Lower Thames Crossing - Integration Partner

The Lower Thames Crossing project involves three main works packages, and therefore comprises a set of contract interfaces materially higher than other Highways England projects. We require a significant integration role to successfully deliver the project and to manage a complex supply chain.

Highways England has procured an Integration Partner to support us in managing contract interfaces. The Integration Partner will provide a broad range of project and programme management services to support our project and contract leadership teams, establishing and running the day to day management processes. As a member of an Integrated Client Team the Integration Partner will provide high quality data analysis and experience-based decision making.

There will be a core eight-year period during which work can be instructed, with a subsequent optional extension period of 1 year +1 year instructed during the core period, which may include providing support to Highways England operations directorate during initial operation of the Lower Thames Crossing.

The Cost Estimate of £162.5M is the expected value of the contract and includes the following:

1. Systems and Processes, Phase Specific Services, Core Services, and Mobilisation Phase
2. Optional services which may be instructed by Highways England during the Contract.
3. Optional contract extension (1+1) which Highways England may instruct to support the initial operation of Lower Thames Crossing
4. Inflation Provision on 1-3 above.

The Contract is based on an amended NEC4 Professional Services Contract (January 2019), and the services under the contract will be instructed in six phases, a mobilisation phase and five delivery phases. During the mobilisation phase, project information systems will be provided by the consultant, and service plans developed and approved for the five delivery phases.

The main Integration Partner activities include those categorised below:

Systems and processes: These are the systems and processes that will underpin the project delivery and are made up of Highways England mandated systems and Integration Partner specific systems which when combined and configured will create a Project Information System along with hardware and network connectivity requirements.

Core Services: These are services that will be required for the length of the contract term and will apply to all five delivery phases. Examples of these include:

• health, safety, security and wellbeing
• communications and stakeholder management
• project management office including integrated project controls
• legacy and benefits management
• people and organisational management
• quality management

Phase Specific Services: These are services that will be subject to change through each of the five delivery phases, such as:

• design management and assurance,
• project integrator,
• consents management and discharge,
• land management,
• environmental and sustainability management,
• early works coordination,
• utilities management and third-party agreements support,
• contract management,
• construction delivery,
• risk and opportunity management,
• testing and commissioning and
• handover into operation and asset management

Optional Services comprise of:

• leadership secondments
• occupational health facilities
• Ebbsfleet office fit out
• staff relocation
• Ebbsfleet office facilities management
• site vehicles