The Hackney Procurement Board approved the award of a contract for architectural and design services for Stoke Newington Town Hall. The board also noted that the discussion on the Legal Disrepair Contractor would be deferred to a future meeting.

Stoke Newington Town Hall Architectural Design Services Contract Award

The Hackney Procurement Board approved the award of a contract to Supplier A for architectural and design services at Stoke Newington Town Hall for a price of £1,420,185.39 (exclusive of VAT). This decision follows the approval of a Low Risk Business Case Report in July 2026, which sanctioned a Direct Award route for these services.

The contract will see a Principal Consultant appointed to manage multi-disciplinary architectural, structural, and mechanical/electrical/public health consultancy services for six capital delivery projects across the complex. Stoke Newington Town Hall, a Grade II listed building dating from the late Victorian and early twentieth centuries, has been on the Historic England Heritage at Risk register since November 2024 due to severe water ingress and infrastructure failures. The appointed consultant will oversee essential repairs, including roofing and drainage, and the upgrade of heating, hot water, and electrical systems.

The report highlighted that a direct award to the incumbent supplier was chosen over an open tender or mini-competition to ensure technical continuity and avoid significant delays. The incumbent supplier already possesses detailed knowledge of the building and has been involved in ongoing surveys and projects, which is crucial given the site's complexity and heritage status. Delaying these works could expose the building to further degradation, particularly during winter weather, and jeopardise time-sensitive decarbonisation grants for an Air Source Heat Pump plant room.

The contract is valued at £1,420,185.39 (exclusive of VAT) and will be funded from the capital programme. The professional fee percentage of 11.06% is within the framework's cap of 17.64%. The design brief mandates the integration of whole-life costing, focusing on insulation, durable roofing materials, and efficient plant room operations.

Social value benefits were a key consideration, with the supplier committed to educational engagement, local skills development, and apprenticeships, including a dedicated M&E engineering or Quantity Surveying apprenticeship for a Hackney resident. The supplier also has a significant local presence, with 28% of its professional team residing within ten miles of the site, and will support the local economy through co-working spaces. The contract also includes provisions for worker welfare, ensuring the London Living Wage is paid, and adherence to the Modern Slavery Act 2015.

The report detailed several risks, including potential asbestos and contamination, business continuity interruption, and latent heritage fabric damage. Mitigation strategies include task-specific risk assessments, embedding a Principal Designer, and ensuring business continuity parameters are contractually embedded. The contract management arrangements will involve regular site visits, design team meetings, and contractor progress meetings, with Key Performance Indicators focused on project completion, programme adherence, budget control, risk assessment, and quality of works.

Legal Disrepair Contractor

This agenda item was deferred and is now scheduled to be discussed at the next Hackney Procurement Board meeting on 13 October 2026.

Minutes of the Previous Meeting

The minutes of the previous meeting, held on 11 August 2026, were agreed as an accurate record of the proceedings.