Major Midlands highway contract for Tarmac
TARMAC have secured the important Midlands Framework 3 (MF3) contract from the Highways Agency, which also includes additional work with local highway authorities through the Midlands Highway Alliance (MHA).
As one of four firms selected to deliver this contract, Tarmac are the only company to have been involved in both previous Midlands Framework agreements, the first of which began in October 2000.
The recently awarded MF3 contract – which started at the end of November 2007 and runs until June 2010, with the option of a one-year extension – is valued at approximately £30 million per year. It will see Tarmac’s National Contracting division provide a range of in-house services to the Highways Agency across the Midlands, including planing, surfacing, materials supply, traffic management, safety fencing and street lighting.
The agreement covers the Highways Agency’s Areas 7 and 11 (West and East Midlands) and will result in Tarmac working closely with the appointed managing agent contractors, AMScott and Optima.
The contract will also see Tarmac providing additional renewal, improvement and structural services to the MHA. This work will be on schemes up to £8 million, with a potential total annual value of around £15 million, to provide the MHA with services for renewal, improvement and park-and-ride schemes for local authorities and councils across the East Midlands.
As well as their previous partnering relationships and strong presence across the region, Tarmac’s commitment to safety, delivery, quality, and continual improvement were said to be major factors in securing the MF3 contract, which was assessed on a ‘70% quality, 30% price ratio’.
Mike Elford, Tarmac’s contracting director (Midlands), who will lead the Tarmac team, said the company’s success on this contract reflected its strong experience, expertise and commitment, as well as the Highways Agency’s confidence in Tarmac’s ability to deliver quality work on time and within budget.
MF3 is designed to encourage innovation and efficiency savings in the delivery of highway schemes, through the development of a community of partners that will share best practice. The MHA also draws on this philosophy and allows partner authorities to commission work without the costly process of tendering individual schemes.
