Latest Awards

Mary Steven's Park and Winterbourne Medieval Barn

I have ranted to friends and associates for years now about the procurement and tendering process that has become such an important part of my business. Generally about how it is stacked in favour of bigger companies (mind you as a sole trader, every business is bigger than mine). How I have to spend considerable time preparing them, which reduces the time I can spend on current projects. How rigid they are in their scoring system, even when evaluating creative services and how often there is no interview process.

Still, tender I must and in the last couple of weeks, I am glad I have taken the time to do so. In a single week I had three deadlines to make for the submissions of tenders. Really pleased to have been awarded two of them. Added to the recent award for Dartington Deer Park, that makes three out of the last four I have submitted. It is helpful when tendering to have the support of the rest of the Design Cooperative Stroud. As members of the Cooperative we all share the same open plan studio. In addition we have strong and reliable network of other practitioners and contractors to work with as needs arise.

The two projects are very different. The first is the delivery of interpretation at Mary Steven's Park in Stourbridge as part of a much larger HLF funded restoration project. Here I am teaming up with Industrial Heritage Stronghold of the West Midlands, to add value to the physical and structural design of the interpretation, as well as local knowledge. The park is really well used offering local people a range of amenities.

The second is the writing of an interpretation plan for Winterbourne Medieval Barn, just North of Bristol, in South Gloucestershire. This is a building of great historical and architectural significance. Already used by the local community, the Trust that look after it, hope to make it self sustaining as a community hub and develop it as a visitor attraction as part of an HLF funded project. The barn sits in a hamlet that includes other buildings of interest, including a medieval dovecote and church. Two local nature reserves are close by so there are further opportunities to add value to the visit.

I could say that I am going to take a break from tendering for a while. What that really means is that I might need to be selective about those that come though. Great to win these last three, but I could go months without winning another.