Kings Cross is London Underground’s third busiest station with
70 million passengers every year travelling on the five connecting
tube lines. The number of passengers is set to increase when the
second section of the Channel Tunnel Rail Link is completed, making
Kings Cross/St Pancras an international rail link.
The redevelopment of Kings Cross underground station is being
implemented in two phases: the first phase valued at £80m includes
a new western ticket hall, large scale refurbishment of the
existing ticket hall, and improved access for disabled passengers.
The second phase, valued at £125m, includes a further ticket hall
and will link the Northern, Victoria and Piccadilly lines to the
proposed Channel Tunnel Rail Link terminal at St Pancras.
This project is one of the most complex and challenging being
undertaken within the underground system and utilises a
multi-discipline design contract consultant for the pre-contract
stages.
Franklin + Andrews developed an innovative procurement strategy for
the phased works which satisfied the demands of the construction
programme and the requirements of the DETR [funders of the
project].
We were also responsible for negotiating with the contractor around
£60m of construction work, which includes an extensive transfer of
evaluated risk. The purpose designed procurement strategy will
enable elements of risk, identified in the design development
process, to be dealt with in a variety of ways. The amended
contract used on Kings Cross allows the introduction of a Target
Cost mechanism, enabling risks to be shared, the allocation of risk
forming part of the negotiations.
This complex project is designed to interface with a number of
other related developments being carried out in parallel, and thus
requires a high degree of cost and time control. The adoption of an
ECC form of contract emphasises both the spirit of the partnering
philosophy which underpins the project, and reflects the team’s
commitment to the continuous programme assessments required for the
successful delivery of the project.
