pay the commission rate (%) if there are demonstrable savings. If there are no rebates from these reviews, then the Authority is not liable for any payment. Business rates bills are generated annually by the Local Authorities across Berkshire based on the RV and issued to the Authority. The Valuation Office Agency (VOA) is responsible for setting and periodically reviewing the values. Still, property owners can appeal at any time if there is a justified reason. The procurement process was a 3-quote process conducted under the Contract Standing Orders. A Request for Quote email was sent to three suppliers, detailing a 3-year contract period and a commission rate based on total savings across all listed sites for the duration of the contract, based on a no-win, no-fee basis. The Authority has made an estimate for the contract value. This is based on a previous contract. As this is an estimate, the contract value could potentially change based on the savings that the supplier can achieve.