Cheshire East CouncilCheshire East Council

Case Study
Cheshire East Council

Construction Related Consultancy Services Framework - Lot 7 CDM Client Advisor Services

Lucion Services was appointed 1st place on the consultancy related consultancy services framework under Lot 7 in March 2015 and was re-awarded a place on the framework following another competitive tender in 2018 for another 3 years.

As CDM advisor, our role is to support the Council in meeting their legal obligations and that the Principal Designers and Principal Contractors are managing the pre-construction design and construction phases correctly. We ensure compliance with the CDM regulations throughout the RIBA work stages 0-7 attending team meetings to ensure design risk management is carried out, gathering pre-construction information to support project feasibility studies, outline proposals, operations on-site and completion, and handover.

60+

schemes delivered to date

£40m

scheme value

£230k

of services delivered

Challenges

The introduction of the updated CDM regulations in April 2015 coincided with the commencement of the framework and this could have led to significant problems with the delivery of project schemes as the specifications for the construction framework lots were based on the previous CDM 2009 regulation requirements.

To mitigate against any potential confusion and to ensure all stakeholders were working to the same requirements we worked with the Council’s Framework Manager to address the changes as soon as the framework was awarded.

The Solution

We revised the framework schedule of services to comply with the new regulations and the guidelines and supported the Council in producing a variation to the framework contract for all suppliers to sign to confirm that they understood the revised roles and obligations under CDM 2015. To ensure that the changes in regulations and their impacts on suppliers was fully understood we delivered a CDM workshop to encourage clarity and a coherent approach to project management and delivery of services from the outset.

To date we have completed over 50 projects of varying size and complexity and are currently involved in 10 live projects where services are provided on an on-going basis. Projects are delivered both traditional and design & build contracts, depending upon the size, value, scale and risk profile associated with delivering the scheme. Total build cost of all completed projects we have been involved in to date is circa £40m.

One of the major workstreams has been the construction and regeneration of a number of primary schools, where school halls, offices and classrooms have been built to improve the school’s facilities. We have been consistently involved in supporting major refurbishment works at Tatton Park since 2015, providing specialist advice on CDM regulatory requirements for various demolition and design and build projects across the estate.

Lucion have been on our consultants’ frameworks since 2015 and continue to be a valued supply chain member. They embraced the collaborative ethos of the framework, contributed to the Framework Management Group, and were invaluable in advising on revised processes during the transition to the CDM Regulations 2015.