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16th September 2024
Hospital Review Panel - Review of the New Healthcare Facilities Programme
Dear Deputy Ahier ,
Thank you for providing Chamber of Commerce (CoC) the opportunity to comment on the review of the New Healthcare facilities programme, which is the largest significant financial capital project that the Island has undertaken and will have a huge impact for islanders and the majority of CoC businesses. We confirm that CoC members have been aware of the developments of previous Our Hospital projects and the subsequent review undertaken by newly elected ministers which concluded with a multi-site option for separate Acute and Ambulatory Hospitals.
We were aware of the Construction and Supplier forum held in November 2023 and can confirm that the local construction industry has been kept abreast of developments and updates.
CoC members have confirmed that they attended the last Acute Hospital breakfast briefing in May 2024. This update explained the approach of the Ambulatory and Acute schemes and focused on the design of the Acute site at Overdale only up to RIBA stage 3/ Planning.
Clarification on the timelines for the planning submission and the breakdown of smaller enabling works projects was explained and these were subsequently released on the Procatis website in June 2024. Whilst it is acknowledged and welcomed that the opportunity for local businesses to be involved in the projects, members have commented on the extensive work involved for preparing the submissions. Collating information for Pre-Qualification Questionnaires (PQQ) and Invitation to Tenders (ITT) submissions are time-consuming and can take up to 5 working days to complete. We are aware that invitations for design teams, including architectural services, Service Engineers, Structural Engineers and Cost consultants were released.
One package included the refurbishment of the Mulcaster House, formerly Jersey Water headquarters, to provide a new NHF and Facilities Management Hub/Office and the other commission was for a feasibility study for the refurbishment of Westmount Terrace Apartments.
Feedback from the local industry has been that the time required to complete the PQQ & ITT submissions for both works was disproportionate to the size/value of the projects. In some cases, consultants advised that the time spent on preparing the bid was more than the actual professional fees for the commission. Whilst CoC acknowledge the NHF team's goal to provide opportunities for local companies to work on future schemes, it needs to be acknowledged in these tight economic times that commissions need to be reasonably sized and viable.
Chamber House 25 Pier Road St Helier Jersey Channel Islands JE2 4XW Tel: 01534
724536 www.jerseychamber.com
We would also like to emphasize that GoJ should prioritise local work placement to foster investment in skills and training by companies. Ensuring a steady pipeline of work can encourage local companies to make the necessary invest in training and green skills for future roles, from graduates to advanced professional development (one might even go as far as to require some form of commitment to developing local skills as part of PQQ/tendering process). The previous Hospital project focused extensively on creating training programmes during the construction phase, both practical (on the job) and at Highlands College, to develop local future' skills. This approach aimed to ensure these skills would then be able to support maintenance, management, and operation of these facilities once construction was completed.
It would be appreciated if the scrutiny panel could acknowledge the time companies spend on submitting and passing PQQ's and question whether the NHF team can reassess how future invitations can be improved/shortened based on past qualifications.
It is worth noting that several CoC members have actively been involved in the successful delivery of the first phase of the new hospital in the form of the decant of 14 existing departments at the existing Overdale Hospital site to the former Les Quennevais School. This was successfully designed and undertaken by Jersey based businesses and executed by a local building contractor and sub-contractors which demonstrate that the island has resources that can be utilised to participate in future projects. The Enid Quenault Health and Wellbeing Centre (EQHWC) contractor had used Jersey based design team professionals and sub-contractors whenever possible to support the local economy. Of 121 sub-contract packages, 107 were placed with local suppliers and supply chain representing 96% local spend.
Social value, Inclusion and Legacy was one of the drivers in the delivery of OHP/NHF approach. The initial strategy was to improve the economic outlook on the Island both directly and indirectly to deliver a lasting impact in terms of employment, training and skills. The team's voluntary contributions to social value legacy have become a project success storey through the employment of trident students, apprentices and year out students from university and were undertaken by all the stakeholders and the key initiative was participation in the Design, Engineer Construct! DEC course at Hautlieu School.
CoC look forward to the impending submission of the new Acute Hospital Planning application and hope that further opportunities for local businesses can be provided.
Yours faithfully,
Murray Norton
Chief Executive Officer
For and behalf of:
The Building, Housing and Environment Committee Jersey Chamber of Commerce
Chamber House 25 Pier Road St Helier Jersey Channel Islands JE2 4XW