Services: Feasibility, Cost Management, Procurement Strategy
The South Kensington Station Capacity Upgrade (SKSCU) was a complex, multi-disciplinary project involving multiple stakeholders and significant risk areas that needed to be addressed during the detailed design and construction phases. SRC Infrastructure was tasked with advising Transport for London (TfL) on potential factors that could lead to increased costs for a successful tenderer post-award, as well as how unresolved risks in the project scope could impact tenderers’ costs.
SRC Infrastructure conducted a thorough assessment of several critical factors, including existing station and asset conditions, design maturity, constructability, logistics for material delivery and muck removal, stakeholder engagement, project tools and processes, and site access and egress. The analysis revealed that the principal cost risks associated with the project scope were primarily linked to design maturity, constructability challenges, and, to a lesser extent, existing asset conditions.
To mitigate these risks, SRC Infrastructure provided key recommendations for repackaging the procurement approach into three distinct parts:
- Enabling Works: To be managed by TfL-led specialist contractors.
- Main Works: To be delivered by a Prime Contractor.
- Skylight Deck and Remedials: To be managed by a separate contractor.
Benefits of the Repackaged Scope and Procurement Strategy
- Specialist Management of Less Mature Designs: By assigning less mature designs to specialist resources, these elements were effectively taken off the contractor’s critical path, reducing potential delays.
- Enhanced Management of Higher Operational Risk Works: TfL retained close management over works deemed to carry higher operational risks, ensuring greater oversight and control.
- De-risking TfL Activities: The strategic repackaging of scope and procurement activities significantly de-risked the majority of TfL’s involvement, leading to a more streamlined and efficient project delivery process.
SRC Infrastructure’s comprehensive evaluation and innovative procurement strategy positioned the SKSCU project for success, enabling effective risk management while enhancing the overall delivery framework for the upgrade at South Kensington Station.