The provision of Crane Controllers

Direct Award under the Procurement Act 2023 - Urgency Ground

The justification for the awarding this proposed contract to AJ Safety Services without competition is in accordance with the Procurement Act 2023, Section 41, Schedule 5, Paragraphs 35 which states:

This justification is where the public contract cannot be awarded on the basis of a competitive tendering procedure because the goods, services or works are strictly necessary for reasons of extreme and unavoidable urgency. The urgency is unavoidable if it is not attributable to any act or omission of the contracting authority, and could not have been foreseen by the contracting authority.

This contract shall be awarded without competition in accordance with the direct award provisions for urgency, where:

• The Authority has identified urgent operational and safety risks requiring immediate rectification.
• The circumstances were unforeseeable and not attributable to the Authority.
• The timescales required to run a competitive procurement would result in significant operational disruption and safety risk.

The decision to directly award the contract is based on the following urgency grounds:

• The crane controllers are essential to construction operations, and downtime presents serious financial and operational consequences.
• Continuing to operate without replacement introduces unacceptable safety risks.
• There is insufficient time to conduct a competitive procurement procedure without causing:

o Extended shutdown of operations

o Health & safety risks to personnel

o Potential contractual or regulatory breaches