Purpose

At Cabinet on the 6 September 2022 Cabinet authorised the Executive Director, People in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Children’s Services, Education and Equalities to accept, allocate and spend grant funding from the Department for Education and award the contract(s) (including any individual contracts over £500k) necessary for the implementation of the Education Capital Programme in accordance with the schedules attached to the report and the maximum budget envelopes outlined therein.

The Claremont Redevelopment project is a project within the Education Capital Programme which requires the demolition & redevelopment of the Claremont Henleaze school site, and subsequent refurbishment to the heritage Claremont House building, by September 2029. The overall Claremont programme will contribute to increasing SEND capacity in Bristol, and reducing reliance on out-of-area placements.

Decision

To approve the award of contract to Morgan Sindall, for Design, Construction & Build on the Claremont Redevelopment project.

The scope of works includes:
• Development through the RIBA 3 & RIBA 4 design phase, to achieve a finalised RIBA 4 design for the redevelopment works.
• Management of the Construction phase of the works, including; demolition & early works, neighbourhood engagement, integration of public art, achievement of BREEAM requirements.

Alternative options considered

1) Do Nothing - This option was considered and rejected.
A do-nothing approach would prevent the progression of the full redevelopment of the Claremont Henleaze school, hence undermining the wider Claremont redevelopment programme and the delivery of additional SEND places across Bristol.
Abortive development costs of approximately £1.4 million would also remain unrecovered.

2)Proceed with the appointment of Morgan Sindall, as the principal contractor, on the project. Following a competitive Tender process, this option has been evaluated as the best balance of deliverability, value for money & delivery outcomes, ensuring a level of success is achieved when moving into the next phase of the Claremont Redevelopment.