Agenda item

Peter Osborne (Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport), and Victoria Soames (Senior Project Manager) were in attendance for the item.

1. The Cabinet Member introduced the report:

a)    Explained that the current Independent Cost Consultancy contract used by the Major Capital Programme Team would expire in March 2027. The report sought approval to procure a new Specialist Highway Support Services Framework to provide independent cost consultancy, specialist utility support and programme review services to support the delivery of highway and transportation projects across Kent.

b)    Members were advised that independent cost consultancy services had been utilised by Kent County Council for more than fifteen years and provided an important independent assessment of project costs, programme delivery and financial assurance. Officers explained that the independence of these services from the design function offered additional confidence in project budgets and business cases.

c)      The Committee heard that the proposed framework would be structured into three lots: Lot 1 – Independent Cost Consultancy, Lot 2 – Specialist Utility Support; and Lot 3 – Programme Review Support.

d)    Members were informed that the framework would provide access to specialist expertise on a call-off basis and would support improved cost certainty, programme assurance, governance and risk management across the Council’s highways and transportation capital programme. The framework was worth (maximum value) £4 million over the contractual period with an option for an additional year and would replace the current arrangements when they expired in March 2027

2.Members raised the following points:

a)    A Member queried whether the framework presented an opportunity to employ specialist quantity surveyor expertise directly within the authority rather than commissioning external consultants. Officers advised that demand for the service fluctuated considerably and that retaining sufficient specialist expertise in-house would be difficult. It was explained that the framework provided flexibility and access to specialist skills only when required.

b)    Members sought clarification regarding how the authority would measure whether the framework delivered value for money and achieved the objectives outlined within the report. Officers explained that the procurement process itself would ensure that suppliers were competitively assessed against quality and price criteria. In addition, individual call-off commissions would contain clear statements of work, performance expectations and monitoring arrangements to ensure that the required outputs were delivered.

c)      Questions were raised regarding whether savings generated by the use of specialist support services could be quantified. Officers advised that the primary purpose of the framework was to provide independent assurance, strengthen project governance, improve cost certainty and reduce financial risk. While direct savings could not always be easily quantified, Members were informed that the services provided assurance that projects represented value for money and that cost estimates and commercial decisions had been independently scrutinised.

d)    Members discussed the balance between externally commissioned expertise and the use of in-house resources. Officers advised that the specialist nature of the services, together with the requirement for independence and the variability of workload, meant that an external framework arrangement remained the preferred and most practical solution.

e)    The Committee recognised the importance of maintaining independent technical and commercial assurance across major infrastructure projects andsupported the proposed framework as a mechanism for providing specialist expertise, strengthening programme delivery and reducing project risk.

RESOLVED to endorse the proposed decision, namely:

APPROVE the procurement and AWARD of a Specialist Highway Support Services Framework to provide independent cost consultancy, specialist utility support and programme review services to support the delivery of highway and transportation schemes across Kent.

DELEGATE authority to the Corporate Director of Growth, Environment and Transport, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport, to take relevant actions necessary to implement the decision, including but not limited to undertaking the procurement process, awarding the framework agreements, finalising the terms of, and entering into the relevant contracts and any associated legal agreements

DELEGATE authority to the Corporate Director of Growth, Environment and Transport, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport, to exercise any extension option(s) provided for within the framework agreement