Hertfordshire County Council is seeking bidders for a Highways and Environment Professional Services Contract worth up to £290m over 14 years.
The highway authority issued a prior information notice last summer, stating that it planned to begin ‘two separate but related procurements’ in early 2023 for a highways services term maintenance (HST) contract and professional services term contract.
Earlier this year, it announced that it intended to procure the professional services contract before the HST contract.
The professional services provider will deliver various services including supporting delivery of the core highways service and the HST contract, as well as broader service-wide contract management and independent network management support functions.
According to the contract notice, the term will be an initial minimum of five years followed by optional extension periods up to a maximum of 14 years, with the estimated value of the contract being £290m.
The contract will also be drawn up so as to allow use by district and borough councils in the county.
The notice states that the council expects to launch a separate procurement for the HST work towards the end of this year at approximately the time that the professional services contract is anticipated to be at final tender stage.
No organisation will be able to win both contracts, as the professional services provider will have a role in assisting the council with the management of the HST contract, including assisting with performance management and auditing, creating a potential conflict of interest if a single bidder were successful for both opportunities.
‘Consequently, if a Candidate participating in both procurements is awarded Preferred Bidder status for the professional services contract, then their involvement in the HST Contract procurement would automatically be deemed to have come to an end at that point.’
The council’s existing professional services contract is due to expire on 30 September 2024.
The deadline for receipt of tenders or requests to participate is midday on 19 May 2023.
