黑洞社区

Consultants that bid for the scrapped 拢750m government framework have said they are exasperated鈥� that the competition will be run again and are considering legal action to recoup their costs.

Earlier today public sector procurement service UK SBS has announced it will cancel the long-delayed 拢750m consultants framework just weeks after Turner & Townsend (T&T) agreed to halt its legal challenge against it.

The troubled Project Management and Full Design Team Services framework had originally been due to go live in June 2013 but has been dogged by delays and was eventually awarded in June this year.

However, shortly after the winners of the framework were announced Turner & Townsend (T&T) launched a legal challenging alleging that 鈥減rice manipulation鈥� had taken place by some of the bidders.

The case was 鈥渟tayed鈥� last month but today UK SBS said that following consultation with the Crown Commercial Service, part of the Cabinet Office, it had decided that the 鈥渁ppropriate course鈥� of action was to 鈥渘ot proceed鈥� with the framework.

Speaking to 黑洞社区 Ann Bentley, chair of consultant Rider Levett Bucknall, which missed out on a place on the framework said the decision to scrap it was 鈥渢he right decision鈥� but that she 鈥渇elt sore鈥� about the whole process.

She added: 鈥淭he bidding costs are an enormous amount of money for the sector to write off.

鈥淪ome of this [procurement] was just poor, really poor. Someone ought to be held accountable for that. Someone needs to give an explanation and say that they are really sorry.

鈥淭he whole construction sector invested around 拢5m into this to no effect.鈥�

She said RLB鈥檚 bid costs were around 拢100,000 and that the firm would consider taking action to recoup some of that cost. However, she added that doing so would tie up further resources.

Another consultant that missed out on the framework, who wanted to remain anonymous, told 黑洞社区: 鈥淚 can鈥檛 believe it. What an unbelievable waste of money.鈥�

One of the consultants that won a place on the framework, who did not wish to be named, said they were 鈥渆xasperated鈥� that the competition would have to be run again.

They added that they were 鈥渘ot optimistic鈥� that there would be progress before the general election in May 2015 and they didn鈥檛 expect any awards of the framework until this time next year.

In its statement announcing that the framework had been scrapped this morning UK SBS said: 鈥淲e recognise the significant time and effort put in by all suppliers participating in the competition for PMFDTS.

鈥淲e believe that this decision provides the best way forward for ensuring that we are able to obtain the very best value for customers and taxpayers.鈥�

It said the decision was taken, in part, because the Crown Commercial Service had decided to establish a 鈥満诙瓷缜鴖鈥� category that would 鈥渙ffer a centralised commercial and procurement service for public sector construction projects鈥�.

It said feedback from suppliers on the 鈥渄esign of the agreement鈥� was also a factor.