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NHM150 Western Galleries - Base Build Lead Architect

Natural History Museum

This public procurement record has 3 releases in its history.

Award

06 Aug 2026 at 12:15

UK6 - Contract Award Notice
Tender

13 May 2026 at 17:32

UK4 - Tender Notice
Planning

17 Apr 2026 at 14:06

UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Summary of the contracting process

The Natural History Museum commissioned a lead architect and associated professional services for the base-build transformation of its Western Galleries in South Kensington, London. The programme covers the Dinosaur Gallery, Origins Gallery, Old General Herbarium, Botany Library and Swing Space, with the base build being procured separately from later fit-out work. The appointed consultant is responsible for developing designs through RIBA stages 2 to 7, leading and coordinating mechanical, electrical, accessibility, fire and circulation consultants, and coordinating fit-out consultants. The scope also includes heritage consultancy, structural engineering, sustainability advice and Building Safety Act Principal Designer services. The physical works supported include gallery conservation, building fabric repairs, heating, cooling, ventilation, plant rooms, structural works, circulation cores, toilets, cafés, shops and associated relocations. Delivery is in London.

This completed procurement used an open competitive flexible procedure with three stages: NDA completion, conditions of participation and invitation to tender, followed by interviews. It had one lot and was evaluated on technical questions worth 50%, social value 10% and pricing 40%. The contract was awarded to Haworth Tompkins on 6 August 2026 for £1,530,844.86 excluding VAT (£1,837,013.83 including VAT). The initial contract period runs from 7 September 2026 to 31 March 2032, with a maximum extent date of 31 May 2033. The contract may be renewed once for up to one year at the Museum’s discretion. Twenty-eight bids were received, with seven reaching the final stage, including five from SMEs. The award remained subject to a standstill period ending 17 August 2026, with signature scheduled by 31 August 2026.

This procurement demonstrates sustained demand for multidisciplinary architectural leadership on complex museum and heritage projects. A credible future competitor would need experience taking major cultural, historic or publicly accessible buildings from concept through RIBA stages 2 to 7, while coordinating design teams and construction interfaces. Relevant capability includes conservation and sensitive building-fabric work, structural engineering, mechanical and electrical services, heating, cooling and ventilation, public health systems, accessibility, fire safety, sustainability and Building Safety Act Principal Designer duties. Experience managing decanting, temporary relocations, new circulation cores, cafés, retail areas and public-facing facilities would be directly relevant. The evaluation also shows that technical quality and social value together carried greater weight than price, so suppliers would need strong project evidence, collaborative delivery methods and a clear social-value offer. SMEs were represented among the finalists, indicating that specialist firms could be credible participants, potentially through suitable team structures.

How relevant is this notice?

Notice Information

Notice Title

NHM150 Western Galleries - Base Build Lead Architect

Notice Description

The Natural History Museum has announced important transformations of its internal spaces ahead of the 150th anniversary of the opening of the South Kensington site, occurring in 2031. As part of these transformations, the popular Dinosaur Gallery will be restored, and the Origins Gallery, the Old General Herbarium and the Swing Space, currently closed to the public, will be reopened and returned to public use. These galleries are identified collectively as the' Western Galleries'. The works in each gallery will be articulated in two phases: base build, which is the object of this tender, and fit out, which will be tendered separately. The first works to commence will be the Swing Space in Autumn 2027 (base build) for an opening in 2028, followed shortly after by the Botany Library and the Old General Herbarium, due in 2029, Dinosaur Gallery, opening in 2030, and Origins Gallery that will be completed in 2031. A Feasibility Study has just been completed both for base build and fit-out leading to the identification of a set of recommended options for the base build and a set of design principles for the fit-out. The base build works for all the galleries in scope will encompass design and works for (high-level scope, including but not limited to): - Conservation of the gallery spaces - Making good of the fabric of the building - New ventilation and heating / cooling system and associated Building Works in Connection (BWIC) - Mechanical, electrical and public health systems - Creation of new plant rooms to support the increased needs of the spaces - Required structural works Additional works (including but not limited to): - clearance of existing spaces - Dismantling and removal of Dinosaur Gallery walkway - Decant and recant of Botany Library contents - Temporary relocation of Dino Shop - Decant and relocation of offices to make room for the new circulation core - Relocation and enlargement of ground floor cafe - Conservation of existing fixtures and finishes (e.g. cabinets and bookcases) in Old General Herbarium and Botany Library - Removal of existing Dino shop and dog leg corridor in the Swing Space - Creation of 2 new vertical circulation cores (lifts and staircase) - Decant and relocation of offices to make room for the new circulation core - Creation of new toilets and ancillary spaces - Relocation and enlargement of ground floor cafe - Creation of new cafe on the first floor - Fit out of new Dino Shop and the two cafes. The appointed consultants will be asked to act as Lead Architect, developing the base build design for the galleries and ancillary spaces across RIBA stages 2-7, supervising and coordinating the works of the other base build consultants, such as, but not limited to, MEP consultants, circulation consultants, accessibility consultant and fire consultant and coordinating the fit-out consultants to ensure continuity between the projects. They will also be asked to provide Heritage consultancy, structural engineer, sustainability and BSA Principal Design services for the base build and fit out projects. In order to access the documents for the tender exercise, all tenderers must complete the NDA available in the SQ stage document library. The NDA must be signed by an appropriate representative of the tendering company and returned to the Museum for countersignature. Once the NDA has been completed by both parties, it will be sent to tenderers for record keeping. The tenderer will then be added to the Tenderbox stage. Bidders who signed an NDA as part of the Pre-Market Engagement stage do NOT need to sign the NDA again, and will be added to the Tenderbox automatically. Once bidders have been added to the Tenderbox they will receive an automated e-mail from Delta.

Lot Information

Lot 1

Renewal: The Contract may be extended beyond the Initial Term on a maximum of 1 [one] occasion, for a period of up to 1 (one) year on each occasion (each a "Renewal Period") at NHM's sole discretion, by NHM giving the Contractor not less than 1 (one) months' notice prior to the expiry of the Initial Term or the Renewal Period (as applicable)

Planning Information

Bidders are invited to an online Bidder Briefing Session and Q&A (to be held on Microsoft Teams) in w/c 4th May 2026. In order to register for this session bidders should sign the NDA which is available in the SQ stage document library. This must be returned by 5pm, Friday 1 May. The NDA must be signed by an appropriate representative of the tendering company and returned to the Museum for countersignature. To access the SQ stage, please click here: https://www.delta-esourcing.com/respond/64839M3UD2 Once the NDA has been completed by both parties, it will be sent to tenderers for record keeping. The tenderer will then be invited to the briefing session. The date and time of the session will be confirmed shortly, and the invite will be sent out Tuesday 4 May. The session will be recorded and circulated to all bidders, including those who were unable to attend. All bidders who have completed the NDA will be given access to the tender documents, which are currently expected to be available from the 11th May 2026 (this date is subject to change).

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-06855f
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/074661-2026
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Planning, Tender, Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK6 - Contract Award Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Open
Procurement Method Details
Competitive flexible procedure
Tender Suitability
SME
Awardee Scale
SME

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

45 - Construction work

71 - Architectural, construction, engineering and inspection services

92 - Recreational, cultural and sporting services

CPV Codes

45212300 - Construction work for art and cultural buildings

45212311 - Art gallery construction work

45212313 - Museum construction work

45212350 - Buildings of particular historical or architectural interest

71200000 - Architectural and related services

92500000 - Library, archives, museums and other cultural services

92520000 - Museum services and preservation services of historical sites and buildings

92521000 - Museum services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£2,000,000 £1M-£10M
Lots Value
£2,000,000 £1M-£10M
Awards Value
£1,530,844 £1M-£10M
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
6 Aug 20262 weeks ago
Submission Deadline
19 Jun 2026Expired
Future Notice Date
11 May 2026Expired
Award Date
6 Aug 20263 weeks ago
Contract Period
7 Sep 2026 - 31 Mar 2032 Over 5 years
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

Tender Status
Complete
Lots Status
Complete
Awards Status
Pending
Contracts Status
Not Specified

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
Natural History Museum
Contact Name
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Email
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Phone
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →

Buyer Location

Locality
LONDON
Postcode
SW7 5BD
Postcode Area
South West London
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLI London
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLI3 Inner London - West
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLI33 Kensington & Chelsea and Hammersmith & Fulham
Delivery Location
TLI London
Local Authority
Kensington and Chelsea
Electoral Ward
Brompton & Hans Town
Westminster Constituency
Kensington and Bayswater

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
1
Supplier Name

Haworth Tompkins

Further Information

Notice Documents

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

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The Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS) is a framework designed to increase transparency and access to public procurement data in the public sector. It is widely used by governments and organisations worldwide to report on procurement processes and contracts.

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