Highways England is getting ready to tender a £242 million contract for an integration partner to oversee the £6.8 billion Lower Thames Crossing project.
The national highways authority has published a Prior Information Notice ahead of publishing the official contract notice in July.
Describing the Lower Thames Crossing (LTC) as "the most ambitious roads project in the UK for more than a generation", Highways England said it involves a set of contract interfaces “materially higher” than other Highways England projects and therefore requires a significant integration role to successfully deliver the project and to manage a diverse and complex supply chain.
The Lower Thames Crossing would be the longest road tunnel in the UK, comprised of two 2.6 mile (4km) tunnels, one for southbound traffic, one for northbound traffic crossing beneath the river.
The tunnel will be 16.4 metres in diameter, making it the third widest bored tunnel in the world.
In addition to 14.3 miles of new road connecting the M25, A13 and M2, the route around 50 new bridges and viaducts would also be built along the route.
The LTC will pass beneath the River Thames – the southern entrance will be located to the east of the village of Chalk, and its northern entrance to the west of East Tilbury., The tunnel will pass under the East Tilbury Marshes on the northern section.
The Highways England PIN outlines the role of the project partner as follows:
“The integration partner will provide a broad range of project and programme management services to support the project. It will support the contract leadership teams through establishing and running the day to day management processes and provide the necessary systems requirements and interfaces.”
“As a member of the integrated client team the integration partner will use their expertise and understanding and analysis of the data to deliver proactive risk management and provide recommendations to the senior leadership team. “
“The integration partner will also be instrumental in delivering leadership that can embed the right behaviours across the integrated client team and the contracts, that will drive a successful project outcome.”
Phase specific services to be set out in detail in the contract notice will include:
- design management and assurance
- project integrator
- consents management and discharge
- land management
- environmental and sustainability management
- early works coordination
- utilities management and third-party agreements support
- contract management
- construction delivery
- risk and opportunity management
- testing and commissioning and
- handover into operation and asset management.
Highways England will make further information available when the tender documents are issued.
Highways England is flagging up the fact that the successful tenderer for the Integration Partner and are awarded the contract will be excluded from bidding for the Lower Thames Crossing Main Works Contracts (the Tunnels and Approaches, Roads North and A2/M2 connections packages) at Tier 1 level.
Following the release of the contract notice Highways England intends to hold an online tender briefing session on 9 July 2020.
Click here to access the Prior Information Notice
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