The competition was launched in June 1996

1.8  The FCO advertised for bids in the Official Journal of the European Communities (OJEC) in June 1996. Before finalising the advertisement the FCO considered a number of design options:

■  inviting bids on the basis of the Wilford design already under development and partly paid for. The FCO recognised, however, that the Wilford design brief did not make maximum use of the site;

■  inviting bids for a scheme which developed the site at a higher density, still based on the development of the Wilford design, and using the additional space to accommodate other users. Commercial use was, as noted above, constrained by planning restrictions; and

■  inviting bidders to develop new designs which maximised the development potential of the site.

1.9  The FCO recognised that following the principles of PFI would support adoption of the final option, but decided it would delay delivery of the Embassy unacceptably. They concluded that the best option was to retain the main elements of the Wilford design while allowing some commercial development of the site.

1.10  The OJEC advertisement therefore called for bids based on development of the Wilford design and retention of the existing design team (Figure 3). Bidders were asked to suggest additional activities consistent with diplomatic use and the planning regulations. In the event proposals received for commercial development were not pursued by the FCO because the benefits did not merit the additional risk including higher security risks and higher costs which would have been incurred .