Background

From the initial community engagement in 2017 the intervening 7 years has seen the project evolve from an ambitious £11m civic regeneration project to a more agile and pragmatic one close to half that cost.

An outcome of the Scottish Government’s Community Empowerment Act and subsequent Community Asset Transfer process, Dalbeattie Community Initiative, a social enterprise charity, instigated community engagement consultations that resulted in a bid to regenerate the redundant 1876 education act former primary school.

With a primary aim of sustainable growth of Dalbeattie’s economy with job and career creation, the concept of an extension to Colliston Park with its existing tennis and football facilities builds on one of the Initiative’s more modest projects, the outdoor gymnasium, to create a public Park fit for the 21C.

Extending the public park all the way from the High Street up to Dalbeattie Wood, the former school is perfectly positioned to be a natural threshold between town and natural landscape for our community.

By selective demolition of a 1970’s annex, two 1960’s flat-roofed sections, and careful removal of a portion of the boundary wall a new cross-generational public thoroughfare will be opened-up where previously it has been private to the school.

The inclusion of a floodlit competition standard Pump track and beginners’ track Design and Build contract by a specialized supplier, access and inclusion for everyone will enhance the technical 7stanes outdoor trails and provide less intimidating preparation for all ages new to the idea.

With Forestry & Land Scotland discussing significant investment on the woodland trails and 7stanes facilities this unique combination of track and trail poised with one foot in town and the other in the natural landscape will attract families and groups due to the variety of facilities on offer.

The robust Business Plan facilities consist of accommodation, in the form of unique quality bunk style family or group rooms, arranged around a social space and designed uniquely for active tourism provision.

This programme is provided in three distinct granite-constructed Listed C (s) buildings, one providing accommodation which is served by the main building which has a compact commercial kitchen supplying meals to a refectory for 50/60, a café with indoor and outdoor seating of approximately 60, enabling viewing of the indoor bouldering space (another Design and Build contract by specialized supplier), staff and administration rooms, with a toilet zone accessible from the outside. 

A third building has three flexible and adaptable community business incubator and meeting/teaching spaces each have capacity for 20 people at any time and these are arranged around a central exhibition space.

In all instances we have tried to minimize the structural interventions to keep costs down and serendipitously each of the buildings naturally lend themselves to the uses proposed in the community engagement surveys. However, all three buildings require retrofitting of current Building Standards for environmental, technical and sustainability reasons for the change of use that is proposed.

The site is easily accessible and has ample space for sitework and compounds. There is even a large building potentially available for secure materials and tool storage and workforce welfare if required.

Following extensive ground and building condition surveys, including an intrusive asbestos survey, the project is about to receive Planning Approval, Community Asset Transfer is imminent, and Building Warrant has been submitted. We are currently preparing Tender documents and have a very healthy pool of interested Main Contractors lined up to Price for the work which is programmed to start in September 2024 and run for 12 months on site. 

The Capital Works have been funded by the UK Government’s Levelling Up Fund administered and supported by Dumfries & Galloway Council regeneration funding.

Dalbeattie Community Initiative is keen to speak to Main Contractors who have experience of working on the type of regeneration project, who understand how our volunteer social enterprise operates and empathises with its aims while considering the limits of a finite public funding model with respect.

The selection of potential Main Contractors for inclusion on the Tender list is a Two Stage Process.

STAGE 1  - Closed

All responses must be returned by 10am on Monday May 27th 2024 to Michelle McRobert, CEO of Dalbeattie Community Initiative at info71.dci@gmail.com answering the following questions:

A: Demonstrate evidence of contracting one specific relevant recent project in the value of £2.5-£5m range and provide reference contact details. 1 side of an A4 sheet max. 

B: Demonstrate evidence of contracting one Listed Building/Conservation type Refurbishment and provide reference contact details. 1 side of an A4 sheet max.

C: DCI will follow up references with a series of set questions on: Working relationship and communication, budget monitoring, contractual administration, engagement with local sub-contractors and supply chains where known.

To be transparent in our scoring DCI has prepared an objective scoring rubric to allow each question to be attributed a score as follows:

Excellent (10 points) an exemplary range of evidence comprehensively and concisely relevant to the RAW project.

Good (8 points) a good range of evidence appropriately relevant to the RAW project.

Satisfactory (4 points) an acceptable range of evidence broadly relevant to the RAW project.

Weak (0 points) an unsatisfactory range of evidence relevant to the RAW project.

All interested parties will be informed if they are progressing to Stage 2 by 7th June, 2024

Stage 2 - For Information Only

Following the outcome of the above Stage 1 selected Main Contractors will be issued with JCT Contract Bills of Quantities, Drawings and NBS specification along with Quality Assessment by e-mail on the 7th June 2024.

The Tender Price to be returned to the Design Team Quantity Surveyor Michael Thomson at McGowan Miller MichaelT@mcgowanmiller.co.uk by midday on 5th July 2024.

A scoring weighting of 75% will be attributed to the Tender Price and a 25% weighting will be given to the following Assessment answers:

Question 1: Contract Experience (40% weighting):

A: Demonstrate evidence of contracting relevant recent projects in the value of £2.5-£5m range and provide references contact details. Up to 5x A4 sheets both sides. 

B: Demonstrate evidence of contracting Listed Building/Conservation type Refurbishments and provide references contact details. Up to 5x A4 sheets both sides.

Question 2: Client (10% weighting):

A: Provide evidence of experience working with social enterprise community clients.

B: Demonstrate how your management protocols can address finite public   funding for Capital Works and DCI charitable status structure.

C: Provide evidence that you are a practicing Living Wage employer and that you have a Fair Work framework in place.

Question 3: Programme (15% weighting):

A: Provide a detailed Works Programme for delivery of the works as set out in the Tender Documents.

B:  Demonstrate on the Works programme adequate time for low level asbestos removal, demolition, bat mitigation plan, roof condition surveys, lead-in and delivery times, requirement for design input, client deliberation, contractor design portions approvals. 

C: Demonstrate that other ongoing contract commitments will not detrimentally affect programme.

Question 4: Management of Site works (25% weighting):

A: Provide a detailed statement setting out proposals for management of the capital site works related to access, proximity of domestic neighbours, and commercial enterprises like the adjacent camp/caravan site, traffic and pedestrian management proposals including site operative vehicles and construction traffic, procedures for delivery, offloading and storage of materials, location of site compound.

B: Provide details of 24hour site security measures.

C: Comment on the offer of the ex-Theatre building as potential operational welfare accommodation and secure materials/equipment storage in exchange for a re-roofing in lieu of imported cabins to reduce preliminaries. 

D: Provide a strategy for employing local sub-contractors, supply chains and community benefits where feasible.

Question 5: Risk & Mitigation (10% weighting):

A: Provide a statement detailing the perceived risks that could affect the delivery of this project, on programme, and for the finite budget. For each risk identified please also provide a proposed mitigation strategy that would ensure the risk is eliminated or minimised heeding Health & Safety matters. 

To be transparent in our scoring DCI has prepared an objective scoring rubric to allow each question to be attributed a score as follows:

Excellent (10 points) an exemplary range of evidence comprehensively and concisely relevant to the RAW project.

Good (8 points) a good range of evidence appropriately relevant to the RAW project.

Satisfactory (4 points) an acceptable range of evidence broadly relevant to the RAW project.

Weak (0 points) an unsatisfactory range of evidence relevant to the RAW project.

The Design Team and DCI will carry out due diligence checks regarding availability, capacity, liquidity (credit check), insurance cover, claims history, key staff, reference factual checks, Health and Safety incident records or inspection notices.

Depending on Tender Report and Quality Scoring it may be necessary to distinguish between the Tenders with an interview for the closest three contractors. A Panel will be made up of Architect, QS and DCI representatives.

Contractor mobilisation 2nd September 2024

Site Start 16th September 2024 concluding 52 weeks later on 12th September 2025.

Any queries please contact: David McMillan, RAW Project Manager, Dalbeattie Community Initiative, 07796 891510, david71.dci@gmail.com