An innovative NEC Engineering and Construction Short Contract (ESCS) has been used to procure and improve the sustainability outcomes of a grade 2 listed building refurbishment in central London.
Opened in 1913, One Great George Street in Westminster is the prestigious headquarters of the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) and an award-winning events venue. Vinci Construction UK Ltd carried out a £3.4 million NEC-procured refurbishment during a partial closure of the building between February and September 2024, with NEC project manager and principal consultant Arcadis engaged under an NEC4 Professional Service Contract (PSC).
The work included upgrading the 240 seat Telford Theatre, reglazing and repairing the central glass dome above the entrance area, replacing three roof lights, restoring the Great Hall ceiling, replacing kitchen gas appliances with electrical induction equipment, and installing more efficient electrically commutated fans in four air-handling units. Completed on time and budget, the refurbishment has improved the efficiency and sustainability of the historic building and enhanced the experience for visitors.
Head of building services Phil Ackers says ICEuses NEC contracts for all its significant building refurbishment contracts. ‘ICE launched NEC over 30 years ago as a more collaborative alternative to traditional adversarial contracts, so it is our preferred choice for all premises works. Our largest NEC contract to date was a £6 million refurbishment in 2011−12 of a neighbouring office building at 8 Storey’s Gate, where most ICE staff are now based.’
For the latest One Great George Street refurbishment, he says NEC4 ECSC was selected due to the relatively straightforward nature of the work compared with larger infrastructure projects. ‘We also find that the provision of contractor’s design in ECSC is useful for elements where more detail can be identified during the site period’.
Option X29 on climate change
Ackers said an innovate change to the contract was the inclusion some of NEC4 Option X29 on climate change, which was published in 2022 for the NEC4 Engineering and Construction Contract (ECC) and other full-length NEC4 contracts. ‘While Option X29 is not available for the short contracts, we felt it would be useful to include some of the wording in the scope to provide more focus on climate change and related targets and outcomes.
He says the additional clauses, which did not include the Option X29 performance table or incentives, required the contractor and its supply chain to verify the desired operational and embodied carbon savings of their work and supplied plant and materials would achieve. ‘The contractor engaged a sustainability consultant to help with supply chain procurement, and it was pleasing to find that the supply chain was already well-practiced in providing the sustainability information requested.’
Ackers says derogations were needed on a couple of occasions when the more sustainable option was not practical. ‘For example, woven wool would have been a more environmentally friendly alternative to halogenated textiles as a new fire-retardant covering for the theatre seats, but it was not possible to get the necessary fire certification in time.’
Overall he says the project ran very smoothly. ‘In line with the NEC requirement to act in a “spirit of mutual trust and co-operation”, there was excellent communication and collaborative working between all parties. The use of Cemar construction management and reporting software to co-ordinate the contract documentation also worked very well.
Ackers concludes, ‘the Option X29 wording will be included in all future ICE building contracts to help the ICE on its journey towards net zero.’
Benefits of NEC
- NEC4 ECSC provided a simple yet collaborative standard procurement form for this historic building refurbishment, including allowing for contractor’s design as work progressed.
- NEC flexibility enabled a version of NEC4 Option X29 on climate change to be included in the scope to provide more focus on sustainability outcomes.
- NEC requirement to act in a ‘spirit of mutual trust and co-operation’ ensure there was excellent communication and collaborative working between all parties.
- Contact
- Phil Ackers, Head of Building Services, Institution of Civil Engineers, London, UK Tel: +44 20 7665 2084
- phil.ackers@ice.org.uk
- Web
- https://www.ice.org.uk
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