Urban planning and landscape architectural services

Tender description

The Contracting Authority plan to procure urban and landscape design and masterplanning services, providing independent advice and support to evolve the spatial design and masterplan approach to the proposed West of Braintree Garden Community site. The input will form an important part of a wider body of work which is ongoing to consider the further evolution of the existing draft Local Plan policy which specifically requires development plan documents to be prepared for the proposed Garden Community, based upon the preparation of site specific masterplans and leading on to the evolution of subsequent planning applications/local development orders. The services will be expected to provide core skills and resources across the following technical areas and skills: — landscape design, — urban design, — masterplanning, — place-making, — architecture, and — participative engagement. The Services are focussed on the provision of urban and landscape design and masterplanning, place-making, architecture and participative engagement. Bids are particularly encouraged from teams which can demonstrate distinctiveness and innovation, drawing from the best of design approaches and experiences worldwide. Other technical disciplines will be secured separately by the Councils, including transport, environmental assessment, property, legal, funding and delivery. It is therefore not expected that the consultancy should assemble a large multi-disciplinary team and commit resources to wider inputs beyond those set out in the services set out in this prior information notice. However, the Service provider should demonstrate through the response how they will contain sufficient awareness and understanding of the multi-disciplinary nature of masterplanning and place-making, and how they will be able to evolve robust and appropriate design responses, leading the overall masterplanning process with regular and structured inputs from all relevant stakeholders. In addition, the scope of work may flex over time and bidders will need to identify any relevant sub-consultants that could provide key supplementary support as part of their bid across any directly relevant or anticipated disciplines during the course of the commission. This could include (but not be limited to) matters relating to ecology, biodiversity, environmental constraints analysis and assessment, heritage and archaeology. At all stages the consultancy should anticipate that it will also be required to provide “ad hoc” general and specialist advice, including possible support across other proposed Garden Communities. The contract award has been made on the basis of no guarantee of volume or value of work required and with an estimated value assuming that the full 36 month extension period is required.