Executive to be updated on new Highways contract for North Northamptonshire

11 May 2022

Work on shaping an innovative new highways service for North Northamptonshire is nearing completion, with the Council on course to appoint its new contractor next month. 

At a meeting on May 19, the council’s Executive is scheduled to be updated on the final stages of the 18-month process to obtain a new supplier for the service. 

A report before the Executive will consider whether to delegate authority to award the contract to the Council’s Executive Member for Highways, Travel and Assets, in consultation with the Executive Member for Finance and the Executive Director for Place and Economy and the Monitoring Officer.

Highways maintenance is currently delivered Northamptonshire-wide under arrangements inherited from the previous county council and the new plans will instead see North Northamptonshire Council and neighbouring West Northamptonshire Council run their own separate contracts and services. 

The final three bidders have now submitted their tenders for the North Northants contract which, at approximately £30m a year, will be one of the highest value contracts awarded by the Council and is set to run for seven years, with the potential to extend to a maximum of 14 years. 

Highways is a service that the vast majority of people come into contact with on a day-to-day basis, whether it’s travelling to work or school or making journeys to visit friends and family.

The upkeep of our extensive network is a huge task and as such this is a very high value contract for the council to award.

The procurement process has focused on the quality of the service to the residents in the maintenance and safety of our roads and pathways, whilst ensuring value for money within the cost of the contract. We have also required our bidders to take into account the Council’s requirement to move to carbon neutral by 2030. 

As is usual for a contract of such a scale and complexity there is a lengthy procurement process and I’m delighted that we are now moving towards the stage where we’ll soon be in a position to award.Cllr Graham Lawman, North Northamptonshire Council Executive member for Highways, Travel and Assets

An effective, well-maintained Highways network is essential for North Northants to provide the necessary infrastructure for economic growth and social cohesion. It’s great news that we’ll soon be in a position to award this multi-million-pound contract.Cllr Jason Smithers, Leader of the Council

Both North and West Northants councils have worked closely on the process for procuring the new highways contracts, which started in November 2020 and has involved several selection stages to narrow down and shortlist prospective suppliers.