Appointing Professional Advisers
This page describes ways of appointing your main professional adviser. An adviser will help you carry out a grant-aided repair project in compliance with the Procurement Act 2023 and our grant conditions.
If you have already appointed a main professional adviser
If you are applying for a grant from us and you have already appointed a main professional adviser with conservation accreditation or certification, you will need to check that the way you appointed them meets the guidance as set out in the procurement process below. We will discuss this with you during the assessment of your grant application.
If you haven't already appointed a main professional adviser
If you haven't already appointed a professional adviser with conservation accreditation or certification as the main professional adviser for your project, you should do so following the relevant procurement process set out below. Please remember that they must have conservation accreditation and certification. We'll discuss this with you during the assessment of your grant application.
To find more information on how to select your main professional adviser, including details about the range of conservation accreditation and certification schemes for professionals, visit our Conservation Accreditation for Professionals web page.
The process you need to follow will be determined by the value of your professional appointments. You will need to estimate the value of the professional fees for your project. It is important to determine whether your professional appointments will be over the services threshold, including VAT (see the GOV.UK website for the up-to-date services threshold). For reference from 1 January 2024 to 31 December 2025, the services threshold is £139,688 (including VAT).
Where you expect several phases, you should add up the total value of fees for advisers of the same discipline (for example, architect) to determine which threshold applies. Where the expected value of fees is just below a threshold, you may want to follow the process for that threshold in case the cost does increase.
The procurement process
By the time you start your project, you'll need to have appointed professional advisers with the appropriate ability, experience, and conservation knowledge, as set out in the Historic England Report written by one of our specialists for your grant project. This is one of the conditions of the grant contract. This is one of the conditions of the grant contract.
Once you've appointed a main professional adviser for the project, you can ask them to help you appoint any other advisers as set out in the Historic England Report. They can also advertise and seek tenders for the building works on your behalf. You should have a written contract with each of them.
Small professional appointments
Small professional appointments up to £12,000 including VAT are unlikely to need to be advertised and go through a tender process. But it will be necessary to demonstrate good value for money. This could be done by obtaining 1 to 3 written quotations on the basis of an open and transparent process which clearly states the criteria (where applicable) upon which the contract will be awarded.
Professional appointments
Professional appointments worth over £12,000 and up to the services threshold including VAT must demonstrate good value for money by seeking tenders; it is good practice to obtain at least 3 written tenders. You can also follow a process to advertise your opportunity if desired. You should consider quality as well as cost in this appointment. See the GOV.UK website for the up-to-date services threshold. For reference from 1 January 2024 to 31 December 2025 the services threshold is £139,688 (including VAT).
We recommend that you follow the process set out below:
- Advertise or obtain at least 3 written tenders from professionals with conservation accreditation or certification from a recognised body
- Tenders should be obtained on the basis of a relevant standard form of written contract, or other comprehensive written terms and conditions document, amended as necessary to grant the client a perpetual, non-exclusive, royalty-free licence to use any intellectual property rights in any material prepared or developed pursuant to the contract
- Evaluate the tenders received on the basis of the criteria set out in the invitation to tender documentation
- Finally, award the commission on the basis set out in points 2 and 3 above
- Provide feedback to the unsuccessful suppliers
Large projects
For large projects, where the estimated fees exceed the published threshold for services current at the time of the procurement, there is a requirement to advertise on the central digital platform (CDP). We, therefore, advise you to check the detailed guidance and current thresholds for publicly funded services on the GOV.UK website. From 1 January 2024 to 31 December 2025 the services threshold is £139,688 (including VAT). Please check the GOV.UK website for the up-to-date threshold. If you think your project is one of these large projects, please contact your local Historic England office who will provide further advice, and in some cases can provide support with advertising the opportunity.
You should keep records of the procurement process so that you can show how you have appointed the professional advisers. We may ask you for details of this.
Contact us
For further guidance, please contact your local Historic England office.