South MRT (Mass Rapid Transit) Phase 1a

Reading Borough Council is seeking an experienced highways contractor to undertake the first phase of works as part of the Councils ‘Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) South Scheme’. The scheme consists of a series of highway improvements along the A33 corridor, focussed on improving public transport journey times.

The ‘MRT South’ will link central Reading town centre to existing / proposed residential and employment areas to the south of Reading including Green Park and the new Mereoak Park and Ride facility.

The phase being advertised as part of this procurement exercise is ‘Phase 1a’, which runs from Reading International Business Park (RIBP) to Imperial Way.

The works associated with Phase 1a comprise of the following elements:

• Widening of the A33 to create a new 3.5m wide bus lane in the south bound direction from Imperial Way to the Basingstoke Road junction. The road widening occurs largely in the existing carriageway central reservation although some third party land is required from the adjacent Worton Grange site (this land is being provided as a safeguarded corridor by the developer). • Widening of the RIBP gyratory to create a new 3.5m wide bus lane in the southbound section. The road widening largely occurs in the existing central circulatory island. • Amendments to the traffic signal systems at the A33 / Basingstoke Road and A33 / RIBP junctions. • Associated with the above are site clearance (including trees and scrub, taking down of traffic signs, lighting and street furniture etc), vehicle restraint systems, surface water drainage, earthworks, kerbing paving and road surfacing, traffic signals and street lighting. • Adjustments to Statutory utility equipment.

Additional information: The procurement exercise will be conducted in accordance with the information contained in the procurement documents. The contracting authority does not bind itself to enter into any contract as a result of the publication of this notice and will not, under any circumstances, have any liability for any costs any person responding to this notice incurs in any part of the tender process.

The services are to be procured under an open procedure and organisations interested in expressing an interest should download the procurement documents which are available on the Council's e-tendering system at: https://in-tendhost.co.uk/readingbc/aspx/Home (Project Reference No. RBC 00000080 refers), and complete as instructed.

The Portal is free of charge - to register please follow the supplier registration guidance which is available on the Portal. Contractors wishing to be considered for this tendering opportunity must complete the tender documents and return them electronically via the Council's e-tendering portal. The deadline for return of the tender is Tuesday 31 May 2016 at 12.00 hours.

Please note: you must register your interest via the Council's e-tendering portal if you intend to submit a tender. Interested parties must log onto the Council's e-tendering portal at: https://in-tendhost.co.uk/readingbc, to express an interest and download the procurement documents. All communications regarding this procurement exercise will be conducted through the Council's e-tendering portal including requests for clarifications or general enquiries. The procurement documents will be available for download up until the closing time and date for tender submissions, it is the organisation's responsibility to ensure that they download the documents in ample time to ensure that they can be completed and returned electronically, along with supporting documents, prior to the closing time and date stipulated. Before completing the tender, potential providers/suppliers should ensure that the e-mail address that has been used to register their organisation will be checked regularly as the Council's e-tendering system will generate automatic notifications to this e-mail address when there are updates, changes or messages sent relating to the project. Potential bidders should also check that their organisation's details are correct and kept up to date.

Technical questions and assistance regarding the use and operation of the Portal should be addressed to the In-Tend Help Desk - e-mail: support@in-tend.co.uk, telephone number +44 8442728810.

Is a Recurrent Procurement Type? : No