The Scottish Government’s £3bn A9 dualling programme has taken another small step forward with the announcement of the successful bidders for a £10m ancillary works framework, four years after the works were advertised.
Transport Scotland has published the contract award notice for the A9 Dualling: Advance Works Framework Agreement for ‘ancillary works in the vicinity of the A9 between Perth and Inverness, in advance of the A9 Dualling Schemes’.
The original contract notice was published in 2017. The framework covers a four-year period although a start date is not stated.
The framework is split into three lots: Lot 1 covers works up to £250,000 (excluding piling) and is valued at £3m; Lot 2 covers works between £250,000 and £2m (excluding piling) and is valued at £6m; while Lot 3 covers piling works up to £350 000 and is valued at £1m.
The contract notice states: ‘It has been concluded that this requirement would be best met through a multi-supplier framework agreement over a 4 years period, whereby works of varying size, value and complexity could be individually called-off as required.’
For each lot, the notice states: ‘It is intended that call-offs shall be on the basis of mini-competitions.’
Work packages under Lot 1 ‘may include, but are not limited to, site clearance, tree felling, property demolition, access tracks, lay-bys, hard-standings, fencing, ducting, drainage, retaining walls, ground works, utility diversions, waterway diversions, footpath/cycleways, culverts, landscaping, signage and minor road or junction construction’.
The successful contractors for Lot 1 are - Story Contracting; I & H Brown; and McGowan Environmental Engineering.
Lot 2 covers the same type of works. The successful contractors are - RJ McLeod; Wills Bros Civil Engineering; Robertson Construction Group; and Story Contracting.
Work activities under Lot 3 ‘will primarily be sheet piling works, but may be extended to other piling or ground works’. The successful contractors are John Paul Construction and Morrison Construction.