States tendering processes for site crushing aggregates

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WRITTEN QUESTION TO THE PRESIDENT OF THE ENVIRONMENT AND PUBLIC SERVICES COMMITTEE BY THE DEPUTY OF ST. JOHN

ANSWER TO BE TABLED ON TUESDAY 23rd NOVEMBER 2004

Question

Would the President inform members –

1. whether  the  Committee applies  the States' tender  process, and  how frequently, for sites  for crushing aggregates and the hire ofheavyplantandmachineryon an hourlybasisfor such operations as beachwork, sea defencework and emergencywork?
2. whohavebeenthesuccessful applicants in the last sevenyears?
3. how manycompanieshave applied to tender during this period, how many actually tendered, and the figures tendered in eacharea?
4. when is this process likely to be repeated andhow will it beadvertised?
5. of the quantity ofre-cycledaggregate used by the Committeeannually and the cost of purchasing re-cycled aggregate? and,
6. whether theCommittee has been offered free of charge for collection re-cycledaggregates from re-cycling contractors, and,if so, from whichcompanies,andwhether the Committee has takenadvantageof this offer; if theanswer is in the negative,would the President state thereasonswhy?

Answer

1. The States currently employsone contractor, D.B.Cummins Limited, which operates on the La Collette land reclamation  site. The role  of  the contractor is to  recycle  aggregate and  glass  entering  the La Collette reclamation site on behalf of the Environment and Public Services Committee. The provision of these services wastendered in line with the States tendering process in the spring of 2000 andthecontractperiod was for five years. TheCommittee is currently developingnewcontractdocumentsin line with the draft Solid Waste Strategyand tenders will besoughtin2005toprovide the revised services. Once again, this new tender willbeundertaken in accordance with the States tender process.

In relation to the hire of heavy plant and machinery, the department owns the majority of specialised

machinery for waste handling through the Vehicle and Garage Plant Trading Account. If there is a specific short term need for heavy plant and machinery, the department reviews what is available on the Island and negotiates with the Island based contractors for the use of the equipment. The terms for this will vary depending on the application, urgency and market forces. For sea defence work, the contractor must be able to demonstrate they can work safely in view of tidal conditions. In selecting a contractor a number of considerations need to be taken into account, equipment must be safe, reliable and operated in a professional and competent manner. Decisions on the selection of contractors are made on a case by case basis, which is not necessarily the cheapest price, but always designed to ensure best value.

2. The successful applicants inthelast seven years for eacharea are as follows –

T h e companies that have been involved in beach cleaning and sea defence work are –

E S P

D . B . C ummins Ltd. B r ia n Blandin Ltd.

T h e companies that have undertaken Aggregate and Glass recycling are –

R .G  . R omeril Ltd. (Albert reclamation site)

D . B . C ummins (La Collette Reclamation site)

T h e hirers of Heavy Plant and Machinery Hire are –

B r ia n Blandin Ltd.

D . B . C ummins (Jersey) Ltd.

R . G . R omeril Ltd.

S u tt o n Commercial

Je r s e y Demolition Contractors.

I n addition to these contractors who provide specialised plant, the majority of the Island's haulage industry is

used to provide non-specialised equipment.

3. When the Committee usedtoundertakesignificantamountsof contract work using its owndirect labour, the provision ofplant and machinerywas subject toannual review ofprices and equipment available. At that time, newcompanies could beadded.Theequipment would then be selected from that list based onprice, availability, and suitability for the particular application.
4. With the significant decline in internal contractingwork, the departmentnolongerhires large quantities of plant with the exception of the sea defence programmewhichiscoveredbelow.Any short term hire is now negotiated with localcontractorson a casebycase basis.

W  ith respect to heavy plant requirements on the sea defence works, in March 2004, the States Internal Audit

Department carried out a review of the sea defence programme. I was pleased to note that there were very few recommendations of any significance. One of the issues addressed was the procurement of the plant hire. The Committee had obtained quotations for the hire of specific plant at the beginning of the year. Internal Audit reviewed the three quotations and recommended that the Committee may benefit by negotiating longer term agreements with particular Plant Hire Contractors for the duration of the project. By this process, the contractors would be guaranteed work for a given period subject to meeting specified conditions and performance levels, therefore providing them with further opportunities to provide the most competitive prices. The department is in the process of preparing the necessary documents for such a contract for these works.

5. The Committee has used approximately 5,000 tonnesofrecycled aggregates in 2004 at a cost of £25,000, some ofwhich have been as part of contract work such as lining ofthe rock armouringatLa Collette Reclamation site or for roadway and haul road strengthening andreinstatement.Atpresent,the quality of recycled aggregate varies dueto the methodof processing and the nature oftheincomingmaterial. Part of the new tender process for the recycling contractatLaCollette will require the successful contractor toapply a far more rigorous quality assurance programme to ensure that recycled aggregates reach the required certification standardsand can beusedfor the majority of States contracts.
6. I cannot confirm that theCommittee has been offered stonefreeofcharge for collection. The Committee pays the marketpricesforrecycledstone. The price will vary depending on thetypeandquantity of stonebeing purchased, such ashardcore, hogging, fine screened (certified), shale and gravel.