Agenda item

Civil Engineering Support framework

Report of the Deputy Chief Executive

Minutes:

The Cabinet considered a report of the Deputy Chief Executive that sought approval to tender for a replacement 4-year multi-supplier framework for Civil Engineering Support, to commence 1st October 2020.

 

Coventry City Council’s Highways section managed and maintained a road and pavement network of over 880km. Types of work included pothole repairs, resurfacing of roads and footpaths, highway drainage installations, as well as new civil engineering projects/public realm schemes and was delivered through planned and reactive programmes of work. 

 

Additional funding may be available from the Council securing circa £43m of funding from the West Midlands Combined Authority and Coventry and Warwickshire Local Enterprise Partnership, to improve public realm in the City Centre on the run up to City of Culture 2021. 

 

A lot of work could be reactive, leading to peaks and troughs of work volumes.  It was in the Council’s interest to deal with reactive works as quickly as possible, to mitigate against insurance claims from vehicle damage due to potholes etc. 

 

The Council currently had a Civil Engineering Support framework in place, which was used to obtain additional resources as and when needed to undertake the work, who had the necessary skills and experience. This avoided having to recruit additional internal staff. 

 

The current projected annual spend was £1.75m, however, there was the potential to allow a total spend of £12m for any additional funding for the duration of contract. This was funded internally and through external grants and income.

 

This framework was due to expire at the end of September 2020. Highways were satisfied with the current framework and suppliers’ performance.  Research had been carried out to identify if there were any suitable frameworks that Coventry could potential use, none had been identified.

 

It was therefore proposed to tender for a Coventry only framework. This would be structured in a way that allowed local suppliers and small and medium enterprises to apply. As this was a framework, no commitment was given on volumes of work. The intention would be that this could be used by Highways and any other Council Department where the in-house Highways team were unable to carry out the work or did not have the resources.

 

This report sought approval to tender for a replacement 4-year multi-supplier framework for Civil Engineering Support, to commence 1st October 2020. The intention would be to carry out a restricted tendering procedure, to ensure only suppliers meeting mandatory requirements would be considered at tendering stage.

 

No significant financial implications had been identified.

 

RESOLVED that the Cabinet:

 

1)  Approves the commencement of a competitive procurement process using the restricted procurement process to set up a 4-year multi-supplier Council wide framework for Civil Engineering Support.

 

2)  Grants delegated authority to the Director of Transportation and Highways, following consultation with the Director of Law and Governance, to award the Framework to the successful suppliers as well as any subsequent call-off contracts under this Framework.

 

3)  Grants authorisation to the Director of Law and Governance to enter into all necessary contracts with the successful suppliers.

Supporting documents: