Following the launch of our international design team selection process on 10 July, we were very pleased to receive initial submissions from a large number of design teams by the 25 September deadline.
With the support of RIBA and MHCLG, compliance checks are being carried out to make sure the teams have submitted the correct paperwork.
A substantial number of prospective teams, both national and international, are now going through the first round of due diligence checks. This is being done to make sure that the teams who have submitted have no links to organisations from the Grenfell Tower Inquiry core participant list. This stage is, understandably, of utmost importance to the bereaved families, survivors, and all those affected by this terrible tragedy.
The evaluation process will then take place. This is where the teams that have passed compliance and due diligence checks will be evaluated, in accordance with the criteria set out in the design brief. The teams that score most highly will then be reduced down to a shortlist of no more than five teams.
There will then be a second stage of due diligence for the shortlisted teams that have been identified. This will include a second in-depth check of the lead applicant in each bidding team, and their supply chain (the companies and individuals that make up their multi-disciplinary team), as well as further checks on individuals of significant control within the team, such as directors.
These shortlisted teams will proceed to phase 2 of the selection process, which will include structured meetings with the Grenfell community. This is a crucial part of the process and we are keen for the Grenfell community to be involved. We will write out to the community, nearer the time, with further details about those meetings.
Paying for the future memorial
The government has committed to paying for the future memorial on the site of Grenfell Tower, as well as for a digital memorial. It has advised us that government officials will continue to work closely with us and our design advisors to ensure ‘you have the support, expertise and clarity you need, including to develop the detail of the budget.’ The government has also committed, in response to our assertions about the memorial being sensitively and respectfully maintained in the long term, that ‘the government should be the funder of last resort.’
Earlier this year, in May 2024, Michael Gove MP – the former Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, published on X that he was glad to he had been able to ‘secure funding for a permanent memorial to those we lost’.
For more information, or to speak with us, please go to our contact page.