Proposals to award contract of £160k for Re-imagining the Harris project put forward

The plans, approved by members of Preston City Council’s Cabinet on Wednesday, would see the money split into £50k for the development phase and £110k for the delivery phase.

Cabinet was also asked to delegate authority to award the contract to the executive member for Culture and Leisure and the interim deputy chief executive.

The Harris was awarded an initial development grant of £180,900 from the National Lottery Heritage Fund (NLHF) in December 2018 to reinvent its space. It was second time lucky for the historic building, which houses an art gallery, museum and library. In August 2018, the city council had submitted the second bid to the NLHF to transform the Harris to ensure it stays at the centre of the city’s cultural heart.

The funding means that bosses at the Harris can now put together a more in-depth bid to NLHF for the full funding required to make the project a reality.

Now the council is preparing to tender for the contract to deliver the project. Documents state: “The project manager has a pivotal role and has to ensure that the project as a whole is successful, delivering the required products to the required quality and to the agreed budget and time scales. The contract for the procurement of project management services will span the development phase of the capital project to the submission of the round two application and the delivery phase if the round two application is successful.”

To ensure a smooth transition in to the delivery phase of the scheme it is planned to carry out one procurement exercise to appoint the project manager for both phases.