Unsporting behaviour by Wembley?

A design pitch by Wembley London to create a brand identity for the £1bn development surrounding Wembley Stadium is failing to comply with industry guidelines.

Wembley London director of sales and marketing Peter Tudor says the organisation is currently considering proposals from 15 groups, including design consultancies, on an unpaid basis.

These will be narrowed down to a shortlist of ‘four or five’ throughout April, he says, with a second round of pitching to follow. An appointment is not expected until early June.

However, the Design Business Association’s code of conduct says clients should draw up a list of no more than four consultancies. Moreover, a payment must be made for pitches that relates to the time and effort involved, even for credentials presentations.

Tudor seemed genuinely surprised to learn of the DBA’s stance on free-pitching, saying he was ‘not aware’ of it. ‘The free-pitch was simply the process we decided to take [in this instance],’ he explains.

DBA chief executive Deborah Dawton says of the pitch: ‘[DBA] members should not take part in pitches that require unpaid work.

‘Considerable effort is needed to prepare design proposals for any project. [Those] prepared without payment for a pitch involving several other consultancies cannot be based on a genuine understanding of the client’s business and objectives.’