March 6 2023

The Glasgow School of Art has come in for stinging criticism after the Mackintosh Project development board abruptly closed its hunt for an architect, one year after the multi-million project was put out to tender.

Subject to two devastating blazes the scaffold-shrouded landmark has been thrown back into limbo, throwing a question mark over the work of practices who have been working on tender proposals since last March.

Blaming an unspecified 'technical error in the scoring matrix used in the procurement process' the school said that its search would be halted and 'no appointment will be made', while it asks the architects involved to consider resubmitting their tenders.

Speaking to the BBC in the wake of the fiasco, architect Alan Dunlop said: "It's left the board open to criticism and led to further delay. I'm alarmed and sad because I thought the Art School had turned a corner after stripping out debris from the building's interior.

"You won't find any criticism of the process by the architects on the shortlist because they don't want to jeopardise the potential to get involved in the project again."

Initial post-2014 restoration efforts were led by Page\Park before a second blaze in 2018 threw their plans into disarray. 

14 Comments

#1 Posted by Mark on 6 Mar 2023 at 14:57 PM

The curse of GSA strikes again. Perhaps the Art School will end up like Caledonia Road Church, a similar tribute paid by Glasgow to one of its best architects.

#2 Posted by GlasgowSmilesBetter on 6 Mar 2023 at 15:13 PM

Not exactly setting the heather on fire .....

#3 Posted by Roddy on 6 Mar 2023 at 16:16 PM

There's no smoke without fire !

#4 Posted by spike on 6 Mar 2023 at 16:36 PM

You would think since it is a school of architecture it would be well within their capabilities to manage this process efficiently and in a timely manner.........

#5 Posted by Keith Flint on 6 Mar 2023 at 18:10 PM

Quite frankly in find the comments on here Inflammatory.

#6 Posted by Roddy_ on 6 Mar 2023 at 20:42 PM

This is a horrible error to have occurred and you'd have thought that the project managers would have checked, double checked and triple checked the tender invitation prior to being published. Alas no. But we are all human and errors happen. Let's hope it is the last stumbling block prior to commencing the contract.
Without knowing the full details of the error, it is difficult to make any judgements, but hopefully it is a case of small amendments to each tender return and a quick assessment and turnaround.
We need it back and at the earliest opportunity -it is the most important building in the city and arguably Scotland.

#7 Posted by Bob ra Builder on 6 Mar 2023 at 21:01 PM

Flamming Nora!

#8 Posted by Fat Bloke on Tour on 7 Mar 2023 at 09:09 AM

The lack of self awareness is horrible to watch from the outside -- all it needs is two words to fully explain the national disgrace that is the Mack rebuild ...

Notre Dame.

When will that project / rebuild be finished?

#9 Posted by Sir Kier Starter on 7 Mar 2023 at 09:15 AM

Astounded that Art School can’t find their perfect “Match”

#10 Posted by Wee Boab on 7 Mar 2023 at 16:03 PM

Cmon No #6 we all know that’s not how it’s done. Client decides who they want then issues tender docs , then makes a f’up of it and they go back to the start.

Procurement rules ! What bright spark thought of that !

#11 Posted by Mies Van Der Toe on 8 Mar 2023 at 11:08 AM

#6 Roddy- You've just made a judgment....without knowing the full details- I understand the GSA ran the procurement direct

#12 Posted by demoman on 8 Mar 2023 at 13:05 PM

Knock it down.....this is the second shot and they still can't get it right. Couple of hundred flats on the site would sort it out.

#13 Posted by Roddy_ on 8 Mar 2023 at 20:51 PM

@#11 Not entirely sure what point you're trying to make in relation to my post. When I mention 'project managers' I mean the project managers in the GSA Estates Team. FYI and others - here is the invitation to tender on the Public Contracts Scotland website. https://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/search/show/search_view.aspx?ID=MAR444012.
Worth reading.

#14 Posted by OssianLore on 9 Mar 2023 at 12:43 PM

I'd laugh if it were in the slightest bit funny.

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