Decision details

The report contains an Exempt Annex which is NOT FOR PUBLICATION in accordance with paragraph 3 of Schedule 12A of Part 1 of the Local Government Act 1972 in that it contains information relating to financial and business affairs namely, details of the tender sums submitted.

The public interest test has been applied to the information that is contained in the Exempt Annex to this Decision Notice and it is considered that the need to retain the information as exempt outweighs the public interest in disclosing it because to disclose it could compromise the Council’s position in any future procurement for these works.

The Leader of the Council and Cabinet Member for Growth, Strategic Planning, Housing, Economic Development and Business Engagement is recommended to:

1. Enter into a contract with Ringway Infrastructure Services Limited, one of the contractors appointed to  the Midlands Highway Alliance (MHA) Medium Schemes Framework 1 Contract (MSF1) to construct Long Causeway Public Realm Improvements and Wentworth Street Public Realm Improvements for the Target Cost sum of up to £2,000,000 (“the Contract”); 

2. Authorise the Director of Growth and Regeneration, to vary this Contract when required, subject to; (i) available budget being in place; (ii) the total sum of each variation not exceeding £100,000; and (iii) the combined value of the Contract and any authorised variation(s) called off under the MSF1 do not exceed the total sum of £2,500,000. Contract variations in excess of £50,000 are to be made in consultation with the council’s Internal Audit and Finance Teams.

3. Authorise the Director of Growth and Regeneration, to vary the works scope of the Contract when required to cover other public realm works subject to the limits imposed by Item 2 above and with the approval of the Executive Director of Resources.

Achieving the Council’s Strategic Objectives

In 2008, a Public Realm Strategy was adopted by Peterborough City Council. Phase One (Cathedral Square and St. John’s Square) was completed early in 2011. The second and third phases (Bridge Street and Cowgate) were completed in 2013. The main objective of the Public Realm Strategy is to create a vibrant and sustainable city centre that will increase people’s access to facilities, services and historic assets such as the Cathedral, Guildhall, St. John’s Church and Long Causeway; changing the pattern of movement through it and facilitating an expansion of interest in the city centre making it much more of a twenty-four hour location for activity; as well as creating the broader potential to attract tourists and inward investment.

The overarching aim of the Public Realm Strategy is to help revitalise the physical and economic status of the city and ensure that the existing tourist, retail and commercial centres located at the heart of the city can attract shoppers and visitors alongside the new retail developments situated to the north-west of the historic core and traditional centre.

The aim of this project is to produce a public realm commensurate with the aims of the Strategy which will realise the full benefits that this scheme could deliver for Peterborough’s regeneration agenda.

(a)    To separately tender for the scheme: This approach would incur additional procurement costs that could otherwise be avoided. The increased lead in time to procure civil engineering schemes will potentially increase the out-turn costs of a given scheme and decrease the time available to engage the contractor on site to carry out the works. In this instance there would be considerable risk to achieving the required programme for the capital works.

(b)    To utilise another existing framework contract: Upon research, there were found to be no other framework contracts available that Peterborough City Council could utilise to deliver civil engineering schemes due to limitations in scope.

None.

Midlands Highway Alliance (MHA) Medium Schemes Framework Contract Management Manual - Version 1 (January 2012).