£1.3 billion Pavement Delivery Framework announced

15 December, 2022

National Highways names 12 contractors with four SMEs getting more than 8% of the total spend

MORE than £1 billion-worth of contracts to maintain 4,500 miles of road surfaces on motorways and major A-roads in England were confirmed earlier this week.

The new agreements, signed by National Highways, will promote the use of low-carbon materials and ensure a greater share of work is delivered by small-to-medium sized enterprises (SMEs).

The contracts, worth a total of £1.3 billion, cover the supply of materials, plant, and labour to carry out road surfacing and construction works for National Highways’ Operations Division.

The new award, the third iteration of National Highways’ pavement framework, is split between nine lots, with a total of 12 suppliers appointed across the framework.

Four of the suppliers are SMEs, which represents an increase on the previous framework, promoting growth in the sector and helping to drive regional investment.

The contracts awarded to SMEs in the new framework account for more than £100 million, or more than 8% of the total anticipated spend.

The new framework also sees an increased focus on carbon reduction, with bidding organizations committed to annual carbon reduction activities within the timeframe of the contract.

Additionally, as part of this focus, National Highways has designated warm-mix asphalt as the contract’s default material of choice. This will deliver up to 15% carbon savings per tonne in comparison with the previous default pavement material. Warm mix is also more durable and quicker to lay, meaning roads can be reopened to traffic faster.

Roads Minister Richard Holden said: ‘Our road network and those who use it are the backbone of Britain. Well over 90% of journeys are by road, with millions using them every day.

‘That’s why we’re delivering £1.3 billion of investment alongside National Highways to maintain these vital arteries of trade, commerce, and family life, ensuring worn-down roads are renewed and potholes swiftly dealt with. Our road network keeps Britain moving and we’ll keep investing in it to ensure it stays that way.’

Duncan Smith, executive director of operations at National Highways, said: ‘We are very happy to have secured these new agreements. Engaging an increased range of organizations from across the industry is a hugely positive step for us, allowing us to expand our supply chain and improve our resilience.

‘Having greatly reduced turnover requirements to encourage applications from SMEs, we are delighted that a number of these lots have been awarded to comparatively smaller organizations. We’re also happy to be working with some organizations that we haven’t worked with previously, and we look forward to building these new relationships.’

The new framework will support National Highways into the third Road Investment Strategy (RIS 3). The current strategy, RIS 2, ends in 2025.

The 12 suppliers, in alphabetical order, are: