黑洞社区

A raft of big name consultants including Arcadis and Turner & Townsend are vying for a key role on a 拢500m programme to redevelop several buildings in Whitehall, London, 黑洞社区 has learned.

The two firms 鈥� alongside a Mace and Aecom joint venture and Lendlease with subconsultant Sweett 鈥� are among those on the shortlist for the programme, project and cost management role on the revamp of a collection of buildings north of the Palace of Westminster.

The works, known as the Northern Estates Programme (NEP), are the first part of a mammoth multibillion-pound upgrade of the entire parliamentary estate, which will ultimately include the restoration of the Palace of Westminster itself, which could cost up to 拢6bn.

The Northern Estates buildings up for refurbishment 鈥� including Norman Shaw North, Norman Shaw South, 1 Derby Gate and 1 Parliament Street 鈥� were built between 1864 and 1906, are all listed, and are home to offices for nearly 1,000 MPs and staff.

The buildings include around 30,000m2 of space, of which at least 15,300m2 requires refurbishment.

The refurbishment works will include improving office space, fire safety, environmental performance, disability access and heating, ventilation and plumbing, as well as potentially providing temporary office space to accommodate displaced MPs and their staff.

The House of Commons says the works could begin as early as 2018 and will last around three years, costing between 拢286m and 拢511m.

But the procurement timetable for the consultant team is already behind, with the invitation to tender two months overdue, potentially putting the rest of the programme鈥檚 timetable in jeopardy.

The NEP is also separately procuring engineering services and architectural and design services, with the contracts worth up to 拢25m each.

Meanwhile, the Parliamentary Estate Directorate is also procuring three frameworks for 鈥渂usiness as usual鈥� works across the entire parliamentary estate.

The three four-year frameworks include a 拢17m project management and cost management services framework, a 拢44m design services framework and a 拢7m building surveying services framework. It is expected that four consultants will be appointed to each of these.