---
title: "DC1 Solar Wall Principal Contractor"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-06f657"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-06f657"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06f657.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06f657.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Planning"
buyer: "Natural History Museum"
published: "2026-09-10"
---

# DC1 Solar Wall Principal Contractor

Buyer: Natural History Museum  
Current stage: Planning  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-06f657

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## Summary

The Natural History Museum intends to appoint a principal contractor for the design-and-build upgrade and replacement of the DC1 Glass Solar Wall at its Darwin Centre Phase 1 estate in South Kensington, London. The works will cover façade design and engineering, procurement, manufacture, installation and completion, including specialist façade input, project management, supervision and coordination. The project responds to the failure of three glass panels on the south-facing solar wall, installed in 2002, and is intended to return this part of the Museum site to full operational use. This is a construction and specialist façade package involving cladding, glazing and engineering design, on a prominent museum building visible from Queens Gate and overlooking the UNP gardens.

This procurement is at the planning stage: the Museum has announced its intention to procure and has not yet invited tenders. It expects to use a Design and Build arrangement and appoint a principal contractor, with the procurement classified as works and below the relevant threshold. The estimated contract value is £950,000 excluding VAT (£1,140,000 including VAT). The procurement is planned as one lot. The buyer’s indicative contract period is 2 November 2026 to 29 July 2027. Ahead of the tender, the Museum has planned an online market-engagement survey, with responses requested by 21 September 2026; it is intended to inform elements of the tender requirements and gather information on suppliers’ experience and capacity. The tender is expected to be published in late September 2026.

The planned work should suit principal contractors with proven experience delivering design-and-build façade replacements, particularly firms combining specialist façade engineering with construction delivery. Relevant capability includes designing, procuring, manufacturing and installing glazed curtain-wall or solar-wall systems, cladding and other complex façade components, together with managing interfaces, site supervision, coordination and completion in an operational museum estate. Businesses will need sufficient resources and capacity for a single, substantial façade package and the ability to respond to detailed performance specifications and Employer’s Requirements. Specialist glazing, façade and engineering subcontractors may be well placed to support a principal contractor. Potential suppliers should use the market-engagement survey to demonstrate comparable experience and delivery capacity and to help shape the future requirements before the tender is issued.

## Notice

The Museum is undertaking a procurement process to appoint a suitably qualified and experienced Principal Contractor with specialist facade expertise on a Design and Build basis for the design, engineering, procurement, manufacture, installation and completion of the works associated with the upgrade and replacement of the DC1 Glass Solar Wall within the Museum estate. The Contractor shall provide all resources, specialist facade design input, management, supervision and coordination necessary to deliver the works in accordance with the Contract, detailed performance specification and Employer's Requirements. The Darwin Centre Phase 1 (DC1) is a prominent building in the Museum complex visible from Queens Gate in South Kensington and overlooking the newly created and award winning UNP gardens. The replacement of this facade will enable this section of the site to be returned to operational functionality and integrated back into full use. An investigative study was commissioned by the Museum following the failure of three glass panels on the South Facing 'Solar Wall' elevation of the DC1. The solar wall was installed in 2002, and the secondary components within facade systems such as these usually have an expected service life of 25 years if correctly maintained.

### Planning Information

An online survey has been created ahead of the tender being published on Delta in late September.
We invite potential bidders to complete a short survey to provide some information about their experience and capacity, and to provide input into some elements of the tender requirements.
Please use the following link to access the survey: https://forms.cloud.microsoft/e/RbefqHyRsv
The deadline for completing this engagement is 21 September 2026.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/085686-2026 |
| Notice type | UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice |
| Procurement type | Standard |
| Procurement category | Works |
| Procurement method | Not Specified |
| Procurement method details | Not specified |
| Tender suitability | Not specified |
| Awardee scale | Not specified |
| All stages | Planning |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 10 Sep 2026 |
| Submission deadline | Not specified |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | Not specified |
| Contract period | 2 Nov 2026 - 29 Jul 2027 |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | £950,000 |
| Lots value | Not specified |
| Awards value | Not specified |
| Contracts value | Not specified |

## Status

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender status | Planning |
| Lots status | Planning |
| Awards status | Not specified |
| Contracts status | Not specified |

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | Natural History Museum |
| Locality | LONDON |
| Postcode area | 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

### Codes

- 45212313 - Museum construction work
- 45262000 - Special trade construction works other than roof works
- 45262650 - Cladding works
- 45441000 - Glazing work
- 45443000 - Facade work
- 71320000 - Engineering design services

## Release History

- 10 Sep 2026 at 10:03 - Planning - UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/085686-2026

## Documents

- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/085686-2026
  10th September 2026 - Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender

## Notice URLs

- https://forms.cloud.microsoft/e/RbefqHyRsv
- 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-06f657. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06f657.json.