Council releases tender to build Te Uruhi

Kāpiti Coast District Council today released the tender documents to find a lead contractor for the Te Uruhi development.

Sited in Maclean Park, Paraparaumu near the traditional landing and departure point for Kāpiti Island, Te Uruhi will provide an iconic visitor experience, a biosecurity facility, and tell the Kāpiti Island conservation story. It will celebrate our district's rich cultural history and enhance the environment in and around the Tikotu Stream. It will consist of two small accessible, relocatable and sustainable building pods surrounded by decking and landscaping.

Council is using an Early Contractor Involvement (ECI) agreement which involves the preferred contractor providing constructability and innovation advice into the detailed design process.

Sean Mallon, General Manager Infrastructure says the appointed contractor will help finalise the detailed design, but the physical works will not begin until all consents are in place.

“Due to time constraints associated with the COVID-19 Response and Recovery Fund and in line with normal project management processes, we need to keep progressing the project. This early work will inform any future development that might take place,” said Mr Mallon.

Another benefit of an ECI contract is that it reduces costs because construction feedback is incorporated into the design before it’s finalised. “This early input reduces the number of potentially expensive changes made further along the process,” added Mr Mallon.

The tender documents stipulate the building must be relocatable to account for any changes in the environment. This could involve elements of modular construction, offsite fabrication, or other innovations that allow for the building to be removed, transported and installed at a different location.  A further requirement is that the building must meet a high standard of accessibility for people living with a disability.

Other details of the tender include:

• seeking construction methods that minimise environmental disruption and source materials sustainably and locally
• minimising building waste through reducing, recycling or reusing it
• offering opportunities to Māori, Pasifika and women workers in line with the requirements of Council’s procurement strategy and the COVID-10 Response and Recovery Fund.

The tender closes on 30 September and the successful contractor will be appointed by the end of October.

The tender documents can be accessed from the Government Electronic Tenders Service (gets.govt.nz).

For more information, visit kapiticoast.govt.nz/teuruhi