Building construction work

Tender description

Choice's Asset Management team require engagement of an appropriately qualified and experienced Principal Contractor to deliver a range of proposed refurbishment and improvement works to both the internal areas and external areas of an existing, medium-sized, purpose-built sheltered housing scheme within the Gilnahirk area of East Belfast. Hazelbank Court is located just off the Kings Road in a fairly large site, which also contains one of the Association's larger, joint-managed schemes — Kirk House. Hazelbank Court comprises a single three-storey, purpose-built accommodation block, whose construction was completed by Oaklee Housing Association (now Choice) during 1996-97, to provide sheltered accommodation for persons aged 55 and over. The property's accommodation comprises a total of fifteen self-contained apartments, all of which contain a double-sized bedroom, bathroom, kitchen, living/dining room, hallway, hot-press/store, as well as a larger store room/study. The scheme's management benefits from provision of a part-time, on-site coordinator, who operates alongside Choice's robust housing and neighbourhood regional hub structures, covering the Association's stock within this area of East Belfast. As outlined above, each self-contained apartment within the scheme benefits from its own bathroom, living room and kitchen. Kitchen space is limited within many of the apartments and the standard designs do not presently include either infrastructure or space for a domestic washing machine, on account of the communal laundry facility provided at ground floor level — the operational cost of which is built into each Tenant's service charge rent component. Vertical circulation within the building comprises a single stairwell within the landlord's ‘central core’, constructed from reinforced concrete, whilst a single passenger lift also serves all levels. It should be noted that the passenger lift is scheduled for replacement during 2017 by current Choice lift equipment maintenance contractors, ThyssenKrupp. If required, the appointed MEI contractor's team will be expected to effectively coordinate works, alongside ThyssenKrupp, to ensure that the impact upon Tenants, visitors and staff is minimised, as much as is reasonably practicable. The package of multi-element improvements proposed will comprise kitchen replacement works (inc. M&E), upgrades to the scheme's internal communal lighting, upgrade of the scheme's existing external lighting, the replacement of suspended ceiling tiles throughout, rainwater goods clearance, restoration of existing self-coloured render to the scheme's external elevations, cleaning down of external uPVC and uPVC-clad elements, as well as the resurfacing of existing hard surfaces within the schemes grounds — to include straightforward reconfiguration of soft landscaped areas to improve the existing car parking provision.