A real-life drama is being played out on a £30m-plus theatre
revamp deal in West Yorkshire.
It is understood that only one player from an original cast of
seven has bid for the refurbishment of Leeds Grand Theatre.
With Laing O'Rourke the solo act, the whole scheme may now have to
be readvertised in the OJEU.
An industry insider said: "I believe it would contravene European
Union rules if the client, Leeds City Council, went ahead with just
one bid.
"This could be done on a PFI contract, where there is a
public-sector comparator, but I doubt whether a single bid would do
in a job like the Leeds scheme."
But he said one possible way out of the dilemma might be for the
council to award the job as a negotiated deal.
The city council would neither comment on its dilemma nor confirm
it, and a spokesman only added another mysterious dimension to the
plot by telling CJ: "As far as I know, the contract will be awarded
within the next few weeks."
Originally, the client put six other firms on the casting couch.
But HBG and Allenbuild, which both have a strong presence in the
city, opted out. They were followed by the local office of Wates,
Bradford contractor Totty, Sheffield outfit Banner Holdings and the
Manchester office of ISG Interior/Exterior.
An industry insider said: "With so many firms turning their back on
this project, there has to be something fundamentally wrong with it
- putting aside the usual reasons for pulling out, such as a lack
of resources."
He claimed: "This job is just too risky. For starters, the Grand
Theatre is an old building in a congested city centre with
difficult access. Anything could go wrong and it probably
will."
The scheme includes a 350-seat auditorium for the theatre, built in
1879, plus refurbishment of the adjoining assembly room and
building rehearsal rooms.