Four-year deal to be opened up to other housing providers and local authorities

Architects are vying for places on a 拢20m design framework for social housing launched by housing association L&Q.

Up to 30 practices will be invited to tender for the four-year framework, which will be used to procure design services for new build social housing projects across the UK.

Hawkins Brown's proposals for the Citroen site at Brentford

Hawkins Brown鈥檚 proposals for L&Q鈥檚 441-home Citroen site at Brentford

Other social housing providers, including local authorities and their housing companies, will also be able to call off contracts from the framework with L&Q鈥檚 consent.

Interested practices have until 4 October to send in bids for the two-stage process.

The first stage consists of a selection questionnaire which will be scored by L&Q, with successful firms then given access to pricing documents. Tenderers will be briefed by L&Q as to what they will need to submit at the second stage.

Architects on the organisation鈥檚 current 拢50m design framework include AHMM, Hawkins\Brown, Studio Egret West, Sheppard Robson, Allies and Morrison, Morris & Company and Haworth Tompkins.

L&Q, a member of the G15 group of London鈥檚 largest housing associations, is one of the largest providers of affordable housing in the UK with more than 95,000 homes across the capital and the South-east.

Ridge, Hoare Lea and PRP were among firms to land places on two L&Q fire safety frameworks in January.