--- title: "NHM150 Western Galleries - Base Build Lead Architect" ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-06855f" canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-06855f" markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06855f.md" json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06855f.json" source: "Find A Tender Service" current_stage: "Tender" buyer: "NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM" published: "2026-05-13" --- # NHM150 Western Galleries - Base Build Lead Architect Buyer: NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM Current stage: Tender OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-06855f [View canonical contract page](https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-06855f) [Download OCDS JSON](https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06855f.json) ## Summary The Natural History Museum, located on Cromwell Road in London, is currently in the tender stage of the procurement process for the "NHM150 Western Galleries - Base Build Lead Architect" project. This significant contract involves the transformation of the museum's internal spaces, including the restoration of the Dinosaur Gallery and re-opening of the Origins Gallery, the Old General Herbarium, and the Swing Space. The procurement is managed through a competitive flexible procedure with a gross contract value of £2,400,000. Interested parties should note the deadline for tender submission is on 19th June 2026 and the tender period concludes on 21st August 2026. The project, beginning in September 2026, is set to run until March 2032, with potential for extension. The procurement falls under the services category and is crucial as part of the museum's 150th anniversary milestones in 2031. This tender represents a considerable opportunity for businesses specialising in construction work for art and cultural buildings, museum construction and services, as well as architectural and related services. The project seeks expertise in developing designs and supervising the construction of gallery spaces, which includes conservation, structural works, and the installation of modern mechanical, electrical, and public health systems. Businesses with capabilities in heritage consultancy, sustainability, and specialist architectural services would find this a particularly suitable opportunity. Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are encouraged to participate, adding a diverse range of expertise to the project. The opportunity to act as Lead Architect for this prestigious project not only offers substantial financial gain but also prestige and exposure within the cultural sector. ## Notice 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. For more information about this opportunity, please visit the eSourcing portal at: https://www.delta-esourcing.com/tenders/UK-UK-London:-Construction-work-for-art-and-cultural-buildings./Q9A7G84683 To respond to this opportunity, please click here: https://www.delta-esourcing.com/respond/Q9A7G84683 ### 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). ## Key Details | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Publication source | Find A Tender Service | | Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/044150-2026 | | Notice type | UK4 - Tender Notice | | Procurement type | Standard | | Procurement category | Services | | Procurement method | Open | | Procurement method details | Competitive flexible procedure | | Tender suitability | SME | | Awardee scale | Not specified | | All stages | Planning, Tender | ## Dates | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Publication date | 13 May 2026 | | Submission deadline | 19 Jun 2026 | | Future notice date | 11 May 2026 | | Award date | Not specified | | Contract period | 6 Sep 2026 - 31 Mar 2032 | | Recurrence | Not specified | ## Values | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Tender value | £2,000,000 | | Lots value | £2,000,000 | | Awards value | Not specified | | Contracts value | Not specified | ## Status | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Tender status | Active | | Lots status | Active | | Awards status | Not specified | | Contracts status | Not specified | ## Buyer | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Main buyer | NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM | | Locality | LONDON | | Post town | South West London | | Postcode | SW7 5BD | | Country | England | | ITL 1 | TLI London | | ITL 2 | TLI3 Inner London - West | | ITL 3 | TLI33 Kensington & Chelsea and Hammersmith & Fulham | | Local authority | Kensington and Chelsea | | Electoral ward | Brompton & Hans Town | | Westminster constituency | Kensington and Bayswater | | Delivery location | TLI London | ## CPV Codes ### Divisions - 45 - Construction work - 71 - Architectural, construction, engineering and inspection services - 92 - Recreational, cultural and sporting services ### 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 ## Release History - 13 May 2026 at 16:32 - Tender - UK4 - Tender Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/044150-2026 - 17 Apr 2026 at 13:06 - Planning - UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/035235-2026 ## Documents - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/044150-2026 13th May 2026 - Tender notice on Find a Tender - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/035235-2026 17th April 2026 - Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender ## Notice URLs - https://www.delta-esourcing.com/respond/64839M3UD2 - https://www.delta-esourcing.com/respond/Q9A7G84683 - https://www.delta-esourcing.com/tenders/UK-UK-London:-Construction-work-for-art-and-cultural-buildings./Q9A7G84683 - https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/54/contents ## Provenance This Markdown file is an alternate public rendering of the D3 Tenders contract record. The canonical page is https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-06855f. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06855f.json.