Feasibility Study and Business Plan for Viewhill House

INVERNESS CITY HERITAGE TRUST

This public procurement record has 2 releases in its history.

Summary of the contracting process

Inverness City Heritage Trust, an independent charity, initiated a public procurement process for the reconstruction and reuse of the historic Viewhill House in Inverness. The procurement, which has progressed to the award stage, involved commissioning a feasibility study and business plan for the project. The process utilised a restricted procedure selective procurement method and fell under the services category, specifically related to environmental protection. The tender was valued at £30,000 and the key deadline for submissions was on 4th July 2025. The contract was awarded to LDN Architects LLP on 2nd March 2026, with a contract value of £28,320. The procurement was covered by the General Procurement Agreement (GPA) and required electronic submissions via Public Contracts Scotland.

This procurement presents opportunities for businesses specialising in heritage conservation and architecture to engage in a significant regeneration project aimed at a historic site. Companies with expertise in building restoration and conservation accredited professionals, particularly those adept in working with limited access sites, would find this type of contract beneficial for growth. By participating, businesses can position themselves as key players in heritage conservation and potentially enhance their portfolio with government-backed projects. There is also the opportunity to contribute innovative design solutions that balance modern usability with historic preservation, encouraging multi-disciplinary firms to explore creative end uses for space like Viewhill House.

How relevant is this notice?

Notice Title

Feasibility Study and Business Plan for Viewhill House

Notice Description

Inverness City Heritage Trust wishes to appoint a conservation accredited architect or surveyor and team to produce a feasibility study, business plan and outline design brief to completion of RIBA stage 2 for the proposed reconstruction and reuse of Viewhill House in Inverness.

Lot Information

Lot 1

1.1 Introduction Inverness City Heritage Trust is an independent charity based in Inverness. The Trust's main aim is to take a strategic view of the repair and maintenance needs of the buildings forming the historic core of the city and to co-ordinate a programme of conservation work funded by grant assistance. It also gives advice to building owners, produces publications and helps to organise events and exhibitions for people interested in the history of buildings and architecture in Inverness. 1.2 Background Viewhill House is a category B listed building and occupies a prominent site overlooking the river in the centre of Inverness. Dating from 1835, the building is of considerable heritage merit, both for its architectural significance and for its association with Joseph Mitchell who was a civil engineer who worked with Thomas Telford on the Caledonian Canal, and on the railway, the first sewerage system, extraction of the first water supply from the Ness and through his involvement with many road building schemes. Viewhill House was built as his primary residence. Viewhill House was last in use as the Inverness youth hostel. In 1998 the Scottish Youth Hostels Association declared the building to be surplus to requirements and it was put on the market. The building has since passed through the ownership of a number of property developers, however plans to redevelop the property have been abandoned following the virtual destruction of the building by fire in September 2007. The building currently stands as a ruined shell in a constrained site of around 2000 square metres with very limited vehicular access. It's reuse is considered a priority for the Trust as part of its strategic vision to move towards self-sufficiency through development of market-failure properties and taking a subsequent rental income from a property portfolio. Highland Historic Buildings Trust recently commissioned a condition survey for Viewhill House which concluded that the building is capable of restoration. Following on from this, the Inverness City Heritage Trust wishes to commission a feasibility study in order to determine a viable and financially sustainable new use for the building. 1.3 Requirement The Trust wishes to commission a detailed feasibility study, business plan and outline design work in order to determine a viable new use for Viewhill House. The Trust is keen to explore creative ideas for an end use, especially given the constrained nature of the site and lack of vehicular access. Both single and multi-use options will be considered with a partial space for public use encouraged. The Trust's offices are to be based in Viewhill House as well as perhaps provision of a small museum to Joeseph Mitchell and highland architects. Repairs to the existing historic fabric of the building will be guided by Historic Environment Scotland's standards and the building should retain its main facade and south facing elevation and reform the historic roof line. A sympathetic outline design which respects the surviving historic material and the wider conservation area is essential.. Condition Survey HHBT's condition survey is not currently available to the general public. It will be made available to those selected to proceed to stage 2.

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-r6ebe6-0000789088
Publication Source
Public Contracts Scotland
Latest Notice
https://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/search/show/search_view.aspx?ID=MAY555956
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Tender, Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
PCS Notice - Website Contract Award Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Selective
Procurement Method Details
Restricted procedure
Tender Suitability
Not specified
Awardee Scale
SME

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

45 - Construction work

71 - Architectural, construction, engineering and inspection services

73 - Research and development services and related consultancy services

79 - Business services: law, marketing, consulting, recruitment, printing and security


CPV Codes

45212350 - Buildings of particular historical or architectural interest

71000000 - Architectural, construction, engineering and inspection services

71200000 - Architectural and related services

71210000 - Advisory architectural services

71220000 - Architectural design services

71221000 - Architectural services for buildings

71241000 - Feasibility study, advisory service, analysis

71250000 - Architectural, engineering and surveying services

71251000 - Architectural and building-surveying services

71315300 - Building surveying services

71355000 - Surveying services

73210000 - Research consultancy services

79314000 - Feasibility study

79415200 - Design consultancy services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£30,000 Under £100K
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
£28,320 Under £100K

Notice Dates

Publication Date
15 May 20261 months ago
Submission Deadline
4 Jul 2025Expired
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
2 Mar 20263 months ago
Contract Period
Not specified - Not specified
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

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

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
INVERNESS CITY HERITAGE TRUST
Contact Name
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Email
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Phone
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →

Buyer Location

Locality
INVERNESS
Postcode
IV2 3JP
Post Town
Inverness
Country
Scotland

Major Region (ITL 1)
TLM Scotland
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLM2 Highlands and Islands
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLM20 Highlands and Islands
Delivery Location
TLM62 Inverness and Nairn, Moray, and Badenoch and Strathspey

Local Authority
Highland
Electoral Ward
Inverness Millburn
Westminster Constituency
Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
1
Supplier Name

LDN ARCHITECTS

Further Information

Notice Documents

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

View full OCDS Record for this contracting process

JSON Markdown

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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