Question: how do you ensure the A465 Heads of the Valleys Dualling Section 3, between Brynmawr to Tredegar becomes an exemplar project? Answer – you focus on innovation, delivering value to all of the stakeholders and you ensure that everything you do is underpinned by collaborative procurement.

It’s not as simple as that – but that is the critical path to set out upon and one that was pursued as part of the Welsh Government vision for stimulating Wales’ first Strategic Regeneration Area in ‘Turning Heads - A strategy for the Heads of the Valleys 2020’.  One of the key drivers for social and economic regeneration was the delivery of the A465 dualling programme.  Section 3 sits entirely within Blaenau Gwent County Borough which suffers from higher than average levels of unemployment and deprivation.  Maximising community benefits during and after construction was a critical element of the scheme – something that relied upon a collaborative approach from the outset.

Yesterday, over 30 construction professionals attended an exemplar event to hear exactly how the team achieved its goals. But at the heart of the project was the procurement strategy adopted by the Welsh Government client and their representatives, EC Harris. The focus was on allowing early contractor involvement (ECI) which, in turn, allowed a transparent approach to risk management and value engineering. Combined with an incentivizing of the supply chain this fostered a culture of innovation which helped to drive value on a number of fronts.

Significant use of Building Information Modelling (BIM) was applied by Carillion, Arup and their supply chains which improved the design and construction process and added long term value. In particular this helped carbon assessments and examining whole life costs as well as help pull together a proactive approach to ensure that the community’s needs were met and long term benefits delivered. 

You can learn more by clicking the case study below: