Section one: Contracting authority/entity
one.1) Name and addresses
Corporate Officers of the House of Commons
Palace of Westminster
London
SW1A0PW
Country
United Kingdom
Region code
UKI32 - Westminster
Corporate Officers of the House of Commons United Kingdom
PQCD-6982-LPZW
Internet address(es)
Main address
one.4) Type of the contracting authority
Body governed by public law
one.5) Main activity
General public services
Section two: Object
two.1) Scope of the procurement
two.1.1) Title
Victoria Tower Fabric Safety Works 2025
Reference number
C1858
two.1.2) Main CPV code
- 45000000 - Construction work
two.1.3) Type of contract
Works
two.1.4) Short description
Victoria Tower, as part of the Palace of Westminster, is a world-renowned heritage asset. Acknowledged by its Grade I listed designation and UNESCO World Heritage Site. Victoria Tower is 325 ft tall and is sited above Sovereign's Gate at the south-west end of the Palace site. The Tower was originally designed as a royal entrance and a repository for the records of Parliament and is currently home to the Parliamentary Archives although these are in the process of being moved elsewhere.
Significant repairs were last undertaken to Victoria Tower in the early 1990s. The building fabric has deteriorated in the intervening period, and it is now necessary to undertake repairs to the external envelope of Victoria Tower via a full-height scaffold. Parliament is exercising their duty of care to prevent future deterioration of the building fabric as custodians of this Grade I Listed asset and to maintain a safe and secure environment in and around the Palace of Westminster.
This notice relates to the Contracting Authority's intention to appoint a contractor under NEC4 ECC Option B contract (with secondary clauses and amendments), to deliver temporary works, and subsequent conservation and repair work, to the Victoria Tower.
two.1.6) Information about lots
This contract is divided into lots: No
two.1.7) Total value of the procurement (excluding VAT)
Value excluding VAT: £110,600,000
two.2) Description
two.2.2) Additional CPV code(s)
- 45111290 - Primary works for services
- 45111291 - Site-development work
- 45111300 - Dismantling works
- 45212300 - Construction work for art and cultural buildings
- 45212350 - Buildings of particular historical or architectural interest
- 45212353 - Palace construction work
- 45223210 - Structural steelworks
two.2.3) Place of performance
NUTS codes
- UKI - London
Main site or place of performance
Westminster UK
two.2.4) Description of the procurement
The Contracting Authority, acting jointly with the Corporate Officers of the House of Lords, previously invited suppliers to participate in an open tender process for provision of works in relation to the Victoria Tower Fabric Safety Project (Contract Notice ref: 2024/S 000-019847). No suitable tenders were submitted under that open procedure and the contracting authority now intends to award a contract to Wates Construction Limited under the negotiated procedure without prior publication. The proposed contract is a NEC4 ECC Option B contract, to deliver temporary works and subsequent conservation and repair work, to the Victoria Tower.
The temporary works includes design, site logistics, site set up, hoardings, temporary electrics, piling, groundworks, enabling works, crash deck scaffolding removal, primary steel support trusses and towers, full scaffolding / protection, and stone cleaning.
The subsequent conservation and repair scope of works includes: stone repairs, decorating, gilding and other miscellaneous works, roof (cast iron tiles and supporting structure, skylight, fall arrest system), windows refurbishment, metalwork restoration, fire stopping, MEP and adaptions to existing MEP equipment, waterproofing to balconies, guttering, rainwater pipes & leadwork, pigeon netting, flagpole repair works, temporary flagpole, removal of scaffolding and site reinstatement.
two.2.5) Award criteria
Quality criterion - Name: Technical / Weighting: 60
Cost criterion - Name: Bill of Quantities / Weighting: 40
two.2.11) Information about options
Options: No
Section four. Procedure
four.1) Description
four.1.1) Type of procedure
Negotiated without a prior call for competition
- No tenders or no suitable tenders/requests to participate in response to open procedure
- Extreme urgency brought about by events unforeseeable for the contracting authority
Explanation:
The Contracting Authority, acting jointly with the Corporate Officers of the House of Lords, previously invited suppliers to participate in an open tender process for provision of works in relation to the Victoria Tower Fabric Safety Project (Contract Notice ref: 2024/S 000-019847). No suitable tenders were submitted under that open procedure. As a result, the contracting authority now intends to award a contract to Wates Construction Limited under the negotiated procedure without prior publication. It is considered that the award of the contract without prior publication of a contract notice is lawful in accordance with:
a. Regulation 32(2)(a) of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 because no suitable tenders have been submitted in response to an open procedure and the contracting authority is using the negotiated procedure without prior publication of a contract notice on the basis that the initial conditions of contract are not substantially altered; and/or
b. Regulation 32(2)(c) of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 because this is a safety critical project with constraints on access and working hours which require works to commence urgently. Therefore, for reasons of extreme urgency the time limits for the open or restricted procedures or competitive procedures with negotiation cannot be complied with. The receipt of no suitable tenders in response to the previous open procedure was unforeseeable by the contracting authority.
four.1.8) Information about the Government Procurement Agreement (GPA)
The procurement is covered by the Government Procurement Agreement: Yes
Section five. Award of contract/concession
A contract/lot is awarded: Yes
five.2) Award of contract/concession
five.2.1) Date of conclusion of the contract
3 April 2025
five.2.2) Information about tenders
The contract has been awarded to a group of economic operators: No
five.2.3) Name and address of the contractor/concessionaire
Wates Construction Limited
Wates House Station Approach, Leatherhead
Surrey
KT22 7SW
Country
United Kingdom
NUTS code
- UKJ26 - East Surrey
Companies House
1824828
The contractor/concessionaire is an SME
No
five.2.4) Information on value of contract/lot/concession (excluding VAT)
Total value of the contract/lot/concession: £110,600,000
Section six. Complementary information
six.4) Procedures for review
six.4.1) Review body
The High Court of Justice
The Strand
London
WC2A 2LL
Country
United Kingdom