At the end of December 2019, Cheshire Fire Authority wrote to SBS to confirm that its mini competition bid for the ‘Fire House Refurbishment Programme’ had been successful.
Worth approximately £1 million over two and a half years, the scheme was procured via the Fusion 21 Construction Works Framework.
Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service owns 49 residential houses at five locations across the county. The properties, most of which are occupied, vary considerably in condition and require a significant amount of work in order to bring them up to the required standards. This scheme will address the priority improvements in three phases, running until August 2022.
There may be scope for additional packages of work to be awarded beyond these initial three phases. SBS’s letter of confirmation notes that “additional works may be required up to 31 March 2025.”
SBS won the scheme on the strength of both price and quality. In its original written announcement, Cheshire Fire Authority noted that SBS had submitted a good response, “with the approach clearly focused on the requirements of this project.”
Key challenges will be to minimise disruption to Fire and Rescue Service staff while work is ongoing, and to work flexibly in order to adapt to emergency response requirements.
Work is expected to begin almost immediately.
