Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust has begun market engagement ahead of a planned £30m ward refurbishment programme, with a formal tender expected in January 2027.
The engagement will help the Trust assess contractor capacity and interest before launching the procurement, which will cover Guy’s Hospital, St Thomas’ Hospital, Evelina London Children’s Hospital, Royal Brompton Hospital, Harefield Hospital and associated community sites.
The programme is valued at £30m excluding VAT.
The Trust said the programme would use a risk-based approach to prioritise investment, with individual ward refurbishment requirements determined through detailed surveys, risk assessments and cost modelling.
The works are expected to include general ward modernisation, ventilation upgrades and building safety compliance, alongside improvements to existing building management systems, nurse call systems, medical gas infrastructure, security, fire alarms, data and IT.
Building Safety Act Gateway 2 applications may also be required where applicable.
Long-term refurbishment contract
The Trust is seeking a long-term contractor relationship that can accommodate changing project scopes and different construction values across its estate.
The procurement is intended to provide flexibility to deliver individual refurbishment projects according to clinical, infrastructure and statutory risks, while maintaining affordability and continuity of hospital operations.
The Trust also wants the arrangement to support the delivery of its wider construction programme, which includes a number of projects already taking place across its estate.
The proposed contract is scheduled to run from 1 June 2027 to 31 May 2032, with a possible extension to 31 May 2034.
The Trust said the procurement would need to support a continued workflow of projects and potentially allow for a permanent contractor presence on site, although this would not be guaranteed.
The tender is also intended to provide opportunities for suitably qualified small and medium-sized enterprises and smaller local suppliers, while promoting social value for the Trust and the surrounding community.
The scope excludes specialist areas such as operating theatres, catheterisation laboratories and major medical equipment programmes, which will be procured separately.
Contractors have until 30 November 2026 to respond to the Trust’s market engagement questionnaire.
The formal tender is currently expected to be published on 1 January 2027.
No main contractor has yet been appointed.
Related projects across the Trust’s estate
The planned programme comes as Guy’s and St Thomas’ continues to develop and modernise facilities across its hospital estate.
In September, the Trust completed a three-week refurbishment of Edward ward at Evelina London Children’s Hospital, creating a dedicated environment for young patients with upgraded clinical infrastructure, including a new nurse call system, additional medical gas provision and electrical resilience improvements.
The Trust is also progressing a new surgical centre at Guy’s Hospital, designed by Ryder and being delivered by McLaughlin & Harvey.
The eight-storey facility will include six operating theatres and 17 recovery rooms.
Separately, Sisk has been appointed to deliver the £67.8m Evelina London Children’s Cancer Centre, with pre-construction works underway.
The new ward refurbishment procurement is at the market engagement stage, with the final scope and individual projects still to be confirmed.
