Open tenders / Architecture, engineering & surveying
Open tender · Notice 105467-2026
Highways & Engineering Term Contract
- Value
- £291.7m
- Closes
- 7 Dec 2026 (29 days)
- Where
- South West
- Lots
- 1
- Suitable for SMEs
- Not stated
- Contract
- 22 Jun 2027 – 21 Jun 2032
In plain English
Dorset Council wants a single strategic partner to support its in-house highways team with capital works and other highways and flood risk work across the Dorset Council area, over a contract running from 22 June 2027 to 21 June 2032. It is set up as a framework with a first term service contract, so the winner gets a place on the framework and future jobs are ordered from it as Works Orders and Time Charge Orders; estimated value is £291,666,667.
Good fit for: Large highways and civil engineering contractors able to act as a long-term partner to a council's highways service.
- Bids may be cut to a shortlist
limiting the number of participating suppliers, generally or in respect of particular tendering rounds or other selection processes
- Heavy focus on partnering culture in scoring
the tender evaluation will have a significant focus on
Written with AI from the official notice. Check the notice before relying on it.
What the buyer says
Dorset Council are looking to secure a strategic partner for Dorset Council’s Highways Service to assist in delivering the services capital works programmes. The operating model agreed will consist of an in-house workforce supplemented by a single provider, for specific works, to support programme delivery through a mixed economy model. About the area of Dorset Council Dorset Council is a unitary authority responsible for delivering a wide range of local government services across the Dorset area. These include, but are not limited to, waste management, highways maintenance, flood risk management, environmental services, and community infrastructure. As the Local Highway Authority, Dorset Council manages approximately 3,795 km of highway network, together with associated assets such as bridges, drainage systems, street lighting, traffic management infrastructure, and elements of coastal defence. In its capacity as Lead Local Flood Authority (LLFA), Dorset Council has responsibilities for managing local flood risk from surface water, groundwater, and ordinary watercourses. This includes the inspection, maintenance, and improvement of highway drainage systems, as well as coordination with relevant partners to mitigate flood risk. All works, services, and contracts commissioned by Dorset Council are undertaken within the Council’s administrative boundary and apply to all Dorset Council owned land, assets, and property. Summary of Existing Provision The highway service is delivered through a mixed economy delivery model which involves Dorset Highways working with a wide range of private sector suppliers across multiple Frameworks, contracts and Dynamic Purchasing Systems. The Core Purpose and Strategic Objectives of the Framework The purpose of the proposed Framework i…
Getting the documents
supplyingthesouthwest.org.uk (the buyer's own site, usually free to register).
Procedure: Competitive flexible procedure (Flexible: the buyer sets the stages, often a shortlist first, then bids). Published 5 Nov 2026.
What similar contracts went for
Similar contracts went for £127.9m to £150m (2 since 2026; 2 won by small firms).
| Contract | Won by | Value | Awarded |
|---|---|---|---|
| Provision of a Highways Term Serivce Contract London Borough of Hillingdon | O'Hara Bros. Surfacing Limited SME | £127.9m | 23 Sep |
| West Berkshire Council Highways Term Maintenance Contract West Berkshire Council | Name withheld SME | £150m | 12 Jun |
From the award notices on Find a Tender and Public Contracts Scotland. Values are as each notice states them and cover the contract's whole term: most notices give the value before VAT, but about one in seven gives only a figure including VAT. AI picked these as the same kind of work and can be wrong, so check what each one included before you price.
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