Case Study — RetailMeadowhall Shopping Centre Schemes, Sheffield
Lead cost management and Employer’s Agent services across a rolling programme of retail schemes at Meadowhall, from £50k unit refurbishments to £10m new retail space, delivered pre- and post-contract under JCT Design and Build.
The challenge
A rolling programme of retail works inside one of the UK’s largest shopping centres
On behalf of Meadowhall Limited Partnership and The British Land Company Plc, I acted as lead cost manager and Employer’s Agent on a series of projects within the Meadowhall shopping centre in Sheffield. Individual schemes ranged from around £50k to £10m.
The work covered the refurbishment of existing units, the conversion of space to new uses and the creation of new retail space. Each scheme was procured on a design and build basis under JCT Design and Build 2016 with the client’s amendments, using single-stage or two-stage tendering depending on the size and risk of the package.
Because the centre stayed open throughout, cost and contract advice had to account for trading hours, tenant handovers, landlord and tenant interfaces and tight access arrangements, while giving the client consistent reporting across a varied portfolio of live schemes.
Project facts
At a glance
Client: Meadowhall Limited Partnership / The British Land Company Plc
Location: Meadowhall, Sheffield
Value: £50k to £10m per scheme
Role: Lead Cost Manager and Employer’s Agent (pre- and post-contract)
Procurement: Design and build; single and two-stage tenders
Contract: JCT Design and Build 2016 with client amendments
Programme: Various
Cost planning
Order of cost estimates and elemental cost plans for each scheme, sized to the scope of works, from small unit refurbishments to major new retail space.
Procurement strategy
Advice on single-stage or two-stage tendering for each package, balancing price certainty, early contractor input and programme.
Employer’s Requirements
Preparing and coordinating the Employer’s Requirements and tender documents so contractor proposals could be compared on a like-for-like basis.
Contract amendments
Applying the client’s JCT Design and Build 2016 amendments consistently across schemes and advising on risk allocation.
Tender analysis
Tender returns analysed, clarified and normalised, with recommendations for award and value engineering where needed.
Employer’s Agent
Administering the D&B contracts post-contract: change, notices, payments, sectional and practical completion.
Valuations and change
Interim valuations, assessment of variations and early warning of cost movement against approved budgets.
Live centre interfaces
Accounting for trading hours, out-of-hours working, tenant handovers and landlord/tenant demarcation in cost and contract advice.
Final accounts
Agreeing final accounts promptly so the client had cost certainty and could close out each scheme within the wider programme.
Our approach
How each scheme was delivered
Brief and budget
Confirming the client’s objectives for each unit or space and setting a realistic budget.
Cost plan
Developing the cost plan alongside the design team as the scheme took shape.
Tender
Single or two-stage design and build tender, with Employer’s Requirements and amended JCT terms.
Award
Tender analysis, negotiation and recommendation, then contract preparation.
Construction
Employer’s Agent duties, valuations and change control while the centre kept trading.
Completion
Handover, final account agreement and close-out reporting.
The outcome
What this meant for the client
Consistency across a portfolio
One lead cost manager and Employer’s Agent across many schemes gave the client a consistent approach to budgets, contracts and reporting.
The right tender route
Single or two-stage tendering was chosen to suit each package, protecting price certainty without holding up the programme.
Cost certainty in a live centre
Change was controlled and final accounts agreed with the realities of a trading shopping centre built into the advice.
Delivered by Ollie Thompson MRICS in a previous role at Arcadis. Planning a retail refurbishment or fit-out? Talk to us about your scheme.
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