Decision details
To approve additional expenditure of up to £40,000 (increasing total contract value to £70,000) for specialist consultancy support and to extend the existing contract with The Wye and Usk Foundation in order to progress the proposed integrated wetlan
Decision Maker: Service Director – Environment , Highways, & Waste
Decision status: Recommendations Approved
Is Key decision?: No
Is subject to call in?: No
Purpose:
The planning stages of a prospective wetland
site involve a range of technical assessments to establish the
suitability of the land being considered, as well as the optimum
position and area needed. This work includes preliminary
assessments of the site, interpretation of the results from the
surveys and site investigations commissioned separately by the
council and some preliminary design work and recommendations based
on the findings. It is essential that this work is completed before
any commitment is made to purchase land to ensure that it is
suitable and adequate for development into a functioning
wetland.
The council has previously entered into a contract with the Wye and
Usk Foundation to provide this technical support, based upon an
agreed schedule of rates. The original contract value was based on
an estimate of the number of hours of support required. As the
evaluation of sites has progressed and the ongoing survey results
have emerged, the nature of the sites and the technical constraints
associated with them has become clearer. It has therefore been
necessary to revisit the estimate to better reflect the level of
support needed in order to achieve the level of certainty at which
purchase of land can be considered.
This decision is necessary to allow progress towards acquisition of
land for wetland development to continue.
The refined work will give us a more accurate assessment of the
land we need to buy which will help project certainty and avoid
under or over committing on size of land take.
When seeking tenders for the future wetland design services, the
preliminary design work carried out can be provided to prospective
bidders as part of the tender documentation. A reduction in the
cost of those tenders would be anticipated to reflect the removal
from scope of the preliminary design work now being carried out
under this contract.
Contact: Phil Crossland, Consultant City Masterplan Email: Phil.Crossland2@herefordshire.gov.uk Tel: 01432 260786.
Publication date: 05/11/2021
Date of decision: 04/11/2021
Accompanying Documents: