What it really takes: delivering for the public sector with Will McDonagh
3rd November 2026
It’s a pivotal time for the public sector office estate. Estates are being rethought. Buildings are being consolidated. Services are moving under one roof.
As Construction Director at BW, Will has spent over a decade delivering major workplace fit out projects across London and the South East, for clients in both the public and private sectors. He brings teams together, champions BW’s Defect Free approach and leads a culture of spotting site issues early and fixing them fast.
We sat down with Will to find out what it really takes to deliver for the public sector.
Where do you start with a public sector office project?
It always starts with really understanding the client’s brief, and the sector behind it. What pressures are they under? What are their priorities?
Public sector projects have more layers of governance, more people involved in decisions and clear rules on how work is tendered and what it needs to deliver. That shapes everything, from the programme and procurement route to how we develop and present fit out options.
What’s influencing public sector workplace projects right now?
There’s a growing focus on making existing estates work harder, just as we’re seeing in the private sector.
The Government Property Agency’s 2026/27 Business Plan sets out its ambition for a “smaller, better and greener” office estate. Its Plan for London is also focused on consolidating the estate and making better use of existing buildings. Both point the same way: public sector projects are now about getting more from existing assets, modernising workplaces and creating long-term value from a more curated estate.
For us, that means understanding what the client wants to achieve from day one, and putting the right strategy, team and programme in place to deliver it.
In fit out terms, we’re seeing more projects where workplaces need to adapt so several public sector services can share one building.
Often, that work happens while people are still using the building. So we phase work floor by floor, sometimes work outside normal hours and plan the sequence of works around the client’s operations. Clear, proactive communication is just as important. Everyone needs to know what’s happening, when, and how it might affect them. On occupied projects, we treat tenant liaison as a discipline in its own right, not just another line in the comms plan.
How does that change when a building has heritage constraints?
Our work with the Government Property Agency (GPA) on a heritage refurbishment in Westminster is a good example.
Our experience with listed buildings helped us secure an approval that hadn’t been achieved before we came on board. We also worked closely with GPA and the consultant team on a smooth handover. Finished floors were in use as soon as they were complete, while we carried on delivering the rest. That gave the client the chance to feed back as we went, so any adjustments were made before final handover.
A spokesperson for the Government Property Agency said: “We are thankful to BW for the exemplary work completed on these heritage buildings. It was important for GPA to collaborate with experts who understood our requirements and could navigate the challenges presented when working with listed properties. The BW team were a joy to work with and went above and beyond to find solutions, exceeding expectations. We are thrilled with the final result of the fit out and it was truly a pleasure to work so closely with and collaboratively with Will and the whole BW team.”
How do you make an older building work harder on sustainability?
For every workplace, we look at what upgrades are needed to modernise the space and improve how it performs, from efficiency to sustainability.
A recent private sector example is One Basinghall Avenue in the City of London. We transformed an existing building into a BREEAM Excellent, EPC A rated workplace through targeted upgrades, all while it was occupied. It shows that significant improvements can be delivered without disrupting the people who use the building every day, which is exactly what many public sector estates need.
With budgets under real pressure, how do you deliver value without compromising on quality?
Value for money is about much more than the lowest upfront cost. It’s about making the right decisions all the way through.
On our GPA project, for example, we worked closely with our supply chain to lock in material prices before costs went up, and sourced high-quality, like-for-like alternatives from other manufacturers.
Bringing the right people together early matters too. When we collaborate from the start, challenge the design and spot risks and opportunities upfront, we can give clients greater cost certainty, avoid surprises later on and make sure the building meets their operational and long-term needs.
What does successful public sector delivery come down to?
It starts with understanding how each client works and what matters to them. Then it’s about giving them confidence that we understand their goals, have the right team in place and, most importantly, do what we say we’ll do. That’s how trust is built, and how long-term relationships grow. We want to feel like part of the client’s own project team.
You need technical expertise, commercial awareness and the ability to manage complexity. But you also need to listen, communicate and recognise that every project is part of a much bigger picture for the organisation.
That bigger picture includes the local community. We want our projects to leave a lasting legacy, which is why we look closely at the social value each one can deliver, from local jobs and apprenticeships to working with local suppliers and supporting causes close to the project.
Where do you see public sector workplaces heading next?
As the estate gets smaller, the buildings that remain will have to work much harder. They’ll need to bring teams and services together, give people a real reason to come in and feel like they belong to the communities they serve.
That changes what it really takes. Delivering on time, on budget and Defect Free will always matter. But the bigger test now is how much public value each building can create. That’s the question we all need to answer next.
