Market Engagement – Prior Information Memorandum

Published: May 2022

Contents

1. Purpose of this prior information memorandum
2. Reasons for issuing this prior information memorandum
3. Project overview
4. Location
5. Progress made to date
6. Project delivery
7. Initial procurement packages (RIBA stage 2)
8. Procurement package for the main contractor (RIBA stage 3)
9. Summary

1. Purpose of this prior information memorandum

Belfast City Council (“The Council”) is seeking to appoint contractors to provide professional services for the proposed Belfast Stories project.

• Find more information about Belfast Stories

Belfast Stories is a Belfast Region City Deal Project. Tourism led regeneration is one of the four main pillars of the Belfast Region City Deal announced in the Autumn Budget 2018. The other pillars are Innovation, Infrastructure and Employability and Skills. The deal has a commitment from the NI Executive, local government, and the private sector to create a co-investment package of around £1 billion.

The purpose of this prior information memorandum is to inform the market of the project and how the project will be delivered.

For more information on the Belfast Region City Deal, go to www.belfastcity.gov.uk/belfastregioncitydeal. Updates are posted at #BRCityDeal.

2. Reasons for issuing this prior information memorandum

The reasons for issuing this prior information memorandum are to: Generate initial supplier awareness of the opportunity for the provision of key Professional Services Contracts to deliver the project; Strengthen the market’s understanding of the project, its procurement and delivery strategy and the progress made to date; and Inform the market of approximate key project milestones.

3. Project overview

Strategies such as the Belfast City Centre Investment and Regeneration Strategy (2015), the Belfast Agenda (2017) and Make Yourself at Home (2022) recognise the need for a new visitor attraction of scale in Belfast city centre to enhance the existing offering and propel tourism in Northern Ireland.

Belfast Stories is a unique visitor destination of unprecedented scale and ambition in the heart of the city centre that will serve as a catalyst for economic, social, and cultural regeneration of the city and wider region.

By 2028, following an unparalleled programme of story collection across the city and beyond, an exciting new visitor destination currently named Belfast Stories will open. It will reflect the unique spirit of Belfast with first person accounts brought to life through a variety of media and a mix of immersive experiences. It will drive culture-led regeneration across the city, enabling international and local visitors to connect with Belfast and one another through stories, screen, and social spaces. Located on the historic site where North Street meets Royal Avenue, this £100m landmark development will create a major tourism anchor right in the city centre - an authentic experience with Belfast’s people and personality at its heart.

Belfast Stories has 3 key components:

• Belfast Stories Visitor Experience: Main visitor exhibitions 
• Belfast Screen Centre: State of the art, multiscreened cultural cinema and centre for NI screen industries including skills development space. 
• Social Spaces: To eat, drink, shop, meet, network and relax.

For more detail on the key components visit Belfast Stories

“...drive culture-led regeneration across the city, enabling international and local visitors to connect with Belfast and one another through stories, screen, and social spaces.”

4. Location

The site acquired for Belfast Stories is a 5,000sqms key city centre site on the corner of Royal Avenue and North Street on the main retail throughfare and a suitable location for maximising the regeneration potential for the city centre.

The site includes the former Bank of Ireland (occupying approx. 6 per cent of the site), built in 1928. Clad in Portland limestone with tower and clock featuring decorative metal window panels it is a Grade B+ listed building.

5. Progress made to date

Preparatory work for Belfast Stories commenced in 2016 with a concept development study and the subsequent development of a Strategic Outline Case in 2018. Since then, an interim Outline Business Case has been developed in parallel with initial architectural input (RIBA Stage 1 report, 2020) and further development of the main visitor experience concept. In 2021, Belfast City Council purchased the majority of the project site.

An appointment of KPMG was made in 2021, to advise Belfast City Council on its further development of the commercial and management cases for Belfast Stories. Advice is also being provided by KPMG in respect of procurement planning and preparation for the procurement of Professional Services Contracts for the delivery of Belfast Stories.

6. Project delivery

Belfast City Council is currently planning and preparing for the procurement of the following Professional Services Contracts for the delivery of Belfast Stories:

To promote collaboration and minimise future conflicts, the phasing and grouping of consultants, designers, contractors, and operations has been carefully considered – this includes the proposition of Early Contractor Involvement (ECI) during the design phases (RIBA Stage 3 and 4) of the project. The above packages have been mapped out against each RIBA stage and indicate the likely timing of appointments, the duration of services, and when contracts will likely end / evolve – refer Figure 2.

Figure 2 - Indicative high-level procurement / activity timeline per RIBA stage

The figure below illustrates the transition of the project team structure as progress is made through the RIBA stages.

Figure 3 - Indicative project team structures per RIBA stage

It should be noted that Belfast City Council will contract directly with all parties and the yellow arrows indicate management links. Consideration could also be given to extending the IPEDT’s role to include quality assurance of the exhibition’s construction works.

It is envisaged that Contract Notices will be published for IDT, IPEDT, and PMDAT in mid-2022 with appointments made in late 2022 or early 2023, followed by the Main Contractor appointment in 2024 and construction completion in 2028. It should be noted that these timeframes are indicative and may change as the procurement strategy develops.

• Psc Contract Notice Publications Q3 2022
• Psc Award Q4 2022 / Q1 2023
• Main Contractor Award Q4 2024
• Commence Construction Q1 2025
• Belfast Stories Opens (Operating Model active) Q3 2028

7. Initial Procurement Packages (RIBA Stage 2)

To progress the project onto RIBA Stage 2, as described above the initial phase of procurement packages will contain three Professional Services Contracts (PSC):

• Integrated Design Team (IDT)
• Interpretative Planning and Exhibition Design Team (IPEDT)
• Project Management and Design Assurance Team  (PMDAT)

Collaborative working across the various teams involved in the delivery of the project will be critical to the project’s success, and particularly important during the pre-construction phase once all parties have been procured and are required to collaborate to refine the design. Therefore, as part of the quality submission for each tender, it is anticipated that tenderers will be required to explain their proposed approach to collaborative working with adjoining parties in the project and as the project progresses between the implementation stages. Key features of each PSC package include:

Integrated Design Team (IDT)

It is envisaged that the Integrated Design Team will consist of a consortium (or joint venture) of specialists including, as a minimum, architect, civil/geotechnical engineer, structural engineer, mechanical engineer, electrical engineer, building information modelling coordinator, environmental scientist, planning consultant, and landscape designer. Services are required from RIBA Stage 1 to Stage 7, however it is planned that the IDT will be novated to the Main Contractor in Stage 3 or Stage 4. Belfast City Council will utilise Early Contractor Involvement (ECI) and have already used this approach on other schemes such as the Leisure Transformation Programme. The NEC4 PSC Main Option A contract will be awarded through a two-stage Restricted Procedure (Regulation 28) tender format where the IDT will be appointed using a Most Economically Advantageous Tender (MEAT) competition that includes an Assessment of the Design Concept competition. IDT firms shortlisted to the Design Concept competition may be paid a fixed amount (to be confirmed) as a contribution to their concept design tendering costs.

Interpretative Planning and Exhibition Design Team (IPEDT)

The interpretative planning and exhibition design including its content are an extremely important element of the project. The delivery of a compelling visitor experience is critical to the realisation of the project’s benefits. To mitigate risks the exhibition will be fully designed by the IPEDT. A Stories Collection Framework has been developed and an audit of city stories will be undertaken prior to the commencement of this contract. It is therefore anticipated that the IPEDT will build on the work already completed. It is envisaged that the Interpretative Planning and Exhibition Design Team will consist of a team of specialists including, as a minimum, Belfast Stories interpretative planners and lead exhibition designers, curatorial specialists, film auditoria designers, specialist lighting and sound designers, specialist display structural designers, specialist display mechanical and electrical designers, and building information modelling (BIM) consultant. i.e. all of the skills required to develop a dynamic interpretative plan that will form the basis for a compelling visitor experience and exhibition. Services will be required from RIBA Stage 1 through to Stage 7.

The NEC4 PSC Main Option A contract will be awarded through a two-staged Open Procedure (Regulation 27) tender format where the IPEDT will be appointed using a MEAT competition.

Project Management and Design Assurance Team  (PMDAT)

Scope of services required from RIBA Stage 1 through to Stage 7 is likely to include, but not be limited to:

• Contract management and administration,
• General supervision,
• Onsite quality control,
• Cost planning,
• Design assurance, and
• Business Planning.

It is envisaged that the Project Management and Design Assurance Team will consist of a team of professionals including, as a minimum, accredited NEC project managers, NEC supervision including clerk of works, design assurance professionals i.e. architects, mechanical and electrical engineers, civil and structural engineers, landscape architects etc, including also but not limited to, quantity surveyors and risk and scheduling managers. The PMDAT will be required to complete the Outline and Full Business Case.

The Project Management team will be procured to primarily manage the Main Construction Contractor; however, as the design team is being novated, the Project Management team will also include a design assurance team that will review and challenge the detailed design as an ongoing activity and ensure the integration of the IDT and IPEDT element.

The NEC4 PSC Main Option A contract will be awarded through a two-staged Open Procedure (Regulation 27) tender format where the PMDAT will be appointed using a MEAT competition.

8. Procurement Package for the Main Contractor (RIBA Stage 3)

The Main Contractor will be procured using a two stage Restricted Procedure (Regulation 27) early contractor involvement approach. The contract will also include a soft landings provision to ensure a smooth transition between construction and operation.

The form of contract is proposed to be NEC4 ECC Main Option C – Target Contract with Activity Schedule with inclusion of secondary option X22 to facilitate Early Contractor Involvement (ECI) and with a Guaranteed Maximum Price (GMP) to achieve a key project objective of cost certainty, whilst still allowing for a level of risk sharing. As previously discussed, the IDT will be novated to the Main Contractor during RIBA stage 4 to complete the technical design.

To ensure a single point of contact for the construction of the venue and therefore eliminate risks associated with integrating two separate contractors, the main works and fit out works may be integrated into one contract. To mitigate risks to the exhibition design, the exhibition will be a fully designed by the IPEDT.

9. Summary

The below table summarises the procurement packages for Belfast Stories. This includes the target dates for Contract Notice publications and contract awards, and the anticipated procurement procedures, forms of contract, contract pricing options and summary description of the specification.

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