How to Win Architecture Work in the Public Sector

In this Architecture Social conversation, Jacob Willson, Head of Design at Be First, and Amandeep Kalra, Associate Director in the Be First design team, explain how architects win and deliver work in the public sector. Recorded as a live stream and running about 59 minutes, it covers procurement, frameworks, fees, pitching and what an in-house local authority design team actually does.

Who this is for

Architects, architectural assistants, Part 1 and Part 2 students, technologists and small or emerging practices who want to understand public sector clients, win work through frameworks, and price and pitch projects with more confidence. It is also useful for designers weighing a move between private practice and the public sector.

Learning outcomes

After listening you will be able to:

1. Describe what an in-house local authority design team does across the RIBA stages, from strategic brief to handover.
2. Explain how public sector clients procure architects through frameworks and why this differs from private practice.
3. Recognise how quality and price are weighted in evaluation and what that means for your submission.
4. Identify practical ways small and diverse practices can access public sector work.
5. Approach fees and scope more transparently and avoid common pricing pitfalls.
6. Prepare a stronger pitch by leading with a clear vision and fielding the right people.

What an in-house design team actually does

Be First's design and sustainability team works across four areas: a design studio producing master plans, strategies and capacity studies; a planning function that supports the statutory service and reviews major applications across the borough; design management that clients projects from procuring an architect through to handover; and strategic, research-led work. The team describes its remit as running from the door handle to the master plan.

Public sector versus private practice

Much of a public sector design team's work happens upstream, before a traditional brief exists. The team spends significant time, sometimes one to two years on larger projects, testing options and aligning stakeholders so the brief is robust and an appointed architect can hit the ground running. Working continually in one borough builds deep local knowledge of residents, politicians, planners and sites.

How public sector projects are procured

Public bodies are bound by procurement rules designed to demonstrate value for money and avoid favouritism. Work is typically commissioned through frameworks, so getting onto the right frameworks is central to winning public sector work. Be First also commissions occasionally through other public panels such as those run by the Greater London Authority.

Weighting quality over price

Be First has weighted quality at around 70 per cent and price at around 30 per cent, the reverse of the traditional balance. The aim is to reward design quality rather than encourage low-balling, and competitions are often deliberately light, sometimes a single concept drawing, to reveal how a team responds to a site.

Opening the door to small and diverse practices

The team has worked to bring smaller and more diverse practices into its frameworks, including asking consortiums to set out action plans against the stages of an architect's career and the Mayor's Supporting Diversity guidance. Advice for small practices includes partnering with larger practices whose values align, gaining experience through public frameworks, and proactively helping councils pursue grants and funding.

Setting and improving fees

Be First typically budgets in the region of 11 to 13 per cent for professional services across the RIBA stages, and values clear briefs that let architects price accurately. To improve fees, the team suggests bringing a genuine area of expertise or USP, working efficiently and avoiding unpaid off-piste effort that repeats work already done upstream, and being deliberate about the quantum of output for each stage.

Pitching and winning trust

Strong pitches lead with a clear vision, often a single diagram, rather than dwelling on past projects. Fielding the right person matters: the project architect who knows the scheme and can convey it clearly is often more persuasive than a director reciting a back catalogue. Reading the room and avoiding jargon helps non-designers buy in.

Moving between sectors, technology and the future

Be First's team draws heavily on private-sector experience in commerciality, people management and project delivery, and the guests encourage architects to move between sectors. The team invests in BIM, modern methods of construction, retrofit and sustainability, and is piloting digital twins, installing sensors in completed homes to monitor performance and feed richer briefs. They also welcome architectural apprenticeships as a route into the profession with less debt.

Key terms

• Framework: a pre-approved panel of practices a public body can commission from without a full tender each time.
• Procurement: the regulated process public bodies use to select and appoint consultants and contractors.
• Quality/price weighting: how an evaluation splits marks between design quality and fee.
• Design management / guardianship: client-side oversight of a project from brief and procurement through to handover.
• Design code: a document setting design requirements for an area or estate.
• Digital twin: a monitored digital model of a building used to compare designed and actual performance.

Reflective prompts for your CPD record

1. Which public sector frameworks are relevant to your practice, and what would it take to get onto them?
2. How clearly does your typical pitch lead with a project vision, and who is best placed to present it?
3. Where in your current fee approach could greater transparency or a clearer USP improve both win rate and margin?

About the guests

Jacob Willson is an architect and design leader who, at the time of this conversation, was Head of Design at Be First, the regeneration company wholly owned by Barking and Dagenham Council. Amandeep Kalra is an architect and urban designer who was an Associate Director in the Be First design team, working across strategic visions, brief writing, design and project management with residents, planners and policymakers. Together they led a small in-house design and sustainability team delivering regeneration across the borough.