9:00am Friday 23rd July 2010
By Paul Broome
A BUILDING firm has criticised the tendering process to build Hereford’s new cattle market.
Bosses at John Ruck Construction (JRC) are fuming after being told they applied to do the work 24 hours too late.
But they claim they sent numerous emails and made up to a dozen phonecalls before the deadline.
The Leominster firm has now been informed by the main contractor, Willmott Dixon, that the steel, cladding and roofing packages they wanted to build have been offered elsewhere.
“This sort of job is our bread and butter but we were not given a chance to quote,” said company boss John Ruck.
“We got in contact with Willmott Dixon, met them at a Meet The Contractors day, and were told we would have the opportunity to quote.
“But we didn’t receive the documents despite numerous phonecalls, emails and promises they would get back to us.”
He said Hertfordshire-based Willmott Dixon, appointed by Herefordshire Council to oversee the construction work at the site near Stretton Sugwas, told him there was a degree of urgency to get work started.
“They said they had to get the steel on site within 15 weeks but we could have done it in eight,” added Mr Ruck, whose company has built other cattle markets in both Bridgnorth and Cirencester.
“We are capable of doing the work and had good references. It just makes me feel aggrieved.”
Willmott Dixon told the Hereford Times that JRC first contacted them a day after offers from interested parties were due in and there was little they could do.
“It was decided that the very quick timescales for the project meant we did not have enough time to undertake a full re-enquiry,” said Willmott Dixon’s head of communications, Andrew Geldard.
He said another Leominster firm, Frank H Dale, had been given permission to design the steelwork with the steel package due to be announced soon.
Mr Geldard said his colleagues had since offered to send JRC enquiries for the cladding and roofing packages - worth a total of more than half a million pounds - but said they didn’t want those contracts unless they had the steel one too. They are now due to be awarded. to a Hereford-based contractor.
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