Decision details

For the Assistant Director of Regeneration and Economic Development to approve the waiver of Contract Standing Order 8.03 and the award of the contract to We Made That in the sum of £120,005.63 for the design of building frontages and public realm interventions in accordance with Contract Standing Order 10.01.1(b).

Reasons for the decision The Turnpike Lane Improvement Plan project was paused for the second time in July 2022. When restarting the project, a refreshed cost plan revealed that the estimated construction cost had increased due to:
• high inflation rates,
• material costs,
• increase in the scope of works and more accurate specifications,
The higher construction cost and increase in project scope due to changes to the delivery plan impacted the professional fees of We Made That which increased to £120,005.63 to undertake RIBA Stages 3-6. Due to the repeated pauses of the project and the validation period of the previous contract expiring, it has become necessary to form a new contract. The waiver has been proposed as an appropriate way forward due to the time critical nature of the project and to rationalise the past alterations to the original contract into a single process.

Turnpike Lane Improvement Plans is a time critical project and the scheme would generate significant benefits to local businesses and residents. We Made That have a good understanding of the project having worked on the scheme from RIBA Stage 1 to mid RIBA Stage 3. They have also built a good relationship with the local community and stakeholders through site visits, workshops and public exhibitions. A new design team would need to familiarise themselves both with the and local stakeholders and this could encore the risk further delaying the project.

The Council has reviewed the daily fee rates provided by We Made That and are satisfied they represent value for money. Refer to point 4.3 for a detailed daily rate comparison with other architectural practices.


A waiver of tendering is being sought on the basis that it is considered to be within the Council’s overall interest under Contract Standing Order 10.02.1(a).

Given that part of the commission has already been carried out by We Made That, it is unlikely that a new team would be able to deliver the work without incurring additional and unnecessary fees and delays. The new team would need to familiarise themselves with the design work which has already been carried out. We Made That also have a good knowledge of Turnpike Lane stakeholders and local groups that they have built during the development of RIBA Stages 1-3. A new designer would need to rebuild a good relationships and trust with local groups, and this could further delay the progress of the project.

The council also considered the option of not appointing We Made That. However, the risk associated with doing nothing is that the project may not be delivered.