Public procurement notice: Contract Award Notice
Published: 2022-02-21
Buyer: Ríkiskaup
Country: IS
Contract type: Services
Procedure: Negotiated procedure
CPV classification: 71200000 | 71240000 | 71250000 | 71310000 | 71311000: Civil engineering consultancy services
Estimated value: 1000000000 ISK
Award criteria: Lowest price

Technical requirements: Borgarlínan is an exciting and transformational project which aims to implement a Bus Rapid Transit (‘BRT’) system in the Capital Area of Iceland. Borgarlínan is jointly proposed by the Association of Municipalities in the Capital Area, and Vegagerðin, the Icelandic Roads and Coastal Authority (together, the ‘Authority’). This contract notice relates to the Authority's requirement for an Integrated Design Advisor ('IDA') to act as its principal design consultant in respect of the Borgarlínan project.
Borgarlínan is an exciting and transformational project which aims to implement a Bus Rapid Transit (‘BRT’)system in the Capital Area of Iceland. In order to secure carbon neutrality by 2040, Iceland has committedto significantly reduce the emission of green-house gases. Within the same timeframe, the population of theCapital Area in Iceland is expected to grow by around 28% by 2040 (an increase of 60,000 people to 275,000).In order to address these issues, a new system of public transportation has been proposed, which wouldfacilitate growth in an environmentally sustainable way and enable the population to travel shorter distancesand in a more diverse manner with residential areas coalescing around transport hubs. This new system hasbeen named the Borgarlínan, or, loosely translated, ‘City Line’. Borgarlínan is envisaged to be a gold‐standardBRT system, competitive with private transport but far more sustainable. It is expected to provide rapid, safe,and comfortable trips for passengers, as well as to be recognisable by all Icelanders, with iconic stations andattractive buses, tied together under a common, familiar brand. The proposed system will include a diversityof BRT routes and infrastructure, all branded under the Borgarlínan brand, but providing direct services forpassengers, avoiding the need for a cumbersome transfer. Most of the Borgarlínan infrastructure (bus lanesand stations) will be constructed on the existing road network but several points (including new bridges) will benewly constructed for use by the Borgarlínan. The current expectation is that construction of the infrastructurewill commence in 2022. This contract notice relates to the Authority's requirement to appoint an IDA to actas its principal design consultant, in particular in respect of Phase 1 of the Borgarlínan project which is morefully described in the Project Information Memorandum (‘PIM’) accompanying this notice. Further detail on thespecific role envisaged to be played by the IDA is set out in the PIM; however, at a high level, the IDA may be expected to provide some or all of the following services: civil engineering/transportation engineering, transportplanning services and modelling, public transport network design, sustainable urban design/architecture,landscape architecture, sustainable technology services, accessibility consultancy services, civil engineering/structural engineering, geotechnical engineering, environmental consultancy services, signal control design,street lighting design, electrical services engineering, environmental acoustics consultancy services, urbanplanning/planning consultancy services, BREEAM/CEEQUAL consultancy services, BIM consultancy servicesand other related services.
Under the IDA contract (by reference to the Scope of Services), Artelia are contractually obliged to design “any changes of Veitur utilities, in accordance with their guidelines”.  This obligation is owed to Borgarlina, but necessarily confers a benefit on Veitur.
It is necessary to amend the IDA contract to make Veitur a party to it. In order to amend the contract, Borgarlina must comply with Article 98 of the Utilities Procurement Regulations. Article 98 permits contract amendment in six different scenarios, including where the revision is “insignificant”. The amendments would not:
The amendments change very little from the perspective of Artelia in terms of any potential for increased liablility; it is merely an alteration of the contractual framework to divide up the rights and obligations between the relevant government bodies as envisaged in the Scope of Services.
It is anticipated that the IDA will initially be appointed to support the Authority in respect of the first phase of theBorgarlínan project, which involves the delivery of approximately 13 km of BRT infrastructure. However, the'end' Borgarlínan project is expected to be greater than this (up to 42 km) and the Authority reserves an optionto extend the IDA's involvement in the project to later stages.
Interested parties should note that the Authority is using a dedicated procurement portal to manage thisprocurement process: http://www.tendsign.is. All documentation will be made available this portal. Allcommunications by interested parties must be submitted through this portal - any communications sent byalternative means may be ignored. Please note that a ‘request to participate’ for the purposes of this contractnotice (in particular, Section IV.2.2) is by completion and return of the Pre-Qualification Questionnaire bythe stated deadline. Interested parties should note that the Authority reserves the right to cancel or vary thisprocurement process at any point and will not be liable for any costs or expenses incurred by interestedparties in responding to or participating in this opportunity. The Authority also reserves the right not to award acontract to the lowest priced bidder or indeed to award any contract at all as a result of this procurement. TheAuthority may also change the basis, procedures and/or timescales set out or referred to within the procurementdocument.
In relation to Section II.1.5, the Authority is unable at this stage to provide an estimated total value giventhe complexity and lengthy timeframe of the project and the fact that, at this stage, the precise scope of theIDA's role is unknown. However, in light of the nature of the project, it has the potential to be a high-valueappointment.
In relation to Section II.2.7, the length of the IDA's appointment will depend entirely on the project itself,as it may be critical that the Authority is able to work with a single advisor throughout the whole project (ifappropriate). Therefore, it is anticipated that a contract will be entered into for an initial period, which may thenbe subject to extension on a pre-agreed basis until Borgarlínan is complete.
In relation to Section II.2.10, variant bids may be accepted by the Authority. However, this will only be incircumstances where the form and content of the variant has been approved by the Authority in advance.


Winner: ARTELIA
Award value: 1000000000