Construction of a New Special AP School in Kerry, Powys

Tender description

Powys County Council (the “Council”) is preparing to tender for the construction of a new Alternative Provision School at Brynllywarch, near Kerry in Powys. This will provide a new, fit for purpose and energy efficient building to replace the existing, adjacent school buildings. It will provide accommodation for 72 children within a GIFA of 1537 m2. The Council is preparing to commence the formal competitive process to award the contract for Brynllywarch AP School. In the interest of running a fair, efficient and effective procurement process and to help inform the Council’s’ approach to procurement, the Council is seeking to engage with potential contractors experienced in leading and delivering similar design and build construction projects in advance of commencing the formal procurement process. Further details are set out in II.2.4 below. Lot 1: A design for Brynllywarch has been prepared by a multi-disciplinary team working for a main contractor previously engaged. This design was progressed broadly to RIBA Work Stage 4. The scheme has been designed to be Net Zero Carbon in operation, and to achieve less than 600kg/m2 CO2E. The project has been awarded full planning permission, subject to conditions. The Council is currently proposing to tender the project as a design and build contract, using the NEC4 Engineering and Construction Contract with Main Option A, Secondary Option Clauses and amendments by way of Z clauses. The Council is inviting potential contractors experienced in leading and delivering similar construction projects to contact the Council for a short, individual meeting in advance of the formal procurement process. These meetings are intended to help the Council understand the following with regard to major capital school projects of this nature: (a) the market’s expectations in respect of risk allocation; (b) the market’s current approach to pricing; (c) the market’s potential to achieve tangible social value benefits and; (d) any other risks or issues that could affect the successful delivery of the Brynllywarch project that might need to be taken into account when preparing the procurement. Contractors who wish to engage with the Council prior to publication of a tender are invited to contact the Council at the e-mail address in section I.1 above by no later than 5pm on 16th February 2024. Subject to capacity constraints, the Council plans to hold individual meetings (each of up to an hour long) with contractors who respond within the above specified timescale (meeting dates and times to be arranged). Such meetings will be held on an individual basis via Microsoft Teams. Non-participation in this market engagement process does not preclude any potential main contractors from participating in the formal procurement process.