Blackburn with Darwen seeks consultant to lead on refurb schemes

The council is looking to award a three-year contract worth £500,000 to provide project, cost, and property management consultancy to bolster the delivery of eight projects.

They will support Blackburn with Darwen Council officers, advising on the delivery of a variety of construction, infrastructure, and development projects.

These include the M65 Junction 5 improvement scheme, the South East Blackburn active travel scheme, the Darwen Town Deal Programme, and the Darwen Market Hall refurbishment.

The other projects are the King George’s Hall refurbishment, the North East Blackburn strategic housing site, the Blackburn town centre skills and education campus, and the St John’s refurbishment scheme.

In a report to councillors, Simon Jones, the authority’s growth programme director, has confirmed the procurement strategy has been approved in an officer decision.

Tenders will be evaluated on a 25% price, 60% quality, and 15% social value basis to ensure a bidder of the “right blend of experience and capability” is chosen, according to the report.

Finance for the consultancy support will be drawn from capital funded projects, with several of the projects externally grant funded.