In February 2013, Transport for London (TfL) invited three companies to tender for the design contract of the pedestrian footbridge from Temple to South Bank.
Heatherwick Studio was awarded the £60,000 contract.
A report released by the GLA Oversight Committee, comprising of four scrutiny meetings and intensive investigations, revealed that the majority of its members believed that Boris Johnson should have been more “upfront about the range and nature of contacts between his office, TfL senior management and Heatherwick Studio”.
The report also found a series of procedural errors in the procurement process and that the final published audit failed to address the original objective.
Len Duvall, Assembly Member and Chair of the GLA Oversight Committee, claimed that the whole process was “badly handled from start to finish”.
“TfL started work without a clear idea of the extent of its eventual involvement, which led to confusion among staff and managers in the early stages of the project.
“The mayor’s private office was less than honest about where he was, what he was doing there and why.
“In fact, the situation probably appeared worse than it actually was – due to the secretive and defensive nature of various responses from TfL and the mayor.”
Len claimed there was confusion about the purpose of the bridge, saying only Heatherwick Studio was fully aware of the desire for a ‘Garden Bridge’ while the two other companies had tendered for a pedestrian bridge.
“What should be a great tourist attraction, has been tainted by the dodgy design procurement process,” Len said.
“Whether the Garden Bridge can overcome its controversial beginnings, will remain to be seen.”
To view the full report, click here.
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