A structure for success
The Restoration and Renewal Programme will be managed and governed in a two-tier structure, similar to the 2012 London Olympics and other successful infrastructure projects. The Sponsor Body is the single client accountable to Parliament and oversees a Delivery Authority, which carries out the work. This way of working was set up under new legislation, the Parliamentary Buildings (Restoration and Renewal) Act 2019.
The Palace of Westminster, home of Parliament, is one of the most loved and recognised buildings in the world, but it’s falling apart faster than it can be fixed and is in urgent need of repair.
Restoring and renewing the Palace will create thousands of new jobs and apprenticeships, while involving craftspeople and businesses from across the UK in a national effort.
The Sponsor Body
The Sponsor Body is the single client accountable to Parliament and oversees a Delivery Authority which carries out the work. It will prepare a business case for decision by both Houses. The Sponsor Body was established in shadow form in July 2018 and became a statutory organisation separate from Parliament in April 2020. It owns the scope, budget and timescale of the Restoration and Renewal programme.
The Sponsor Body is responsible for setting the strategic direction of the project, providing leadership and good governance, liaising with parliamentarians and other stakeholders, monitoring performance and preparing the business case, which is a set of options and cost estimates.
The Delivery Authority
The Delivery Authority will develop and deliver the work to the scope, budget and timescale set down by the Sponsor Body. It was set up as a company limited by guarantee and will procure and manage the contractors and supply chain. The Delivery Authority will engage a team of architects, engineers, project managers and contractors who will shape the future direction of the work, which is the biggest and most complex renovation of a heritage building ever undertaken in the UK.
The Delivery Authority is responsible for the work on the Palace of Westminster, including all the preparatory surveys which started in 2019 and will be carried out throughout 2020-21. It will also deliver temporary accommodation for the House of Lords during the programme’s decant phase.
One of its key tasks will be to support the Sponsor Body in the development of the Outline Business Case, which will be presented to both Houses of Parliament for their decision.
