Consultative engineering and construction services

Tender description

Highways England is the government company charged with operating, maintaining and improving England's motorways and major A roads. We want to engage with suppliers to inform our approach to procuring support for delivery of the Lower Thames Crossing project (LTC) which is part of our larger complex infrastructure programme. The LTC project includes 14,5 miles of new roads and Europe’s largest bored tunnels. It will connect Essex and Kent to improve capacity of the road network for the South East. LTC represents a significant opportunity for businesses that want to be involved in the development of the project. This Prior Information Notice (PIN) is being issued to start a market consultation process on the delivery partner services contract. This will be a process of Highways England listening to what interested parties have to say and using the responses to shape the project’s development and to inform the approach that Highways England will take to the delivery partner contract. Highways England commenced an engagement process in 2019 via prior information notice (2019 PIN) reference number 2019/S 026-056978 to identify suppliers that might be interested in working with us on the LTC project. This new PIN is being issued to start a market engagement (ME) process on the delivery partner service contract and supersedes earlier plans set out in the 2019 PIN only for an Early Works Delivery Manager (EWDM) contract for the LTC project. However, for the avoidance of doubt, the delivery partner is not a direct replacement for the EWDM and will be responsible for a different scope of services than were proposed for the EWDM. Also, the 2019 PIN (2019/S 026-056978) will remain valid for the main works contracts only. We will require a capable balanced, diverse and sustainable supply chain. The delivery partner role is critical to the success of the LTC project. The delivery partner will be responsible for the delivery of some key functions within our integrated client team. They will act as the integrator between the main works contracts and will be the catalyst for collaboration across the project to ensure our project objectives for time, cost and quality are met. The delivery partner will support Highways England in leading delivery of our project and leave a legacy of an organisational model with processes, procedures and systems that Highways England own and can use on future projects. As part of this legacy the delivery partner will also need to invest in the capability and competence of Highways England. The delivery partner will need to bring diverse and multiple capabilities to create a strong client function including programme and portfolio management, stakeholder management and risk management. Market engagement for the delivery partner package will commence in February 2020. We will use our e-Sourcing Portal Bravo, to communicate and undertake market engagement activities with those interested in delivering of LTC. If you are interested in participating, please register on the Bravo to receive information about the delivery partner service contact by visiting: www.highways.bravosolution.co.uk,(ITT_5106). Note: Highways England is committed to ensuring fairness, openness, and transparency. The overarching aim of all the market consultation exercises undertaken under this PIN is for genuine 2-way dialogue to take place between Highways England and the market, listening to what interested parties have to say and using this to shape the commercial and procurement strategies which set out the approach to the market. This PIN is issued solely for the purpose of commencing a market consultation exercise and does not constitute any commitment by Highways England to undertake any public procurement exercise. To the extent that Highways England carries out any public procurement exercise, Highways England reserves the right to award contracts in lots or groups of lots. Interested parties will not be prejudiced by any response or failure to respond to this PIN. Nor shall a response to this PIN guarantee an invitation to participate in this market consultation exercise or any future procurement process that Highways England may conduct. This PIN does not constitute a call for competition to procure any works or services and is not published to reduce time limited for the receipt of tenders. Highways England is not bound to accept any proposals offered. Highways England is not liable for any costs, fees or expenses incurred by any party responding to this PIN or any party who may participate in the market consultation exercise. It is currently assumed that this procurement will be carried out in accordance with the provisions of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015.