Purpose

The Walpole Bay Beach
Facilities project forms part of the wider Thanet Regeneration
Programme, externally funded by Central Government and aims to
deliver essential public amenities at Walpole Bay, including a
small cafe and toilets, providing space for commercial and
community activities that connect our residents and visitors to the
coastline.
 
While Cabinet previously
approved a procurement route using the Dynamic Purchasing System
framework in July 2024, the project’s evolution in scale and
scope has necessitated a review of the procurement strategy and
route to market.
 
Following feedback from local
contractors the council will move to an Open Tender process via the
Kent Business Portal, where any interested supplier can submit a
bid.

Decision

Cabinet is being asked to agree
the following recommendations:
 
1. 
To authorise the change in procurement route for
Thanet Regeneration Programme project, the Walpole Beach Facilities
(formerly Pavilion) works contract. This involves changing from the
planned procurement route, which was to use the London Construction
Programme Dynamic Purchasing System, to an Open Tender process via
the Kent Business Portal.

Reasons for the decision

The project has changed in
scale and scope and this, alongside changes to freedoms and
flexibilities under the new Local Regeneration Programme, and
feedback from local contractors has meant that the procurement
strategy for this project has been revisited to consider project
risks and opportunities at this time.
 
Having trialled the London
Construction Programme Dynamic Purchasing System (DPS), the council
no longer considers the previously proposed procurement route to be
the most appropriate for this scheme and is therefore seeking
approval to move from using the London Construction Programme, DPS
to an Open Tender process via the Kent Business Portal.
 
An Open Tender process,
governed by Contract Standing Orders (CSOs), is a transparent, and
competitive procurement method where any interested supplier can
submit a bid.
 
For the reasons set out above
the council no longer considers the London Construction Programme,
Dynamic Purchasing System to be the most appropriate procurement
route for this scheme. The appropriateness of making this change
had been fully discussed and agreed with the council’s
Procurement team and in consultation with Legal
Services.

Alternative options considered

The project team could continue
with the project on the basis of the planned procurement route,
however, engagement with the market and project scale and scope
deemed an open tender more appropriate, therefore this option is
not recommended.