Temple Quarter sits at the heart of Bristol, one of the UK’s most productive and fast-growing regions and a focal point for the West of England’s £39bn economy. Temple Quarter will transform over 130 hectares of brownfield land over the next 25 years into a series of thriving, well-connected mixed-use communities. The regeneration of the area will deliver 10,000 new homes in a mix of types and tenures, including much-needed new affordable homes. 22,000 new jobs will be created, bringing inclusive economic growth to the city and new opportunities for Bristol’s citizens, alongside £1.6bn annual income to the city economy.
The Temple Island Project forms part of the Bristol Temple Quarter Regeneration Project.
The Challenge
Proposals for Temple Island are for a mixed-use scheme that could bring new homes, offices, and commercial space to the area, as well as a new hotel and conference facility. In the north of the site, new student accommodation linked to the University of Bristol’s new Enterprise Campus is proposed. The Council is bringing this derelict brownfield land back to life, creating a vibrant place to spend time in the day and evening.
The Scope
As part of these plans, Bristol City Council (BCC) has submitted a planning application to enable the future development of the Temple Island site. The planning application seeks consent for engineering works that will prepare the Temple Island site for future development.
The works will comprise the following:
- Site remediation: Groundwater remediation to reduce the risk of contaminative sources associated with the groundwater beneath Temple Island migrating and impacting the adjacent River Avon.
- Structural fill: Raising the site levels using imported structural fill material. This is to addressexisting variations in the levels on the site and will raise the existing sitelevels up to reflect that of the existing Brock’s Bridge and St. Philip’s Bridge.
- Utilities works: The installation of utilities and drainage within a primary corridor that connects to Brock’s Bridge and extends to the southern part of Temple Island. The corridor will include the following utilities: electricity, water, communications, telecommunications, district heating along with surface water and foul drainage. Spurs from each utility will be provided at regular intervals to allow future connections.
Initial Budget set at 14.5 million.
Approach to Market
To ensure BCC followed a compliant route to market, a thorough search was undertaken to establish whether there were any suitable internal Council or National Frameworks which could deliver the Scope of Works in a cost-effective and timely manner. This proved fruitless and the Project Team, with assistance from V4, decided to use the Open Market Procedure, as this approach:
- Will make the whole market aware of this opportunity.
- Involve more Interested Suppliers who will have Capability and Capacity.
- Will allow for Soft Market Testing (Early Market Engagement) which will enable the Temple Island Project Team to engage with potential suppliers openly and transparently, and to ensure the prospective suppliers have appetite, capability, and capacity to deliver these works.
Early Market Engagement
V4 managed the Early Market Engagement process with interested suppliers and the Project Team.A workshop was convened where suppliers could input into the procurement approach with regards to the Scope, Terms and Conditions of Contract, Timescales, and how to achieve better value for money. The outcome of the workshop were proposals which the project team could review and consider further and incorporate these where required into the Scope, Contract and Procurement process.
Formal Procurement Approach
V4 Managed this process:
- Reviewed, compiled, and issued Tender documents via ProContract.
- Tender Clarifications.
Resulted in 12 tenders.
Evaluation
V4 were responsible for the following:
Scoring the Mandatory
-
selection Questionnaire with PM.
Managing the process with
- regards to excluding suppliers who failed the Selection Criteria.
Consequently 8 remaining suppliers were evaluated against the stage 2 Award criteria.
Tender clarifications were
-
managed and responses co-ordinated with the evaluation team.
Undertook the complete commercial evaluation of the Activity Schedule to ensure that the Prices received were compliant, accurate and that there were no erroneous rates.
This required in depth knowledge of Construction and Estimation of Contract
- rates to ensure that the suppliers could deliver on price.
The biggest challenge was that Suppliers complied with the Scope of Works, especially the Ground Remediation Performance Specification and to ensure that the Prices submitted were complete and fully aligned with the Activity Schedule.
Managing the scoring with the internal and external consultants to ensure fairness and to reduce the risk
- of challenge to BCC.
Chairing and concluding the
- moderation scoring which ensure that all scoring parties agreed.
Finalising contract terms with
- Successful Supplier to ensure no issues after Award.
Reviewed and checked the
- scoring from the External Social Value team.
Compiled the scoring, issued
- the tender Award reports for approval.
Issued the award letters
- subject to standstill.
The difference in scoring for the top 3 suppliers was marginal. Therefore, the suppliers were managed during the Standstill period which did not lead to challenge.
The ITT and the Proposals were issued to legal for: Award notices and Precontract were managed to ensure that this was then pushed to Proactis where the contract was managed.
The Outcome
The contract was let at £4.6 million which was some 2 million below the Quantity Surveyor’s project estimate and nearly £8 million below the Budget the Council set aside to deliver the project.
The programme was maintained, and the works are due to start as per programme on 2nd January 2024.
