Contract award
One tender for Winchester's 5.3 million pound Guildhall refurbishment
By Staff Writer | 05-09-2026
Winchester City Council has named Appledown Projects Ltd for the refurbishment of Winchester Guildhall at 5,343,419.66 pounds excluding value added tax. The council ran an open procedure and the notice records one valid tender. The contract award notice was published at 4:40pm on 4 September 2026 and the standstill period ends at midnight on 15 September.
The appointment is phased. The council is making a single procurement but the resulting contract runs over two stages, a pre-construction phase and then a construction phase. That structure is why the council has put a caveat on its own figures.
The monetary values stated within this notice are indicative only due to the 2 stage appointment and may vary significantly (both higher or lower) from the final construction costs.
Winchester City Council, contract award notice
One tender at the final stage
The bid statistics on the notice are the sharpest fact on it. One tender was received, one tender reached the final stage, and that tender came from a small or medium sized enterprise. No tender came from a voluntary, community or social enterprise organisation. The procedure was open, so any firm could have bid, and the award is above threshold under the Procurement Act 2023.
An open procedure on a five million pound heritage refurbishment produced a field of one. The council has not published why.
The successful firm is recorded at Hursley, a few miles from the building, and is registered as a small or medium sized enterprise.
The scope of works
The notice sets out internal and external work. Internally the contract covers full redecoration, the removal of ceilings in some areas to open up existing vaulted ceilings, replacement of the existing toilet facilities, the installation of new toilets at first floor level, the removal of partitions to open up office space, and the replacement of mechanical and electrical plant.
Externally it covers refurbishment of the existing stonework, refurbishment and possible replacement of the roof coverings and rainwater goods, and the creation of external balcony space, which the notice says may require strengthening works and handrails. The contract also includes the restoration of the masonry fenestrations and associated works to Abbey House, which the notice describes as the office of the Mayor of Winchester.
Dates on the record
Assessment summaries were sent to tenderers on 4 September 2026, the same day the award notice was published. The standstill period ends at 23:59 on 15 September 2026. The scheduled signature date is 17 September 2026 and the contract period on the notice runs from 17 September 2026 to 29 February 2028, so a little under eighteen months for both stages together.
The award status on the record is pending rather than active, which is consistent with a standstill that has not yet expired. The contracting authority is recorded at Colebrook Street, Winchester.
The notice does not publish a breakdown between the pre-construction and construction stages, a target cost or guaranteed maximum price, the form of contract, or the reason a single tender was received. It does not state the listing status of the building or say whether listed building consent has been obtained for the ceiling openings, the balcony or the roof replacement, and it does not give a decant or occupation strategy for a building that houses the mayor's office. None of that is on the record and none of it is asserted here.