Gosforth Depot Development Scheme

Introduction

Bam Nuttall presented D2 with the challenge of providing a working programme for the design and development of the Gosforth depot, incorporating key delivery/decommissioning dates for new/old rolling stock. D2 were presented with the challenge of providing constructability advice which would support these key dates, whilst maintaining the desired finish date. Additional to this, a level of contract management was required, helping to develop subcontractors’ individual programmes.

Deliverables

Our scope was as follows:

• To provide a programme of works from contract award through to construction complete, which reflected the Stadler key delivery dates.
• Ensure the construction programme was complete by the end of January 2024.
• Provide constructability advice.
• Highlight programme risks and issues.

Challenges

There were several challenges that we encountered, including the following:

• Time restrictions for submitting the tender programme and that the late change of construction staging meant that the subcontractors did not have an up-to-date design. Therefore, building a programme included several assumptions.
• Validity of data provided by the project teams/subcontractors’ – This was due to a lack of designs.
• Timeliness of data provided by the project teams/subcontractors’ – It was a challenge when requesting data be provided by specific times/dates. In most cases the data received was at the last minute, or late.
• The new rolling stock delivery dates changed several times during the programme build, which meant ongoing amendments in order to align.

Solutions

• One D2 Planner was provided to take on key tasks, ensuring that the programme worked and met all desired key dates.
• Baselines were taken each time there was a change made, to ensure that changes were measurable.
• Risks to the schedule were highlighted and reported to the project team.
• Assumptions made were highlighted and reported to the project team.
• Daily skype calls with the project team took place, to ensure progress was common knowledge.

Benefits

The benefits of taking on this work depend on the outcome of the tender. Assuming the job is won by Bam Nuttall, then the benefit will likely be additional Planning works on large depot development scheme. If the job is not won, at the very least, a positive working relationship has been further developed between D2 and Bam Nuttall, which will encourage further works in the future.