The council that commissioned the disaster-prone Bath Spa project, whose cost mushroomed from £13m to £40m, has tested a new approach to procurement.

Having got its fingers burnt in the naturally-heated waters of its ambitious project to build an indulgent and therapeutic complex of indoor and outdoor pools, the council has turned to a simpler scheme – a £177,000 repair of a bandstand.

It also used its own man to project manage the job – Miles Barnes, building surveyor at Bath and North East Somerset Council.

He said: “The type of procurement was the JCT Intermediate form of contract and, unusually, the tenders were evaluated using a 50% cost quality split to ensure a high quality scheme was achieved.

The scheme on the whole was a total success and the council is likely to extend this tendering procedure to other such schemes.”

In light of the peeling paint problem that dogged the Grimshaw-designed Spa, Barnes sensibly drafted in paint experts to advise on coatings for the Victorian bandstand.

St Blaise was the contractor and Rexon Day were consulting engineers. The bandstand in Royal Victoria Park is now open for business.

Source

QS News