The procurement for Sheffield City Council’s Highway Maintenance £2bn PFI Project has reached its final stages.The Council has now formally closed on-going dialogue with Amey and CarillionMouchel and final tenders will be submitted by both bidders next week.After a period of evaluation, the largest Local Authority PFI scheme in the UK, will select a preferred bidder in early April.Following a period of mobilisation, it is anticipated that refurbishment works on the highway network will begin in mid August.Cllr Leigh Bramall, Cabinet Member for Environment and Transport, said: “Securing the £1.21 billion of PFI funding has given us a much needed opportunity to raise the standard of our assets to that appropriate of a modern European City.“We are delighted to have reached this key milestone in the project and that we are so close to selecting a contractor to carry out the works on the city’s highway network."Although the process to date has been long and detailed, we have now received the Department for Transport approvals needed, at this stage, to move forward. We are confident we will be able to select the best possible contractor to transform the city.“This project remains a key priority for the Council and once the project begins it will deliver the much needed improvements to the City’s roads and streetscene.”The city’s roads, pavements and streetscene will be refurbished, and the backlog of repairs addressed, within the first 5 to 7 years of the 25-year contract.They will then be maintained to the improved standard throughout the remaining 18 to 20 years of the contract.