Sessions House is in line for a major revamp.

Design companies have been asked to submit tenders to manage the work, which is expected to take a year to complete.

The Government has invited proposals from experienced firms for “architectural interior design and project management services for the interior renovation and alteration of Sessions House” at the Hamilton landmark.

A procurement notice said: “The objective is to contract for professional architectural interior design and construction project management services in order to provide the best interior design solution for the internal renovation of the Sessions House building.

“The design and associated consideration of works will be sensitive to the existing historic building features and provide contemporary and efficiently designed work environments.”

Potential bidders were told in an online request for proposal that work under consideration on the ground floor, where the Supreme Court sits, included new rooms for prosecution and defence teams, as well as a new jury suite, kitchen and washrooms.

Surveillance and security features could also be upgraded, with the possibility of a new “internal security monitoring station”.

The House of Assembly, which sits on the second floor, could get a new library, refurbishment of historic ceilings and general improvement work.

Floors in the building’s towers will be checked for “structural integrity” and improvements are also expected to be carried out in the southeast tower.

The contract is for design and management only as the construction work will be carried out by a specialist contractor. A document attached to the bid after queries from interested companies outlined the concerns of one firm which said there was “a plethora of design issues” that could be tackled.

It added that “without any understanding of budget it is near impossible to provide you with a package that will be conducive to your needs”.

The potential bidder was told: “Use reasonable square footage allowance used in your experience from previous restoration work for similar public interest buildings.”

A site visit was scheduled for May 30 and the submission deadline date passed earlier this month.

The Government bid document said the work was “tentatively scheduled” to start at the end of July, with an anticipated finish date at the end of August next year.

Sessions House, a Grade 1-listed building, dates back to around 1819 and has 17,188 sq ft of floor space on two levels.

It has been used by the legislature since 1826 but the building has been plagued by maintenance problems in recent years, including faulty plumbing and leaks.

Puisne Judge Charles-Etta Simmons warned earlier this year that security at the Supreme Court needed to be improved and that court staff were working in “old, crumbling” buildings.

She said, although renovations had been carried out to the lower floor of Sessions House and conditions for jurors had improved, employees still endured substandard conditions and she had been forced to work in a “pop-up” courtroom in the modern Magistrates’ Court building on Court Street.

A Ministry of Public Works spokeswoman declined to comment.