Decision details

To award the contract for Project Management Support of the Worthing Heat Network Project as a direct award to GB Partnerships via the Crown Commercial Services Management Consultancy Services Framework Three (Lot 1).

The Contract amount is £125,100, to be funded from the £950,000 HNIP grant discussed at JSC on 5/10/2021.

To provide additional skilled project management expertise to enable the council to continue in its delivery of the Worthing Heat Network. The appointed project managers will oversee the whole project, working on behalf of WBC. This will include overseeing the other supporting consultants, liaising with offtakers and Southern Water, and creating, publishing and evaluating responses to the suite of procurement documents

GB Partnerships, via the West Sussex Estates Partnership, have been project managers since the inception of the Worthing Heat Network project and their continued involvement, as well as their involvement in the WICC, has been integral to the success of the project to date.

The Worthing Heat Network is on a very tight delivery time frame due to the conditions set by the funding agreements offered to WBC by BEIS. As such, a full procurement exercise or mini-competition, would result in unacceptable delays to the project. The proposed solution offers the council an effective way to ensure momentum in this flagship decarbonisation project is continued.