Decision

The Director of Neighbourhood Services
approves the uplift of contract to Walker Sime Ltd, via Bloom
Procurement Services, by £380,736 and a term extension to the
end of June 2026 to undertake project management, quantity
surveying, and monitoring services to various Birkenhead Projects,
including Central Birkenhead projects, Waterfront Project and the
Battle of the Atlantic Project.

This matter affects Birkenhead and Tranmere Ward and is not a key
decision.

Reasons for the decision

Some of the aims of the Birkenhead 2040
Framework are to stimulate economic growth, increase the number of
visitors and improve the transport infrastructure for users
throughout this area. The regeneration of Birkenhead will play an
important role in the Local Plan, as a catalyst for wider
investment into the area.

Walker Sime Ltd are currently commissioned, via Bloom Procurement
Services, to provide project management and fund monitoring
services for the Waterfront, Dock Branch and Central Birkenhead
projects. These services provide budget monitoring to include
regular cost and project monitoring reports, quality assurance,
delay analysis and valuation of compensation /early warning events,
and will ensure various grant funds are spent in line with the
applicable grant funding agreements.

This decision seeks three key changes to this current
commission:
1. Uplift of the Central Birkenhead Projects fund monitoring and
Project management services due to programme elongation and the
requirement for increased Project Management and Quantity Surveying
resource across the Central Birkenhead projects (Grange Road &
Charing Cross and Conway Street & Europa Boulevard). This
results in an increase of £352,136, resulting in the total
contract figure of £502,136 for this project.
2. Addition of a new project (Battle of the Atlantic) for Walker
Sime to oversee the fund monitoring during construction phase.
Total cost of this would be £28,600, running until April
2026.
3. Extend entire contract end date to 30th June 2026. This is to
encompass the projected end dates of all projects within this
contract.

In total this will result in a financial extension of this contract
by £380,736 and a term extension to the end of June
2026.

The contract uplift will be funded via the Regeneration Delivery
Resourcing Capital fund and the Pathfinder Capital Grant
funding.

Alternative options considered

1.Do nothing: Do not appoint anyone to fulfil
this role. This was disregarded as this would increase the risk to
the Council in its role of assuring that the grant funds are spent
in a way that is best value and in line with the Grant Funding
Agreements.

2. An alternative option would be for the Council to monitor and
report on progress to ensure that the scheme is proceeding in line
with the associated Grant Funding Agreements. This option has been
discounted as the fee associated with appointing an external
organisation approach provides a cost-effective mechanism for the
Council; and allows for an experienced external Project Monitor and
Quantity Surveyor team to be appointed promptly to ensure there are
no further delays that will push the completion date for the
various infrastructure works out of the funding programme
terms.

3. A further option would to be award the new element of the
contract (monitoring of the Battle of Atlantic Project) via a
competitive procurement exercise. This was discounted because a
tendering or competition process would not be beneficial, as it
would cause project delays and further cost to the taxpayer when
bringing up to speed a new consultant on board.