Background

At the General Meeting of Council held on Wednesday 8th March 2023, Council resolved that Council:

1. Endorse the development and delivery of the Base Case (crusher plant, tracks, and trails, and lookouts to the south and west of the Quarry void) in the short term (mid-2024).

2. Identify a preference for the development and delivery of Option 2 - Canopy Sky Walk and Cable Bridge and proceed to delivery subject to available funds as outlined in the budget section of the Deputy General Managers Report No. IM2/23. Funding priority is afforded to the canopy skywalk at the expense of the full scope of works in part 1 of this motion.

Invitation to Tender

This Request for Tender (RFT) is one of a series of RFTs that the Council is advertising to support the delivery of the above resolution.

This RFT aligns with part 2 of the March 2023 Council Resolution noted above whilst also including one component from part 1.

This option includes the provision of a 2.4m wide canopy skywalk and cable bridge that connects Hornsby Town Centre to the Crusher Plant precinct on a fully accessible pathway immersing visitors into the bush. The canopy skywalk and cable bridge sit approximately 25-30 metres above the ground and would cover a total distance of approximately 400m (one way).

Lift and stairs preserve the opportunity to connect to Old Mans Valley and the first stage link allows future northern and southern extensions of the canopy sky to walk into other parts of the bush.

An accessible lookout from the Crusher Plant platform provides views of the Quarry Void.

Council has determined that the above elements can be delivered in the near-term (construction contract anticipated to commence July 2023) as they are all outside of the existing civil works currently occurring on site.

The successful outcome of this RFT will allow Council to advertise future RFTs for other related works packages.

Council is seeking suitably qualified suppliers to deliver the elements of this RFT under one "Design and Construct" contract.

Closing and Lodgement

Completed Tender submission including the completed Tender Response Schedules is to be lodged via the tendering portal.

All Tenders must be lodged by no later than 10.30 am (AEST) (the Closing Time) on Thursday 18 May 2023 (the Closing Date).