This in from the council, in their own words – Ed
The Isle of Wight Council’s search for a partner to carry out work on the Highways PFI has reached a major milestone.
The authority has now reduced from three to two the number of organisations with which it will continue to negotiate over taking on what will be the biggest engineering project ever undertaken on the Island.
Call For Final Tender stage
The two remaining companies – the Wight Highways Partnership and Vinci – will now be invited to enter the last procurement stage known as Call For Final Tender.
In June, the council will announce which of these two will be named preferred bidder. Details of this proposal will then continue to be refined before the contract to provide the PFI work is signed (Financial Close) in October in advance of work starting in April next year.
Stuart Love, director of economy and environment, said: “All three bidders have formulated imaginative, exciting and highly professional submissions as to how they would undertake the Highways PFI. It was very difficult given the extremely high standards of each bid to narrow the field down to two.
“It was evident that all the companies had a very clear understanding of the Island and what is required to undertake such a huge project here while minimising disruption to residents.
Wide scope
“We were also very impressed with the way all the bidders looked to involve Island residents, groups, organisations and businesses in their plans. The PFI is of much wider scope than just bringing the roads up to standard and the bidders have all detailed plans to maximise business and employment opportunities on the Island through the scheme.”
Under the PFI, the Island will receive £260 million (at its current value) government grant – it is not a loan that has to be paid back – to upgrade not just its road network but also its footways and cycleways, as well as its streetlight and CCTV network. The PFI also includes street cleansing and winter maintenance.
The council’s annual contribution to the PFI will be less than the amount it currently spends on providing the services to be carried out under the new arrangement.
On schedule
News that the process was moving forward to schedule and had attracted quality bids was welcomed by the Isle of Wight’s Chamber of Commerce.
Chief executive Kevin Smith said: “I am sure all those who use the Island’s highways will welcome the news that the PFI scheme, which will bring unprecedented investment to the network, is progressing to schedule. I understand that all the bids demonstrated a clear understanding of the Island and its commerce and are committed to working wherever possible with local companies. This really is a fantastic opportunity for the local economy as well as the travelling public.”
Two remaining bidders details
The two remaining bidders in detail are:
Vinci
Vinci Ringway is a provider of highway maintenance services, geared to providing a comprehensive range of integrated services, from routine and winter maintenance to manufacturing and installation of signs, production and laying of roadmarking materials and specialised surfacings.
Wight Highways Parntership
Wight Highways Partnership (WHP) is lead by Colas and is made up of Colas, Aggregate Industries, Lloyds and URS Scot Wilson. Colas, established in 1922, specialise in delivering sustainable solutions for the design, building and maintenance of the UK’s transport infrastructure.
Image: nicokaiser under a CC BY-SA 2.0 license
