TfGM seeks new professionals team
TRANSPORT for Greater Manchester, the new body set up to handle transport in the city-region for Greater Manchester Combined Authority, has issued a tender for consultancy services worth up to £80m.
The organisation is looking for project managers, engineers and other professional services providers to support a variety of different projects across its transport network over the next four years via a framework agreement deal which has a value range of £35m-£80m.
The body, which has recently come into life following the creation of the new Greater Manchester Combined Authority, said that the new framework agreement has been designed to support its new Local Transport Plan, which includes the planned extensions of its Metrolink lines, new transport interchanges and the development of new transport facilities such as intelligent signage systems.
The agreement will replace the current one set up by the former Greater Manchester Integrated Transport Authority which is due to expire in April next year, but could also be extended to include other local authority passenger transport executives in South and West Yorkshire, Tyne & Wear and the West Midlands.
“These programmes require a range of specialist engineering, project management, research, analysis and survey services,” the tender document states. “The nature of these projects requires the contracting authority to be able to call-off specific specialist skills at short notice.”
The work has been subdivided into 23 different lots. Lot one, for instance, is for strategic advice relating to all of its transport systems and includes planning, design, project management and operational services. Lot two covers the area’s railway systems, lot three is specifically to build a new intelligent transport system and lot four covers professional services for operations.
Other more niche lots are form more specialist services such as renewable energy consultancy, manual transport surveys, network modelling and even commercial advice for bus operators.
A spokeswoman for Transport for Greater Manchester said the aim of the framework was to provide it with an approved list of service providers for ‘ad hoc’ pieces of work not covered by long-term, project-specific contracts.
She added that it expected to pick between two to four suppliers for each strategic lot and one or two suppliers for the more specialist work. She also added that the upper end of the £35million to £80million estimate would only be reached if other passenger transport executives also decided to use the framework.
Firms wishing top express an interest in bidding for any of the lots need to do so via e-procurement portal The Chest (www.thechest.nwce.gov.uk). Expressions of interest must be received by July 28.
