Highways Agency renews vehicle recovery contract

The recovery of vehicles from England’s motorways and major A roads will continue to be carried out by FMG after the company renewed its contract with the Highways Agency.

Following a competitive procurement exercise, the Agency has signed a three year deal with the opportunity to extend up to a further four years.

FMG will be responsible for the removal of abandoned, broken down and accident damaged vehicles.

Valued at £34.5m over seven years, the new contract is cheaper than the existing contract with the statutory removal service now being funded entirely by income from statutory removal fees.

The new contract will continue to provide a statutory removal service on those parts of the strategic road network that are patrolled by Highways Agency traffic officers and will come into effect from 1 October 2013. It will also include additional recovery services to help keep carriageways clear during periods of severe weather or during events on the roads managed by the Agency.

The new contract seeks to streamline the recovery process to ensure vehicles are removed as quickly as possible. This is to reduce unnecessary delays and incidents which have arisen previously due to vehicles broken down in dangerous locations, and to improve safety for all road users.

FMG will also now be able to bid for scheme recovery services when main works contractors invite tenders to provide 'free-recovery within roadworks'. This would provide additional benefits in that there would be centralised provision of the “free recovery” service in roadworks. This service could be called upon if required rather than having recovery positioned on schemes 24 hours a day. This element of the contract will come into effect on new schemes from 1 April 2014.