Bank Station is one of the UK’s key transport hubs and the upgrade of the working Underground Station is complex for many reasons.
From the start, this project was also different because London Underground introduced an innovative procurement method which linked contract rewards to end user benefits.
The result has been extremely positive for TClarke, leading to earlier engagement and the opportunity to make practical design improvements that benefit both the construction programme and lifelong maintenance.
London Underground’s Innovative Contractor Engagement (ICE) procurement model was recognised as pioneering, as The New Civil Engineer reported when it was introduced:
‘Using the ICE model, LU assesses bids on the added value of their proposal, rather than on lowest cost. Bidders are also rewarded for ideas presented at tender stage, even if their bid is unsuccessful.
‘The ICE method was first used on the complex Bank Station Upgrade contract, which was awarded to Spanish contractor Dragados. Its solution, which centred around use of travellators to cut journey times through the station, boosted the scheme’s benefit-to-cost ratio from 2.4:1 to 3.5:1. It also cut the estimated final cost by almost 10% to £564M.’
Rob Aves, TClarke Transport’s Director has a 15 strong design team onsite and works closely with partners Dragados to design and deliver the electrical installation:
‘This really is a great project to be involved in – particularly as it is pioneering the ICE model. And right now, signs are that ICE is doing everything we all hoped it would do – unlocking new levels of value through innovation and deep collaboration. For us as a Tier 2 contractor there are so many new opportunities – to be involved directly with the client, to take the client’s concept design and then draw on all our capabilities and expertise to deliver real value.
‘By getting TClarke to do the design, you are going to get designs that electricians like – designs that are the safest and easiest to install, designs that don’t need rethinking to implement.
These are design that are practicable, economical and thought through from every practical perspective – not just in regards installation but also for long term maintenance. And effectively we are able to combine the RIBA ‘detailed design’ and ‘design co-ordination’ (stages F1 & F2) in a single stage.
‘To have this opportunity means a great deal to TClarke because, it is helping to move us up the value chain and not only show more value to our client and contractor partners – but to earn more value in return for our contribution.’