Potential provision of a new build extension to the existing Kent and Canterbury Hospital

Interested organisations should note that public consultation has not yet been carried out. Interested organisations will be required to respond to the Selection Questionnaire (SQ) and, if successful at that stage, invited to participate in dialogue on Outline Solutions in order to allow the Trust to understand the viability and deliverability of the Project. The procurement process will be paused following receipt of Outline Solutions to enable the Trust to carry out public consultation.

The procurement process will only restart if the Trust is satisfied that the Project is viable and deliverable and is the preferred option following public consultation.

In order to ensure the deliverability of the Project if awarded, as part of the SQ, the Trust will require interested organisations to demonstrate appropriate financial standing. Further details will be included in the SQ (which will be available once the Contract Notice has been published), but the Trust is keen to highlight certain requirements to enable interested parties additional time to consider their approach:

1. The Trust will require bidders to meet a turnover threshold of £350m

Interested organisations can meet this from their own resources, through forming a consortium or by relying on key subcontractors. Whilst, in accordance with good practice, the Trust will have some discretion to take account of mitigating factors where a bidder does not meet the threshold, the Trust’s concern will be to ensure that any appointed organisation is able to deliver and stand behind the Hospital Shell and Core Works, which have an estimated value in excess of £200m. Therefore, interested organisations are advised to ensure that they can meet the turnover threshold, either alone or with other, named organisations (such as the construction contractor or any housing providers or house builders).

2. Identification of the intended construction contractor for the Hospital Shell and Core Works.

Regardless of whether an interested organisation intends to rely on the capacity of the construction contractor to meet the turnover threshold, the Trust will require interested organisations to confirm the identity of the intended construction contractor and to provide financial information for that organisation (or to confirm that they will be carrying out the construction works, as the case may be). This financial information will be assessed as part of the Trust’s holistic review of the financial risk associated with a bidder’s proposed bid/contract structure. Further details will be set out in the SQ.

Interested organisations should note that when naming other organisations as consortium members or subcontractors, they will be required to provide evidence that the named organisation has agreed to be put forward for the project in that capacity. Further details will be included in the SQ.