Procurement description
A494 River Dee Bridge Replacement scheme provides a vital connection for cross border traffic between north Wales, the north-west of England and beyond, connecting people, communities and businesses. The bridge is in poor structural condition and needs replacing.The Welsh Government will use the Competitive Flexible Procedure under the Procurement Act 2023. This will consist of a selection stage to shortlist bidders (likely 5 in number), followed by a tender stage to appoint a winning contractor.
- A two-stage ECI delivery model will be used – adopting an NEC4 PSC and separate NEC4 ECC form. X22 of the NEC4 ECC will not be used. The Employer’s Design route will not be progressed
- The payment options to be used are NEC4 PSC Option E for the first stage of the ECI, and NEC4 ECC Option C for the second, design and build stage
- The market provided a number of suggestions for removing barriers to bidding, including reasonable levels of security, number of bidders to be shortlisted, key commercial terms, and appropriate weightings between price and quality, all of which have been given due consideration by the WG
- Option X29 Climate Change is likely to be included to support initiatives around decarbonisation with targets to be agreed during the first stage of the ECI contract, not at tender
- A form of incentivisation will be included within the contract focusing on the period between submission of an Initial Target Cost at tender and the presenting of a final Target Cost at the end of the Welsh Government’s Key Stage 4
- The weightings of price and quality are being finalised. The Welsh Government however can confirm that it will make use of both relative and average scoring mechanisms when it comes to price
- Social value will attract a minimum of a 10% weighting of the quality element
- It is currently anticipated that the selection stage will have a duration of 30 days, i.e. bidders will have 30days to compile their selection stage submissions
- It is currently anticipated that the tender stage will have a duration of 3months, i.e. bidders will have 3months to compile their tender submissions