Museum Building Repairs and Accessible WC

Whitstable Museum is part of Canterbury City Council's museums service, but is operated and funded by Whitstable Community Museum & Gallery charity (Reg. 1171101), which is an Arts Council England accredited museum in its own right.

The charity has obtained an Arts Council England MEND grant to repair part of the museum fabric, under the direction of Clague Architects. Planning permission has been obtained. The various buildings were brick built around 1890 and are grade II listed. The architect's plans provide the detailed description of works required and scale of work.

Repair and improvement work will include: Repair of brick west wall, pointing and damp prevention. Removal of concrete at wall base to insert sub-floor ventilation. Removal of lowered ceiling in Maritime Hall to reveal apex roof and original 1890 wood roof trusses. Roof structure possibly to be improved by additional purlins if required. Install insulation at rafter level. Resolving damp from earth floor by reducing earth height, introduce vapour barrier, repair joists and reinstate wood plank floor. Insulation to walls, floor and roof as required, reinstate skirting. Install internal MgO wall board. Repair Kent Peg roof cover to Peter Cushing Hall, insulate roof. Rebuild small flat-roof extension, install kitchenette. Install wheelchair accessible WC. Install new external fire door. Reinstate all wiring, alarm systems and pipework as specified. Redecorate all internal and any external surfaces to good quality. Museum lighting in two rooms (option) Heating and ventilation improvements TBA (option)

How to apply: Respond by email to [email protected] Date Monday 2nd October 2023, by 5:00pm.

Additional information: Required Information / Selection Criteria Provide evidence of your expertise in the repair of historic buildings. Explain the work for which you will use in-house employed staff and the work that will require sub-contracting. Name your sub-contractors and provide evidence the quality of their work. Provide three references for similar scale work you have delivered as principal contractor to similar public buildings, preferably listed, completed in the last five years, with a name, position, email and phone contacts. Provide detailed costing for the project broken down into the above sections. Be aware that there are other costs to be covered by the budget including architect, surveys and fees. Explain how you will schedule the work in order to complete the work within the set timescale (March 2024) so that the museum can fully reopen. Explain how you will communicate with the client and architect and how you will deal with unexpected challenges during construction. Provide your risk assessment and method statement for the project, based on the technical specifications provided. Provide certificates of insurance. Provide your Health and Safety Policy.

Selection Method Contractors may contact [email protected] with questions before submission date. Please note that the museum is operated by volunteers and an immediate response may not be possible. Depending on the scale of response, after closing date we will invite building contractors that have provided evidence of quality, timing and best value to site meetings to refine their understanding.