Agenda item

The Cabinet Member for Children’s Services considered a report which sought approval for the award of a contract to Cosmur Construction up to the value of £869,431.24 to undertake works to replace the sports hall roof at Park View School, including all associated works pursuant to Contract Standing Order 7.01.b and Contract Standing Order 16.02. There was also the request for approval of the issuance of a letter of intent.

RESOLVED

That the Cabinet Member for Children’s Services:

1.         Approved the award of contract to Cosmur Construction to undertake works to replace the sports hall roof at Park View School, including all associated works (replacement of the sports hall ventilation, replacement of wall cladding, replacement of all downpipes and gutters and underground drainage) as a main contractor up to the value of £790,392.04.

2.         Noted that the award value in 1.1 includes a contingency allowance of 10% that equates to £79,039.20 which will be strictly managed under change control governance arrangements. 3.1 and 3.2 offer a total award value up to £869,431.24.

3.         Approved the issuance of a letter of intent in the sum of £100,000.

Reasons for decision

A major review of the condition and suitability of the Children’s Services estate has been undertaken which has informed the Children’s Service’s asset management plan (CSAMP).  This identified condition and suitability deficiencies in the primary, secondary, and wider Children’s Service estate that need addressing in the short, medium, and long-term. 

The condition survey for Park View School identified issues relating to the condition of the Sports Hall Roof including regular water penetration during rainfall. These issues were backed up by the school providing information about the history of the water penetration and the failure of recent attempts to repair the roof.

A feasibility study provided a more detailed investigation, and it was found that the roof was at the end of its design life and as a result areas of the roof were starting to fail. It was noted that it was becoming very difficult to patch repair the roof to prevent water penetration. The investigations also identified other issues that required addressing:

·                the wall cladding was of the same type and age as the roof and would, therefore be likely to fail.

·                The ventilation system for the Sports Hall no longer worked which presented a health and safety issue as there was an inadequate supply of fresh air.

·                There was no safe access to the roof for routine maintenance.

·                The existing gutters and downpipes are no longer sized adequately to cater for the currently predicted heavy rainfall events.

·                The underground drainage associated to the removal of rainwater from the sports hall has failed in a number of locations and needs significant repairs.

It was agreed to include all of these works in the package to facilitate a successful roof replacement and to avoid future issues with water penetration and to comply with current Health and Safety regulations.

Alternative options considered

Doing nothing was considered, however since there was a significant water penetration issue and that temporary repairs were no longer effective it was felt that this option would result in structural damage to the building and the loss of educational use.

The option of leaving the existing roof and overlaying the roof with new roof coverings and insulation. However, the technical Advisor to Children’ Services was concerned that this would increase the loading on the existing structure and be difficult to design as a result of the increase of width while also not having the same longevity as the replacement option. It was noted that this option would be at a lower cost than the replacement.