People · Podcast guest
Jacob Willson
How to Win Projects in the Public Sector, ft. Be First London
Jacob Willson, Head of Design at Be First, on public sector procurement, frameworks, fees and pitching, featured on the Architecture Social Podcast.
- Current role
- Head of Design
- Practice
- Be First
- Location
- Barking, London
Conversation
The thinking behind the work.
Episode 0215 · Architecture Social
How to Win Projects in the Public Sector, ft. Be First London
Dive deep with us as Jacob Willson and Amandeep Kalra from Be First open up about the transformative power of architecture and urban design in Barking and Dagenham. Their mission? To collaborate with communities in creating thriving, sustainable neighborhoods through top-notch housing, energy efficiency, and public spaces everyone can take pride in. With a mix of architecture, urban design, landscape, and sustainability expertise, they're not just designing buildings; they're crafting the future
Explore episode moments
Use the timestamps below to find each moment in the full episode.
- 05:00 · Design studio work, masterplans and client advice · Audio only
- 10:00 · The breadth of public-sector design work · Audio only
- 15:00 · Procurement, due diligence and choosing practices · Audio only
- 20:00 · Quality scoring versus price in tenders · Audio only
- 25:00 · How small practices can access public-sector work · Audio only
- 30:00 · Fees, budgets and professional services · Audio only
Selected work
Selected work.
Barking, London, United Kingdom · 2023
Industria
London's first new-generation multi-storey ramped industrial scheme, providing 45 units and more than 100,000 sq ft in Barking.
Explore the project ↗About
The story so far.
The person behind the 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.
Watch or listen to the full conversation in the Architecture Social CPD: How to Win Architecture Work in the Public Sector.
The practice
Be First
Be First is the regeneration company wholly owned by Barking and Dagenham Council, delivering new homes, jobs and public spaces across the borough.
Architecture practice · Greater London
Expertise
What I bring.
- Current role
- Head of Design
- Practice
- Be First
- Location
- Barking, London
- On the podcast
- 1 episode · 2024
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