Contract award

Robertson wins 12.5 million pound Gamble Building main works in St Helens

By Staff Writer  |  09-09-2026

St Helens Council has awarded the main works contract for the refurbishment and extension of the Gamble Building in St Helens town centre to Robertson Construction North West Limited at a contract value of 12,500,000 pounds excluding VAT (15,000,000 pounds including VAT). The award decision is dated 4 September 2026 and the contract award notice was published on Find a Tender on 8 September 2026 at 4.26pm. Ten tenders were received.

What the contract covers

The notice describes a requirement to appoint a contractor to deliver the main works associated with the Gamble Building Refurbishment Project. The council's stated purpose is to appoint a suitably qualified and experienced contractor to undertake the core refurbishment works and the construction of a new extension, in accordance with the approved project scope and programme. The main purpose of the project, in the council's words, is to repurpose the Gamble Building into a cultural and learning hub with flexible spaces for social, educational and cultural activities, and to make it more modern and inclusive.

The council describes the Gamble Building as a heritage asset located in St Helens town centre. To balance cost, quality and risk, it proposed a two-stage design and build contract let through a competitive tendering process. The notice records that a pre-construction services agreement sum of 736,646.55 pounds has been approved and that, subject to final costings and negotiation, the project will progress to the build stage. That PCSA sum is separate from the 12,500,000 pound contract value recorded against the main works contract.

The award

The single contract, titled The Gamble - Main Works, goes to Robertson Construction North West Limited. The contract value is 12,500,000 pounds excluding VAT and 15,000,000 pounds including VAT, which the notice marks as above the relevant threshold. The award decision date is 4 September 2026, assessment summaries were sent to tenderers on 8 September 2026, and the earliest date the contract will be signed is 15 October 2026. The estimated contract dates are 7 December 2026 to 30 May 2028, a period the notice gives as one year, five months and 24 days.

The main procurement category is works and the CPV classification is 45000000, construction work. The contract location is recorded as UKD7, Merseyside. The procedure was the competitive flexible procedure under the Procurement Act 2023.

Ten tenders were received. Two were assessed in the final stage, one of them submitted by a small or medium-sized enterprise and none by a voluntary, community or social enterprise. One supplier was awarded a contract and one was unsuccessful. Because the contract is over 5,000,000 pounds, the notice names the unsuccessful final-stage bidder: H.H. Smith and Sons Co. Limited of Bury Old Road, Manchester, which the notice records as an SME in the Greater Manchester North East region.

Robertson Construction North West Limited is recorded with Companies House number 12728498 and an address at Level 4, West Tower, Gateshead. The notice records it as not an SME, not a voluntary, community or social enterprise, not a supported employment provider and not a public service mutual. Its region is given as UKC22, Tyneside, and its bid contact is a north west bidding address.

What the record does not say

The notice does not give a floor area for the building or the extension, does not break the 12,500,000 pound figure down between refurbishment and new build, and does not state the second-stage mechanism by which the two-stage design and build contract will convert to a fixed price. It does not name the design team, the form of contract or the funding source for the project. The programme dates are estimates and the contract has not yet been signed; the earliest signing date is 15 October 2026. Nothing beyond the notice wording should be inferred about the scope.

The contracting authority is St Helens Council, Town Hall, St Helens, WA10 1HP, recorded as a public authority in sub-central government in the East Merseyside region. Procurement enquiries are directed to the STAR Procurement shared service by email.