Home Office Awards £4.6M in Design Contracts for Proposed Asylum Sites

The UK Home Office has awarded Kier and Reds10 design-stage contracts totaling £4.6 million including VAT for proposed asylum-seeker accommodation at the former MoD Barnham and MoD Bicester sites. The work covers RIBA stages 3–4 detailed design under two-stage design-and-build arrangements. The awards represent an early procurement phase for projects intended to help reduce reliance on hotels for people seeking asylum; they do not establish that either site will proceed to construction.

Kier received the £3.4 million Barnham contract for refurbishment and modular accommodation proposals. Signed on 12 October 2026, it was placed through the government’s Construction Works and Associated Services framework and is scheduled to run until 25 January 2027. Reds10 received the £1.2 million Bicester contract, signed on 3 November 2026 through the Offsite Construction Solutions framework. Its design stage is due to end on 5 January 2027. Award notices for both contracts were published on 9 November.

The procurement structure is important for contractors and suppliers assessing potential pipeline. These are design-stage appointments under two-stage arrangements, not awards for the subsequent building works. The Home Office has explicitly stated that it is not committed to entering into either second-stage construction contract; notices say further awards will be published if those works proceed. Companies should therefore treat construction as a conditional opportunity rather than committed demand, and distinguish the current framework-based design awards from any future procurement decision.

The Bicester proposal has received planning permission, but that does not resolve whether the Home Office will use the site. On 12 November, communities secretary Angela Rayner granted permission for the proposed scheme near Piddington, which could accommodate up to 1,256 people. Plans include demolition of existing buildings, new modular accommodation, health and welfare facilities, and a wastewater treatment plant. The department says it is continuing feasibility and other assessments and has not made a final decision on Bicester. The Home Office is also considering Barnham for asylum accommodation, leaving both proposed projects subject to further departmental decisions.

• Kier’s Barnham award: £3.4 million including VAT for refurbishment and modular accommodation design; signed 12 October 2026.
• Reds10’s Bicester award: £1.2 million including VAT for design work; signed 3 November 2026.
• Both contracts cover RIBA stages 3–4 under two-stage design-and-build arrangements.
• Barnham was procured through the Construction Works and Associated Services framework; its design stage is scheduled to end 25 January 2027.
• Bicester was procured through the Offsite Construction Solutions framework; its design stage is due to end 5 January 2027.
• The Home Office has not committed to either second-stage building works contract; any construction opportunity remains conditional.
• Angela Rayner granted planning permission for the Bicester proposal on 12 November, but the Home Office says it has not made a final decision to use the site.
• The Bicester scheme near Piddington could accommodate up to 1,256 people and includes demolition, modular accommodation, health and welfare facilities, and wastewater treatment.
• Both site proposals are part of efforts to reduce reliance on hotels for people seeking asylum; suppliers should monitor feasibility outcomes and any subsequent award notices.