Lead Consultant Appointment for the AMIDS South Project

Renfrewshire Council · 5 February 2026
Back to Finance, Resources and Customer Services Policy Board — 5 February 2026 and its agenda

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PUBLIC 
_______________________________________________________________________
To:  Finance, Resources and Customer Services Policy Board
On:  05 February 2026
_______________________________________________________________________
Report by: The Chief Executive and the Director of Finance and Resources
_______________________________________________________________________
Heading: Notification of Cost Increases –Lead Consultant Appointment for the AMIDS
South Project (formerly GAIA South Project) (RC-CPU-19-081)
_______________________________________________________________________
1. Summary 
1.1 The purpose of this report is to notify the Finance, Resources and Customer
Services Policy Board of an increase in cost to the Lead Consultant for the
Advanced Manufacturing Innovation District (AMIDS) South (formerly GAIA
South) Project appointment. 
_________________________________________________________________ 
2. Recommendations 
2.1 It is recommended that the Finance, Resources and Customer Services
Policy Board: 
2.1.1 Note the increase in the approved contract value for the Lead Consultant for
AMIDS South Project (RC-CPU-19-081) contract awarded to Amey OW
Limited from £3,000,000.00 excluding VAT to a forecast fee of £8,000,000.00
excluding VAT. 
2.1.2 Note the completion of the Lead Consultant for AMIDS South Project (RC-
CPU-19-081) contract is anticipated to be the end of March 2028 upon
completion of the AMIDS South construction works. 
2.1.3 Note that variations to this contract have been negotiated and agreed with the
Lead Consultant in accordance with Standing Orders Relating to Contracts
34.4 and 34.5 and follow assessment of best value including Regulation 72 of
the Public Contract (Scotland) Regulations 2015.

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3. Background 
3.1 The AMIDS South project (the Project) will provide a 1.7km ‘gateway route’
along the White Cart river with a network of road, cycling and walking links from
the town centre train station and bus interchange to Glasgow Airport, AMIDS
and onwards to Inchinnan. The project includes landscaping as well as a new
bridge crossing around Paisley Harbour for pedestrians, cyclists and road
traffic. AMIDS South is a high-impact local transport scheme which will reduce
carbon emissions, improve air quality, cut congestion, support economic growth
and improve the experience of transport users. 
3.2 As part of the Project, the works include a new east-west road linking Renfrew
Road to the new Gateway route which will increase connectivity to and from the
new manufacturing district and improve accessibility to the new Paisley
Grammar community campus (PGSCC), West College Scotland and the
Gallowhill area. A contract for these elements of the AMIDS South works was
awarded in August 2025 and the Lead Consultant will provide the project
management and site supervision services. 
3.3 On 04 September 2019 the Finance, Resource and Customer Services Policy
Board approved a recommendation to award the Contract for the Lead
Consultant for the AMIDS South (formerly Glasgow Airport Investment Area
(South)) Project to Amey OW Limited for a contract value up to £3,000,000.00
exclusive of VAT. 
3.4 The reasons for the increase in the Lead Consultant fee forecast from 2019
include changes and enhancements to the scope of the Project, and extensions
to the programme requiring extension to the quantity of services required from
the Lead Consultant. These modifications and enhancements have been
instructed incrementally and are summarised below: 
i. Additional services relating to the Levelling Up Fund (LUF) including
the requirement to work with both the Department for Transport (DfT)
and subsequently Active Travel England (ATE) to develop and
produce the outline business case to meet LUF governance
requirements. As this was a new initiative, DfT and ATE were still in
the process of establishing their business case requirements and
assembling their teams during the first two years of LUF. This led to
the Council’s team having to repeat work to align with newly
introduced personnel and evolving business case criteria;
ii. Additional surveys and sub-commissions (e.g. ground investigation
surveys and site clearance) required to progress the Gallowhill cycle
link due to the unexpected discovery of significant drainage and
ground condition issues on the old train cutting;

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iii. Additional services carried out at the direction of the Council’s EH&I
service for the development of the plans and drawings for the Paisley
Gateway Junctions, a separate project being considered by EH&I; 
iv. Redesign of proposed elements of the works required for planning and
land assembly, including successive revisions of Compulsory
Purchase Order (CPO) documentation;
v. Additional services due to the requirement for Public Local Inquiry
(PLI) relating to the CPO despite the scheme only receiving one
objection which necessitated additional documentation, technical
support and attendance at the PLI and extended the CPO work
requirements by approximately 6 months; 
vi. LUF granted the Outline Business Case (OBC) approval in February
2023 with conditions that required additional consultant services due
to the significant number of additional reviews and requests for
information including re-runs of the economic model and traffic model
necessary to obtain full approval at Full Business Case (FBC) stage.
This was in part due to the changing requirements of LUF outlined
above; 
vii. Additional services to respond to a design audit carried out by Active
Travel England (ATE), part of the LUF review team. Consultant
required to review the comments issued by ATE and close them out
for FBC stage. Again, this was a consequence of the changing LUF
requirements; 
viii. Additional design work required as a result of independent structures
and geotechnical checks; 
ix. Additional design development required on the Harbour Road
Retaining Wall as a result of ground investigations indicating that the
existing wall condition was poorer than originally anticipated;
x. Surveys identified the location of a Scottish Water Sewer on Harbour
Road. Design of the protection structure required for crossing the
sewer was more complex than initially foreseen by the design team,
leading to additional time and resources to resolve with Scottish
Water. The main factors impacting the design are:
a. Accommodating the highways drainage design, which is
affected by Renfrew Road and the school requirements, within
the bridge.
b. Scottish Water engagement and ensuring their requirements
are accommodated within the design, acquiring Scottish
Water’s approval and conditions letter. 
c. design changes to deal with the comments from Scottish
Water.

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xi. Additional services relating to the interface between AMIDS South
project and Paisley Grammar School community campus (PGSCC)
project, which extended the overall detailed design stage and
necessitated rework of the initial AMIDS South design and
construction contract documents to accommodate the following:
a. A new junction design on Renfrew Road including tie-ins for
the PGSCC vehicular and pedestrian accesses.
b. Facilitating access for PGSCC Principal Contractor within the
site boundary for AMIDS South construction contract during
construction phase.
c. Redesign of drainage on the east- west link road.
d. Redesign where the PGSCC construction works extended into
the AMIDS South site boundary
e. Constraints added to the AMIDS South construction works
contract to require access to the PGSCC via the east-west link
road by a specified key date of 30 June 2026; 
xii. the bridge design required updates to align with the agreed
procurement strategy and construction method required for the works
contract;   
xiii. Further geotechnical analysis required to show that the existing quay
wall is adequate to carry the additional loads from plant and
equipment required during the construction of the improved Harbour
Road retaining wall referenced at ix; 
xiv. The anticipated duration of the works contract has increased from 18
months as assumed at tender stage to 30 months, which necessitates
additional costs for extended site supervision and project
management support. The overall contract is more complex due to the
new junction design on Renfrew Road and the additional complexity of
the east west link road with the PGSCC tie-ins and the requirement to
deliver this element of the project by 30 June 2026. Along with lessons
learned on previous projects as to Contractor delivery times, this
necessitated an extension of the overall Construction programme;
xv. Anticipated value includes contingency for delay to the construction
works contract and contingency for additional design services required
in case of compensation events under the construction works contract
necessitating re-design work; and
xvi. Inflationary increase in key staff rates, in line with the Consumer Price
Index and in accordance with the Conditions of Contract over and
above initial fee forecasts to cover extended site supervision and
project management services required to manage the construction
works phase.

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3.5 The construction works for the AMIDS South project was awarded on 14
August 2025 for a period of 30 months with completion anticipated in March
2028. As the project is ongoing, there are a number of live risks detailed in the
project’s quantified risk assessment including public utility diversions, ground
conditions, contamination and non-native invasive species (NNIS) and
completion of works to allow access for the PGSCC from Summer 2026 which
may impact the services required from the Lead Consultant during the site
supervision and contract management phase of the project. It is anticipated the
revised contract value for AMIDS South Lead Consultant is sufficient for these
risks.  
_________________________________________________________________
4. Project Governance 
4.1 The modifications and additional instructions for the Lead Consultant have been
fully documented and approved in accordance with the Change Control process
and project governance, which requires the approval of the City Deal and
Infrastructure Programme Board prior to agreeing the final modifications /
changes to external consultant appointments. 
4.2 The increases in consultant fees will be met from project resources earmarked
for site supervision services and contingencies within the agreed budget for
AMIDS South. 
4.3 This report is submitted in accordance with Standing Order 20.3, which requires
that where it becomes apparent that the total value of a contract as previously
reported to the Finance, Resources and Customer Services Policy Board is
likely to be exceeded by more than the greater of £100,000 or 25% of the
approved contract value, that a report on the matter be submitted to the
Finance, Resources and Customer Services Policy Board. 
4.4 As outlined above, the increase in cost has arisen from a number of factors,
which are being monitored closely by the project team. While the cumulative
total of the modifications to the external consultant appointment is high, each
modification has been made in accordance with the Council’s Standing Orders
relating to Contracts and with consideration to Regulation 72 (1) (a) or 72 (1) (e)
of the Public Contract Scotland Regulations 2015 where appropriate for each
modification over the course of the contract. 
Implications of the Report
1. Financial - The increase of £5m in consultant fees will be met from capital
project resources earmarked for site supervision services and contingencies
within the agreed budget for AMIDS South. 
2. HR & Organisational Development – None directly arising from this report.

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3. Community/Council Planning - Reshaping our place, our economy and our
future - The contract will assist the project team in delivering the strategic
aims and outcomes of the Council’s AMIDS South project and objectives of
the Levelling Up Fund (LUF). 
4. Legal – While the cumulative total of the modifications to the external
consultant appointment is high, each modification has been made in
accordance with the Council’s Standing Orders relating to Contracts and with
consideration to Regulation 72 (1) (a) or 72 (1) (e) of the Public Contract
Scotland Regulations 2015 where appropriate for each modification over the
course of the contract. 
As noted in item 4.1, each modification and additional instruction for the Lead
Consultant contract as summarised in item 3.4 have been approved in
accordance with the Change Control process and project governance for the
City Deal & Infrastructure (CD&I) Programme Board. 
5. Property/Assets - None directly arising from this report 
6. Information Technology - None directly arising from this report.  
7. Equality & Human Rights – The recommendations contained within this
report have been assessed in relation to their impact on equalities and human
rights. No negative impacts on equality groups or potential for infringement of
individuals’ human rights have been identified arising from the
recommendations contained in the report.   
8. Health & Safety- None directly arising from this report. 
9. Procurement - The modifications were considered in accordance with the
Council’s Standing Orders relating to Contracts and officers do not consider
any of these to be substantial modifications to the existing contract and
therefore permissible under Regulation 72 (1) (e) of the Public Contracts
(Scotland) Regulations 2015. 
10. Risk – As noted in item 3.7, the AMIDS South project is ongoing and there
are live risks that may further impact the progress of the project, and the
constructions works. It is anticipated the revised contract value noted in item
2.1.1 is sufficient for risks. However, the project team will continue to monitor
the services required from the Lead Consultant and report any further
modifications or additional instructions required through the CD&I programme
board for approval in accordance with the Change Control process and
project governance. 
11. Privacy Impact - None directly arising from this report. 
12. Climate Risk - None directly arising from this report.

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13. Children’s Rights – None directly arising from this report. 
14. Cosla Policy Position - None directly arising from this report.
_________________________________________________________
List of Background Papers 
a) Contract Authorisation Report for the Contract for the Lead Consultant for the AMIDS
South (formerly Glasgow Airport Investment Area (South)) Project approved by the
Finance Resources and Customer Services Policy Board on 04 September 2019.
b) Unaudited Annual Accounts 2024/25 and Interim Financial Update approved by the
Council at its meeting on 26 June 2025. 
_________________________________________________ 
Author:  Rebecca Park, Strategic Category Manager – City Deal and Infrastructure,
rebecca.park@renfrewshire.gov.uk