Issue - meetings

The Executive considered a report on the outcome of tenders for the refurbishment of Wallfields and the options for upgrading ITC cabling and other additional items.

The Executive noted the scope of the works included in the original specification and that a number of additional items had been included within the tendering process as options that might achieve savings if carried out as part of the overall refurbishment rather than at a later date.  These items were detailed at paragraph 2.3 of the report now submitted.

The Corporate Business Scrutiny Committee, at its meeting held on 30 November 2010, had considered these items and the Director of Internal Services provided a verbal update on their comments.  He advised that the Committee had supported the upgrading of cabling to Cat 6A on the basis that an additional £15k expenditure now would likely be more economic.  The Committee expressed some concern over excluding the second lift and requested that Officers should bring forward a further business case sooner rather than later.  The Committee had accepted the deferral of the stairwells/toilets items on the basis that these would be included in the general maintenance programme.  However, these items should be looked at sooner rather than later.  Finally, the Committee had noted the deferral of the cooling/ventilation items and the exclusion of the solar heating item.

The Leader commented that the items proposed for deferral should not be “lost” and that Officers should reconsider them at the earliest opportunity.

The Executive supported the proposals as now detailed.

RECOMMENDED -  that (A) an amendment to the capital programme to provide additional funding for the Wallfields Refurbishment scheme to meet the costs of replacement data switches and cabling, to minimum standard of Category 6a at a cost of up to £104,000, be approved;

(B)      other works, as explained in paragraphs 2.15 to 2.19 of the report submitted, be deferred, subject to Officers giving further consideration to such items at the earliest opportunity;

(C)      the progress of the tender negotiations be noted and Officers be instructed to obtain the most advantageous price for the works agreed above during post tender negotiation; and

(D)      it be noted that post-tender negotiations might delay commencement of the works until January 2011, in which case completion might be deferred to August 2011.