Construction Contract Leads

Section I: Contracting authority

I.1) Name and addresses

Kent County Council

County Hall

Maidstone

ME14 1XQ

Contact

Mr Craig Merchant

Email

craig.merchant [at] kent.gov.uk

Country

United Kingdom

NUTS code

UKJ4 - Kent

Internet address(es)

Main address

http://www.kent.gov.uk

Buyer's address

http://www.kent.gov.uk

I.3) Communication

The procurement documents are available for unrestricted and full direct access, free of charge, at

https://procontract.due-north.com/Advert/Index?advertId=42ef39df-12ba-ee11-8127-005056b64545

Additional information can be obtained from the above-mentioned address

Tenders or requests to participate must be submitted electronically via

https://procontract.due-north.com/Advert/Index?advertId=42ef39df-12ba-ee11-8127-005056b64545

I.4) Type of the contracting authority

Regional or local authority

I.5) Main activity

General public services

Section II: Object

II.1) Scope of the procurement

II.1.1) Title

SC24004 - Folkestone – ‘A Brighter Future’ Levelling Up Fund Scheme

Reference number

DN708218

II.1.2) Main CPV code

• 45000000 - Construction work

II.1.3) Type of contract

Works

II.1.4) Short description

Folkestone and Hythe District Council (FHDC) submitted a bid to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) for Levelling Up Fund Round 2 for £19,791,819 to deliver the Folkestone – A Brighter Future scheme.

The scheme aims to address the issues that the town centre currently faces. Folkestone town centre suffers from high vacancy rates and an overall poor-quality urban environment. It has been struggling over recent years and has seen a 16% drop in footfall over the last four years which has been accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Vacancy rates in the town centre currently are very high at 14.7% and the scheme will aim to reduce this through improved access and public realm. The Folca building, which is currently vacant, will also be refurbished as part of the scheme; though this element will be delivered by FHDC.

FHDC developed the Folkestone Place Plan in 2021 to define the scope of the scheme. A total of six possible options were considered in the Folkestone Place Plan as follows: Station Arrival and Town Centre Connections, Improved Gateway to the Town Centre and Bouverie Square, Sandgate Road and Town Centre Public Realm, F51 Environs and Payers Park, Harbour Line & Tram Road, and Sunny Sands.

Following extensive consultation; The Folkestone – A Brighter Future scheme has three key areas of focus to improve Folkestone town centre:

1. Station Arrival and Town Centre Connections:

This element of the project aims to improve the links from the railway station for pedestrians and cyclists to encourage use of active travel and public transport and to improve connections for visitors and residents alike.

2. Improved Gateway to the Town Centre and Bouverie Square:

This component of the project will unlock transformational change around the town centre. The focus will be to reconfigure the main bus station in the town centre and implement changes to the legacy gyratory road system to the north.

3. Folca, Sandgate Road and Town Centre Public Realm:

This element of the project will refurbish the Folca building (the former Debenhams building) into a ‘town lab’ which will encourage and bring new and experimental uses into the town centre. The phased refurbishment of this building will bring a currently redundant building back into use in the town centre and reactivate this part of the high street. It will also improve the public realm on Sandgate Road to encourage footfall in this area of the town centre.

FHDC has requested that KCC act as the delivery partner for the transport and public realm elements of the scheme.

II.1.5) Estimated total value

Value excluding VAT: £14,000,000

II.1.6) Information about lots

This contract is divided into lots: No

II.2) Description

II.2.3) Place of performance

NUTS codes

• UKJ4 - Kent

II.2.4) Description of the procurement

The Form of contract will be The New Engineering Contract 4 (NEC4) Option A (fixed lump sum with Activity Schedule) with KCC Z Clauses.

The value of the contract is above the Public Contract Regulations 2015 threshold for Works, and the Client is using a competitive tender process (with an option to negotiate if required) to procure the required Services.

The contract will be awarded to a single supplier following this procedure and interested suppliers are hereby invited to express their interest in this tender opportunity and submit their completed SQ by the date specified above.

II.2.5) Award criteria

Price is not the only award criterion and all criteria are stated only in the procurement documents

II.2.7) Duration of the contract, framework agreement or dynamic purchasing system

End date

31 December 2025

This contract is subject to renewal

No

II.2.9) Information about the limits on the number of candidates to be invited

Maximum number: 5

II.2.10) Information about variants

Variants will be accepted: No

II.2.11) Information about options

Options: No

II.2.13) Information about European Union Funds

The procurement is related to a project and/or programme financed by European Union funds: No

Section IV. Procedure

IV.1) Description

IV.1.1) Type of procedure

Competitive procedure with negotiation

IV.1.5) Information about negotiation

The contracting authority reserves the right to award the contract on the basis of the initial tenders without conducting negotiations

IV.1.8) Information about the Government Procurement Agreement (GPA)

The procurement is covered by the Government Procurement Agreement: Yes

IV.2) Administrative information

IV.2.2) Time limit for receipt of tenders or requests to participate

Date

22 February 2024

Local time

12:00pm

IV.2.4) Languages in which tenders or requests to participate may be submitted

English

Section VI. Complementary information

VI.1) Information about recurrence

This is a recurrent procurement: No

VI.4) Procedures for review

VI.4.1) Review body

Kent County Council

Maidstone

ME141XQ

Country

United Kingdom

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