What geological studies and surveys were conducted by the Welsh Government in order to inform and support the formation of the tendering specification for the A465 Heads of the Valleys road improvement scheme?
The Welsh Government undertook an extensive Ground Investigation prior to tender, the details of which were supplied with the tender documents. Costain were provided with the opportunity to undertake additional Ground Investigations during the design development stage to supplement the information provided to understand the nature of the ground conditions on site. They undertook further investigations within the first 6 months of their appointment and nothing further until they started construction in early 2015.
The original tender documents were based on the conceptual design prepared by engineering consultant Jacobs (then Babtie) which was taken through a Public Inquiry in 1998 and on which the original Line Order was made.
The documents were prepared in 2011 drawing in expertise from our commercial advisers Arcadis (then E C Harris) and technical advisers Jacobs.
The tender documents were based on the industry best practice Early Contractor Involvement (ECI) form of contract where the contractor is appointed early in the development process to plan, design and then build the scheme.
Costain were appointed in mid 2011 under the ECI design and build contract to bring their technical, planning and buildability expertise to the project. Their team includes consultants Atkins, CH2M and RPS to undertake engineering and environmental design. They were responsible for investigating the site, developing traffic management and geotechnical design proposals and the suite of documents to build the scheme. Details of the construction impacts were identified in the Environmental Statement and Construction proof of evidence presented at the Public Inquiry.
The tender submissions from 2011 for the unsuccessful tenderers are not available as they have been destroyed in line with our procurement policies. However I can confirm that they were all based around the 1999 Line Order scheme that was taken through the Public Inquiry in 1998.
The other documents you have requested are a matter of public record and available on request. I have asked my officials to forward you copies once they have been acquired from archives.
The increased expenditure will be spread over 3 financial years between now and the end of construction. The additional expenditure for 2017 has been managed within existing allocations. Future Year budget profiles will reflect the remaining increase so that the impact can be considered as part of the ongoing delivery of the National Transport Finance Plan.