The tender notice seeking a ‘delivery assurance partner’ for the A303 Stonehenge (Amesbury to Berwick Down) project puts the contract value at £60m.
This contract is expected to last seven years with an optional five-year extension.
The winning bidder will undertake all of the NEC4 contract management functions to enable Highways England to fulfil its role as project manager for the main construction contract.
The tender notice says: “Highways England is looking for a delivery assurance partner who will use their expertise, understanding and analysis of the data generated during construction, to deliver proactive risk management and drive efficiencies throughout the delivery phase.
“They must be able to challenge contractors processes and programme to achieve time and cost saving.
“A key capability will be the ability to drive a right first-time approach in all construction areas but in particular in the design, installation, commissioning and handover of tunnel systems.
“Highways England is seeking a partner with capability and skills that extend beyond that of providing design and construction quality assurance support and project management.”
The deadline for responses is 27th July 2021 and contract start date is 1st December. Further details are available at bidstats.uk
Aecom was appointed Highways England’s technical partner on the project in 2017 under a £50m contract, which ultimately spiralled to £75m because of changes to the scope.
Highways England has been in dialogue with three shortlisted contracting groups and is now assessing final bids. These groups are:
- BMJV, comprising Bouygues Travaux Publics and J Murphy & Sons;
- HDJV, consisting of Hochtief Infrastructure GmbH and Dragados;
- MORE JV, comprising FCC Construcción (42.5%), Webuild (42.5%) and BeMo Tunnelling UK (15%).
The value of the main construction contract has been estimated at £1.25bn out of an overall capital cost of £1.7bn.
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