This meeting for Blackburn with Darwen Council was scheduled to discuss awarding a contract for the extension of The Making Rooms. The report pack contains a recommendation to approve the contractor and award the contract. The project is part of the council's Levelling Up Partnership proposals.

The Making Rooms Extension

The council was asked to consider a recommendation to appoint Rosslee Construction as the main contractor for works to extend The Making Rooms, with the value of the contract award being £1,514,019. The Deputy Director of Legal and Governance was to be given the authority to formally award the contract, in accordance with the report and compliance with legal requirements.

The report pack states that the reason for the recommendation was:

To allow the construction contract to be awarded and works to start on site by late Autum 2025 for approx. 30 weeks.

The Making Rooms is described in the report as a community technology hub. It is used by artists, inventors, students, children, and anyone else who wishes to design and make anything. The organisation creates learning and job opportunities in the creative and manufacturing sectors by enabling and supporting new business creation and new ways of working. The facility hosts ten tenant organisations over its upper two floors, collaborating with each other to serve Blackburn with Darwen's communities.

The redevelopment of the existing council-owned building was approved as one of the council's Levelling Up Partnership Proposals¹. The investment will maximise the building's capacity for community skill development, through a programme of development for the disused areas, creating improved access and better use of the space within the building to facilitate expansion.

The planned works include:

• Internal alterations to the basement to create new studio spaces with storage, WCs, and an additional access staircase.
• The formation of additional floorspace for an Ecolab on the existing roof deck, alongside a terrace garden area.
• Introduction of a new internal lift to all floors and associated M&E² to service the development.

The invitation to tender for a main contractor to deliver the scheme was advertised via open tender in line with the Procurement Act 2023³. Three compliant submissions were received in response. The submissions were evaluated and scored against a criteria split by 55% price, 30% quality and 15% social value. The evaluation was undertaken by staff from BwD Growth & Development Dept, BwD Procurement Officers, and external Design Team including KPP Architects and JCA Consulting.

The highest scoring submission was from Rosslee Construction, with a score of 88.75%. A JCT Intermediate Contract⁴ will be used.

The report pack noted a risk of cost increases due to the complex nature of the project, and a risk of reputational damage from non-delivery of a key project should the council decide not to award the contract and progress the scheme.