Trio in the running for £730m East Sussex contract

East Sussex CC has announced a shortlist of three companies for a £730m highways maintenance and infrastructure services contract.

Ringway Jacobs, Balfour Beatty Living Places and Colas have been selected to move to the next stage of the procurement process, following their expressions of interest.

The shortlisted bidders have now been asked to submit detailed tenders that outline how they would deliver highway maintenance, improvement schemes and a range of other highways services across the area.

The deadline for the detailed tenders is March 2022, with the announcement of the preferred bidder due in September 2022.

The contract is likely to run for a maximum of 14 years – with an initial seven-year term and the option to extend for an additional seven-year period subject to performance.

This new deal will replace the council’s current £300m seven-year contract with Costain and Jacobs (previously CH2M), signed in May 2016 and due to expire in May 2023, when East Sussex outsourced a number of its highway service functions.