Cabinet, on 16 November 2022, resolved to:

3. Delegate authority to the Executive Director (Development) in consultation with the Head of Financial Services/Section 151 Officer, the Head of Law and Governance and the Cabinet Member for Planning and Housing Delivery to enter into contractual terms with a contractor for the pre-contract stages of the Oxpens River Bridge by signing a PCSA for providing detailed design, programme and 100% market tested estimate for the bridge, subject to the Council’s normal procurement procedures.

To increase the existing PCSA value from £1,193,858 to £1,428,787.07 (an increase of £234,929.07) and extend the PCSA completion date to 20 June 2024.

The Executive Director (Development), on 24 January 2023, made a decision to enter into a PCSA with Balfour Beatty under the terms of the SCAPE Framework to undertake works necessary to enable a value engineering (VE) exercise to be undertaken to bring the cost estimate to within the current budget (provided from Growth Deal funding) and to develop a construction programme that complies with the Growth deal requirements. The PCSA had a break clause so that if the VE target was not achieved the PCSA would be terminated.

The target has been met and the second phase of the PCSA has proceeded within the target deadline for overall completion remaining as 25 March 2025.

However, the Council has received notification from the contractor that additional works, principally around the progression of the planning application, have become necessary.  Certain design elements have also been brought forward to satisfy the ongoing technical review of structural elements of the bridge.

As a result, a decision has been taken to increase the existing PCSA value from £1,193,858 to £1,428,787.07 (an increase of £234,929.07) and extend the PCSA completion date to 20 June 2024. These additional costs are within the contingency allowed and the overall project budget position (provided by Growth Deal funding) and the end date for project completion remains unchanged.

The Executive Director (Development) is satisfied that the increase in the value of the PCSA reflects the variations that are required and has decided to approve the additional spend on the PCSA to allow the works to continue.The decision enables work to progress on the design, programme and cost for the delivery of the Oxpens River Bridge. The PCSA covers work necessary in advance of entering into a delivery contract.

The decision enables work to progress on the design, programme and cost for the delivery of the Oxpens River Bridge.

It is necessary to make these changes to the PCSA now to maintain the delivery of the bridge within the identified programme of delivery by end of March 2025, the contracted end date for the Growth Deal Funding.

To attempt to shorten other items of the programme.  However, all options were interrogated, and this was the optimum option to keep to programme and budget.

Not to proceed with the project. This was rejected as it would not have supported the Council’s aim of supporting active travel by providing a pedestrian and cycle bridge over the river facilitating movement between Osney Mead and the city centre as well as wider north south links to the city centre and rail station.

Decision taken by Tom Bridgman, Executive Director (Development) in consultation with Nigel Kennedy, Head of Financial Services; Emma Jackman, Head of Law and Governance; and Councillor Louise Upton, Cabinet Member for Planning and Healthier Communities.