Newcastle - JCT consultancy agreement

The services constitute a direct continuation of the Independent Commissioning Manager (ICM) role established during Cat A, extending commissioning assurance from base build systems into Cat B fit-out systems and integrated interfaces.

The ICM's role progresses across RIBA stages as a single, continuous commissioning process, including commissionability review, commissioning planning, method statement review, witnessing, integrated systems testing (IST), and validation through to full building operation. This is not a standalone or separable service, but an extension of the existing commissioning assurance already embedded within the project.

The Cat B scope introduces additional MEP systems, tenant systems, and complex system interfaces which must be integrated with, and validated against, the established Cat A commissioning baseline developed by the incumbent ICM.

Appointment of an alternative supplier would:

• require replication and reinterpretation of the existing commissioning strategy, records, and system knowledge base;
• create risks of inconsistency and incompatibility with the established commissioning baseline and system interfaces; and
• result in disproportionate technical difficulties in ensuring continuity of commissioning assurance, integration of systems, and reliable operation and maintenance of the completed building.

A change of supplier at this stage would materially increase delivery risk, including potential delays to commissioning completion and building handover.

For these technical reasons, the services can only be reliably delivered by the incumbent supplier.