Decision

The Director of Capital Programmes has decided to approve the direct award of a contract to Turner & Townsend Project Management Ltd for the Birkenhead Central Gateway and Core Active Travel Network projects.

Analysis

outcome: Recommendations Approved

summary: The decision involves the direct award of a contract to Turner & Townsend Project Management Ltd for the provision of services as lead consultant and project manager for the Birkenhead Central Gateway and Core Active Travel Network projects.

topline: The Director of Capital Programmes has decided to approve the direct award of a contract to Turner & Townsend Project Management Ltd for the Birkenhead Central Gateway and Core Active Travel Network projects.

reason_contentious: This issue may be contentious as it involves the allocation of a significant contract without an open competitive procurement process, potentially raising concerns about transparency and fairness.

affected_stakeholders: ["Turner & Townsend Project Management Ltd", "Liverpool City Region Combined Authority", "Council's Transport for City Region", "Local residents and commuters in Birkenhead"]

contentiousness_score: 7

political_party_relevance: There are no explicit mentions of political parties or political influence on the decision.

URL: https://democracy.wirral.gov.uk/ieDecisionDetails.aspx?ID=6341

Decision Maker: Director of Capital Programmes

Outcome: Recommendations Approved

Is Key Decision?: No

Is Callable In?: No

Purpose:

Content: The Director of Capital Programmes has approved the direct award of a contract to Turner & Townsend Project Management Ltd via the ESPO Property, Building & Infrastructure Advice & Management Services – Lot 1 for the provision of services as lead consultant and project manager, responsible for co-ordinating, managing and preparing the Gateway 2 Business Cases for the Council's Transport for City Region (Birkenhead Central Gateway and Core Active Travel Network projects), with a contract term of 6 months at an estimated contract cost of £186,615.00+ VAT.   The Birkenhead Central Gateway and Core Active Travel Network are key priorities within the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority’s (LCRCA) Transport for City Region (TCR) £1.6bn settlement.   Funding for the Birkenhead Central Gateway and Core Active Travel Network are subject to a structured ‘Gateway’ business case process via the LCRCA. The Council secured conditional approval for both projects at the first stage in the business case process (Gateway 1) in March 2026.   Both projects now require the preparation of a robust and compliant Gateway 2 Strategic Outline Business Case to support progression through the LCRCA assurance process. The Council has identified that it does not have the capacity and expertise in-house to deliver Gateway 2 requirements.   The appointment of Turner & Townsend Project Management Ltd will provide professional consultancy services to coordinate the Gateway 2 business case for both projects.   The Turner & Townsend appointment will be via the ESPO Property, Building & Infrastructure Advice & Management Services – Lot 1.   The appointment of Turner & Townsend will ensure that the Council has access to the specialist resources required to produce a high-quality, credible and submission-ready business case within the required programme timescales, reducing risks to programme delivery and future funding opportunities.    The cost of the Turner & Townsend Project Management Ltd commission is £186,615.00+ VAT.   The contract cost will be fully funded via the Council’s LCRCA TCR pre-development grant award.   (1)  One option would be not to appoint external specialist support and to prepare the Gateway 2 SOBC solely using internal resources. This option has been discounted as the business case requires specialist programme, commercial and cost management expertise and dedicated coordination capacity within challenging delivery timescales. (2)  Another option would be to procure the required services through an open competitive procurement process, however, the timescales associated with this option would impact on the LCRCA Gateway approval deadlines and project delivery.   Confirmation that the Director is satisfied that the decision is not reserved to a committee (paragraphs 2(a) to 2(c) of the Overview and Scheme of Delegations of Authority to Officers.)   Background Papers   Birkenhead Central Gateway (Gateway 1 Submission)   Core Active Travel Network (Gateway 1 Submission)  

Date of Decision: July 24, 2026