Decision ref
0009 2025/26
Decision date
11/06/2025
Portfolio
Regeneration
Wards
Town Centre
Title
The Gamble Building Creative & Learning Hub – Additional Survey Work
Summary
This proposal supports the recent approval of £220,000 as set out within the Medium-Term Financial Settlement (MTFS).
The budget was requested for additional survey work that will support RIBA Stage 3 activity.
This decision seeks approval to appoint AtkinsRealis (and their appointed sub-consultants) to undertake this work.
Within the £220,000 there is £6,049 risk allowance. in case any of the expenditure items listed below raise in value.
Purpose
The purpose of this report is to request approval for the commissioning c£220,000 of additional survey works to AtkinsRealis that will contribute to the overall design work as part of RIBA Stage 3 for the Gamble building project.
As the project has progressed through RIBA Stage 2, a requirement for additional upfront survey work that were not in the original scope of services and subsequent tender response.
These surveys will inform future design works and help achieve an increase in cost certainty as the seven stages of the RIBA plan of work progress.
Background
The January 2023 Cabinet approved a budget of £532,519.60 to appoint AtkinsRealis (formerly Faithful & Gould) and a wider multi-disciplinary team to undertake RIBA design stages 2 and 3 for the Gamble Building Creative & Learning Hub. This approval was based upon an open tender exercise from which Faithful & Gould were deemed to have the strongest, highest scoring proposal when reviewed against our tender brief / scope of services.
RIBA design stage 2 was successfully completed between the months of May and October 2024 and this has been presented to senior Council Officers, stakeholders and relevant Cabinet Members. Approval has recently been given to proceed to RIBA design stage 3, which has now commenced
However, upon completion of RIBA design stage 2, it was raised by AtkinsRealis that a number of additional surveys had been identified that were not included in the original tender brief and subsequent tender response. AtkinsRealis advised that these additional surveys would enhance the RIBA Stage 3 design works. It is important to note that these additional works have only been identified as the Council and AtkinsRealis have developed their RIBA Stage 2 design works. There was an acceptance upon entering into contract with AtkinsRealis, that new work strands may become apparent as design work is undertaken.
These additional works are;
Additional RIBA2 Work
PSDS Funding Support
Ecospheric Fees £4,000.00
AtkinsRéalis Cost Manager (1 day) £812.98
CWC M&E Engineer (1.5 days) £1,146.18
Modular Building Study
Caulmert (1 day) £881.68
AtkinsRéalis Project Manager (2 days) £1,351.14
Surveys Instructed
Building Condition Survey (including roof drone) £10,150.00
Ground investigation survey £44,199.79
Additional measured building survey £5,440.00
Topographical & utilities survey £6,234.15
UXO £1,408.91
Caulmert £11,895.09
Thermal Modelling & Archive Sensitivity £7,053.44
Project Management £1,791.98
Design Team (provisional sum) £5,008.41
RIBA 3 Additional Work
Building Safety Act Principal Designer Services £29,542.15
Caulmert – additional fee for archive compliance £3,732.83
Archive fire risk assessment - OFR £20,820.78
M&E for archive compliant design £10,006.34
Acoustician - AtkinsRéalis £12,361.42
Acoustic surveys £7,497.88
Sustainability Consultant £8,333.11
AtkinsRéalis project management £4,198.07
RIBA Stage 3 Uplift
Project Management £30,000.00
Cost Management £35,000.00
CDM Principal Designer £4,932.18
Architect £174,136.98
Structural Engineer £27,472.27
M&E Engineer £28,628.24
Access Consultant £5,797.44
Fire Consultant £14,164.93
Sustainability Consultant £4,700.23
Total £522,698.60
Less Original RIBA3 Approval -£308,748.00
Less February 25 Cabinet Approval -£220,000.00
Contingency £6,049.40
Conclusion
It is recommended that the Council approves the request to appoint AtkinsRealis to deliver the requisite additional surveys to enhance the planned activity as part of the RIBA Design Stage 3 works for the Gamble Building Creative & Learning Hub.
Risk Implications
The main risk is that if the requisite additional survey work are not completed early in the design process, this could be detrimental to the wider design process. More robust ‘up-front’ survey work will further inform the project as the design cycle progresses, particularly with regards to capital costs and on-going revenue costs. The survey work will also provide more certainty to the delivery programme.
There is a negligible risk that the requested budget will be insufficient to cover the additional fees as some of the values set out below are estimates / assumptions. However, AtkinsRealis have provided assurance that this funding is sufficient and have been robustly challenged to deliver these additional survey works within this budget. In the table featured above, it is noted that there is a £6,049 of unallocated funding which can be used as a contingency / risk allowance.
Measures to Redress Risk
The appointment of AtkinsRealis is designed to reduce wider risk to the project itself, especially the delivery stage and is therefore a positive action.
There is a danger that some further survey works will be required which are currently out of the current scope although we believe this is minimal. We will continue our regular engagement / management of AtkinsRealis to ensure that current works remain within budgetary envelope.
Declarations Of Interest
None
Equality Impact Assessment
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More information
Please contact Stephen Higham on 01744676789
