Understanding Scope of Works for Statutory Undertakers

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Cost Management, Estimate, Estimation, Civil Engineering, Whole Life Cycle Costing, Enabling Work, Infrastructure

Understanding Contestable and Non-Contestable Scope of Works for Statutory Undertakers.

Statutory undertakers are organisations or bodies with legal authority to perform certain functions or provide specific services. These undertakers may have a scope of work that is either contestable or non-contestable.

A contestable scope of works refers to those activities or services that can be opened up to competition from other providers. In other words, other companies or organisations can bid for and carry out these activities or services. This creates a competitive market where the best provider can be selected, leading to better quality services, lower costs, and more innovation. Examples of contestable scope of works for statutory undertakers might include constructing new infrastructure, providing certain types of maintenance services, or supplying certain goods or equipment.

On the other hand, a non-contestable scope of works refers to those activities or services that are reserved exclusively for the statutory undertaker. These activities or services cannot be opened up to competition from other providers because they are considered essential or too complex to handle by other companies.

Cost Management, Estimate, Estimation, Whole Life Cycle Costing, Civil Engineering, Pragmatic Approach, Railways, Circular Economy, Micro Tunnelling
Cost Management, Estimate, Estimation, Whole Life Cycle Costing, Civil Engineering, Pragmatic Approach, Railways, Circular Economy, Micro Tunnelling

Examples of non-contestable scope of works might include the management of certain public utilities, such as water or electricity supply, or providing emergency services.

Example 1: In the UK, constructing new electricity substations is a contestable scope of work for statutory undertakers. This means that other companies are allowed to bid for and carry out the construction of these substations. This creates a competitive market where the best provider can be selected, leading to better quality services, lower costs, and more innovation.

Example 2: Another example of a contestable scope of work for statutory undertakers in the UK is the supply of certain goods or equipment. For instance, the supply of street lighting equipment can be opened up to competition from other providers. This can lead to better quality products at lower costs for the local authorities.

Cost planning and estimating for the contestable and non-contestable scope of works for statutory undertakers can differ due to the competition level involved. In the case of the contestable scope of works, the statutory undertaker may need to estimate and plan for competitive costs in the market.

This means that the statutory undertaker may need to gather information on the prices offered by other providers and use this information to estimate costs. To stay competitive in the market, the statutory undertaker may also need to plan for costs that can be reduced through innovation or efficiencies.

In contrast, for the non-contestable scope of works, the statutory undertaker may have more control over pricing as they are the sole provider of the services or activities. In this case, cost planning and estimating may involve gathering information on the cost of similar projects or services and using this information to develop an accurate estimate. The statutory undertaker may also need to plan for potential risks and uncertainties during the project, such as unexpected delays or regulation changes.


Overall, effective cost planning and estimating for the contestable and non-contestable scope of works for statutory undertakers is critical to ensure the successful delivery of projects within budget and to a high standard.

In summary, the key difference between the contestable and non-contestable scope of works for statutory undertakers is whether other providers can compete to provide certain services or activities.

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