Agenda item

Report of the Assistant Director of Place (Highways and Public Protection)

The Cabinet considered the report of the Assistant Director of Place (Highways and Public Protection) seeking approval to appoint Balfour Beatty under the Scape Framework to provide Early Contract Involvement in the development of the works information for the first Phase of the Southport Eastern Access scheme with a view to a further appointment to deliver the works. The Southport Eastern Access scheme sought to deliver highway improvement measures at a series of junctions and links on the eastern approaches to Southport to improve access and safety for all road users to the town centre from the east. The Scape Framework allowed a contractor to be appointed during the scheme design and development; to provide a Feasibility report at no cost, followed by an Early Contractor involvement stage during which a Target Cost was established and other pre-construction activities undertaken, leading to a Contract to deliver the works.

The following appendix was attached to the report:

·       Appendix A - General Arrangement Plans.

Decisions Made:

That

(1)      the appointment of Balfour Beatty under the Scape Framework to offer Feasibility Input into the development of the first Phase of the Southport Eastern Access Scheme, at no cost to the Council, be approved;

(2)      the Assistant Director of Place – (Highways and Public Protection), following consultation with the Cabinet Member – Locality Services, be authorised to award the Contract for Early Contractor Involvement (ECI) in the construction of Southport Eastern Access Phase 1 works, to Balfour Beatty, subject to the Feasibility Input, as set out in (1) above, and receipt of a Grant Funding Agreement from the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority;

(3)      the Chief Legal and Democratic Officer, following consultation with Cabinet Member – Locality Services, be authorised to sign the grant funding agreement for the necessary Development Funding to enable the ECI stage of the project to be undertaken;

(4)      the Assistant Director of Place (Highways and Public Protection), following consultation with the Cabinet Member – Locality Services, be authorised to award the Contract for the construction of Southport Eastern Access Phase 1 works to Balfour Beatty, subject to the Feasibility Input and ECI, as set out in (1), (2) and (3) above, and receipt of a Grant Funding Agreement;

(5)      the Chief Legal and Democratic Officer, following consultation with Cabinet Member – Locality Services, be authorised to sign the grant funding agreement for the necessary works funding to enable the construction stage of the project to be undertaken; and

(6)      a supplementary capital estimate of £450,000 for Development Funding secured from the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority into the Transport Capital Programme for 2023-24, be approved, pending receipt of a Grant Funding agreement.

Reasons for the Decisions:

The Liverpool City Region Combined Authority (LCRCA) had received a City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement allocation from the Department for Transport to deliver highway improvement and maintenance projects throughout the City Region by March 2027. Within the recently completed re-baselining exercise an allocation of funding for £16.8m had been identified to fund Southport Eastern Access projects. It was recognised that careful planning and co-ordination of all the elements of work would be critical to ensure the works were delivered within the window and that disruption was minimised as far as possible. Early Contractor Involvement, as offered by the Scape Framework, had the advantage of ensuring that the works were well programmed, buildability of the scheme was considered at an early stage and that the period between completing the design (and agreeing a contract cost) and the works commencing would be reduced. This should ensure that greater cost certainty was achieved, construction risks were reduced and the works were more likely to be delivered within the funding window.

The use of the Scape Framework had been welcomed by the LCRCA as they recognised the benefits, particularly in allowing greater certainty of delivering the scheme within the timeframe.

Alternative Options Considered and Rejected:

The works could be delivered using a tendering process. This would introduce some further competition into the procurement process. However, the project planning would not have the benefit of contractor input until following the award of the contract for the works, thus increasing the risk of delay and claims. There was also the risk that contractors might choose not to tender due to current workloads. The tender appraisal process would also shorten the time available for construction and therefore increase the risk of the funds not being expended by the deadline.