People · Podcast guest
Jacob Willson
Head of Design · Be First
Head of Design at Be First, the regeneration company owned by Barking and Dagenham Council.
- Current role
- Head of Design
- Practice
- Be First
- Location
- Barking, London
- On the podcast
- 1 episode · 2024
The story so far
The path behind Jacob's work.
Jacob Willson is an architect and design leader. At the time of this Architecture Social conversation he was Head of Design at Be First, the regeneration company wholly owned by the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham, where he built and led an in-house design and sustainability team working across master planning, design codes and client-side delivery.
On the podcast he set out how a local authority design team operates from the earliest strategic brief through to handover, why public sector procurement is structured the way it is, and how practices can win and price work through frameworks. He is a strong advocate for leading projects with a clear vision and for opening public sector work to smaller and more diverse practices.
Episode 0215 · Architecture Social · 59:06
How to Win Projects in the Public Sector, ft. Be First London
Public-sector work can look opaque from the outside, especially for smaller practices trying to understand procurement, fees, quality scoring and how to avoid wasting time on the wrong bids.
Inside the conversation
6 moments to start with- 01
00:00 · Introduction to Be First and Barking and Dagenham
- 02
05:00 · Design studio work, masterplans and client advice
- 03
10:00 · The breadth of public-sector design work
- 04
15:00 · Procurement, due diligence and choosing practices
- 05
20:00 · Quality scoring versus price in tenders
- 06
25:00 · How small practices can access public-sector work
Profile in brief
The work and context behind Jacob's conversation.
- Current role
- Head of Design
- Practice
- Be First
- Location
- Barking, London
Continue exploring
Meet the practice behind the work.
Be First is the regeneration company wholly owned by Barking and Dagenham Council, delivering new homes, jobs and public spaces across the borough.
- Greater London
- Masterplanning
- Residential (Affordable Housing)
- Retrofit
Podcast · moments that play
Start where the idea starts.
- 05:00Jacob Willson · Audio onlyListen from 05:00 in the full episode.
Design studio work, masterplans and client advice
- 10:00Jacob Willson · Audio onlyListen from 10:00 in the full episode.
The breadth of public-sector design work
- 15:00Jacob Willson · Audio onlyListen from 15:00 in the full episode.
Procurement, due diligence and choosing practices
- 20:00Jacob Willson · Audio onlyListen from 20:00 in the full episode.
Quality scoring versus price in tenders
- 25:00Jacob Willson · Audio onlyListen from 25:00 in the full episode.
How small practices can access public-sector work
- 30:00Jacob Willson · Audio onlyListen from 30:00 in the full episode.
Fees, budgets and professional services
Selected work from Be First
One project, one connected practice.
A closer look at the practice’s work
Industria
London's first new-generation multi-storey ramped industrial scheme, providing 45 units and more than 100,000 sq ft in Barking.
View project →