The government has formally begun its search for a contractor to take on the £650m revamp of MPs’ offices in Westminster, known as the Northern Estate Programme.
The works include the restoration of the grade I-listed Norman Shaw North and grade II-listed Norman Shaw South buildings – both of which are now over 100 years old – along with 1 Derby Gate and 1 Parliament Street. In total around 15,300 sq m of office space will be refurbished.
The project is likely to take three to four years to finish and is scheduled to start in 2018/19.
Under present plans, the winning bidder will sign a pre-construction management deal initially to work alongside architect BDP, engineer Aecom and programme, project and cost managers WSP and Gleeds.
The Northern Estate buildings all require refurbishment due to their ageing M&E services, poor environmental performance and inadequate fire safety provisions. It has been more than 40 years since the buildings were properly refurbished.
The programme could include converting the Department of Health’s headquarters, Richmond House, into a temporary home for parliament to make way for £4bn restoration works on the Palace of Westminster, although this was not specifically referred to in the tender document.
The Northern Estate Programme could also be combined with the Palace of Westminster works at a later date, after a joint committee of MPs and peers recommended the jobs be managed together last September.
It is expected the start date for the contracting partner will be April next year, with the contract expected to run until April 2024. The deadline for interested parties is 14 March.
