Appointment of a Consultant for the design and delivery of a Masterplan for the Global Centre for Rail Excellence

Tender description

GCRE Limited seek to appoint a suitably qualified, experienced design-led consultancy team to prepare a Site Development Masterplan (SDM) to determine the site landscape and infrastructure layout for the development of a research and business campus built around the Rail Testing Facilities at the Nant Helen/Onllwyn site. The project will transform the 475-hectare post-industrial landscape into a world leading centre for research, testing, validation and innovation for the rail industry in a restored, ecologically diverse, landscape setting. The project will embody innovation at the core of its design and construction, comprising facilities and services for the whole rail industry allowing the design, testing and validation of new trains, systems, components and technologies. The SDM will be used for the following purposes: > As the basis for detailed design stage and subsequent construction. > To inform the Railway System Outline Design, which will define the technical requirements of the railway test facility. > To calibrate and support the development of the parallel earthworks design. > To input to the site wide energy strategy. The masterplan consultant will need to work closely with three other teams developing the Railway System Outline Design, the Earthworks design and the Energy Strategy. All four teams will need to produce tightly integrated packages that reflect the needs/requirements of each other. The products of the Masterplan will be used by GCRE to procure a range of Design & Build contractors for the various site premises and a [separate] contractor who will develop the detailed landscape design and construct it. Lot 1: GCRE Limited is looking to procure a suitably qualified Design-led team with experience of designing and carrying out large scale master planning projects to facilitate the subsequent design and construction of the Global Centre for Rail Excellence Innovation Campus (the "Centre"). The Centre is to be constructed both at the site of the former Nant Helen Opencast Coal site and at the Onllwyn Washery. The completed centre will have two rail test track loops, rail sidings, buildings and other infrastructure. To help GCRE Ltd deliver this ambitious project a design-led multidisciplinary design team is required to prepare a masterplan that will include innovation proposals for the future landscape of the whole site, proposals for an innovation campus incorporating the accommodation requirements of the facility and associated activities, and incorporating the design of the track testing facility. The project will transform the 475-hectare post-industrial landscape into a world leading centre for research, testing, validation and innovation for the rail industry in a restored, ecologically diverse, landscape setting. GCRE Ltd wishes to work collaboratively with the Design Team in the design and delivery of a Masterplan for the Global Centre for Rail Excellence. The contractor will be appointed on a single stage basis.