Contract notice
Section I: Contracting
authority
I.1) Name and addresses
Kent County Council
County Hall
Maidstone
ME14 1XQ
UK
Contact person: Mr Craig Merchant
E-mail: craig.merchant@kent.gov.uk
NUTS: UKJ4
Internet address(es)
Main address: http://www.kent.gov.uk
Address of the buyer profile: 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 abovementioned address
Tenders or requests to participate must be sent electronically to:
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
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:
14 000 000.00
GBP
II.1.6) Information about lots
This contract is divided into lots:
No
II.2) Description
II.2.3) Place of performance
NUTS code:
UKJ4
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:
31/12/2025
This contract is subject to renewal: No
II.2.9) Information about the limits on the number of candidates to be invited
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 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:
22/02/2024
Local time: 12:00
IV.2.4) Languages in which tenders or requests to participate may be submitted
EN
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
UK
VI.5) Date of dispatch of this notice
29/01/2024