King George V playground refurbishment

Cloughton Parish Council invites tenders for the removal of end of life equipment and for the supply and installation of playground equipment for the play area in our King George V playground. The playground is a level area of approx. 1380 m2 just off the High Street. The location plan in the tender documents shows the playground in blue. It is laid out as about one third play equipment and seating (towards eastern end) and two thirds grass with small goal posts (towards western end). The western end of the grass area is adjacent Cloughton Beck and the area is liable to flooding in times of heavy or prolonged rainfall. The contract includes removal/disposal of all existing play equipment and supply and install a range of new play equipment (the emphasis being on ages 4 to 16), suitable surfacing, associated seating, and fencing/gates as appropriate. Play equipment must be metal. Current thinking is for the more conventional items found in playgrounds, eg slide, roundabout, swings, although some modular units may be acceptable to accommodate climbing equipment or similar. The use of recycled plastic material (Plaswood or similar) is also acceptable and more likely to suit seating and tables. An itemised quotation is required to identify all costs together with an illustrated layout for design purposes which will be assessed on a quality / play value basis as well as on price. A preferred and a reserve preferred bidder will be identified on 10th April. A community open day consultation to ensure the proposals meet with local user expectations will take place on 25th April & both preferred and reserve preferred bidder will be expected to attend and provide visual displays. The successful bidder will be chosen on 5th May, with award of the final contract on 2nd June. It is anticipated work will start within 6 weeks of the contract being awarded and will be completed by the end of August at the absolute latest. Funding of £50K (inclusive of vat) is already in place and includes Section 106 money from a small housing development in the village. This includes for all design work, removal/disposal of old equipment and surfacing, supply of new equipment, surfacing and relocation or refurbishment of existing items. Additional funding estimated to be in the region of £5,000-£8,000 is pending. This is a large project for us financially so staged invoices will be needed in order to allow the Parish Council to reclaim VAT and manage its cashflow. The Council is inviting Contractors to propose up to 2 design options. The final design brief will be agreed with the successful supplier.