Shropshire Council has started procurement for a new, much-reduced highways maintenance contract, which is expected to see less than half of the spending compared with the last deal agreed back in 2017. 

Kier replaced Ringway as the council's highways maintenance contractor on an initial seven-year agreement that started in 2018, when annual spending on roads was circa £21m. The contract ran into problems, particularly with repairs and in 2020, the BBC disclosed that the council was spending £1,000 a day on a consultant to deal with potholes. 

Despite this, the council initiated each of the three 12-month extensions included in the original deal. In 2025, an extension was agreed with the council citing a 66% drop in the cost of pothole repairs over the past four years and a reduction in the number of defects on A and B roads. 

A third and final extension through to April 2028 was agreed at an October 2026 cabinet meeting, when council papers revealed annual revenue going into Kier's contract has decreased by 24% since the contract began, while costs have risen 30%. The council say this is a 55% real terms reduction that has created a £130m funding gap across its highways assets. 

Kier's contract has changed significantly since 2018, with Street Scene services brought in-house. Reactive maintenance for the council's C road network transferred to Multevo under a new contract and Kier has focused on surface dressing, resurfacing, bridges/structures, major and minor highway projects and winter maintenance. 

The new deal will cover work from pothole repair to road markings and signage through to minor highways improvement schemes and winter and emergency support and is valued at £100m over nine years. 

Contractors have until 23 November to express interest. The five-year contract will start in April 2028 and, with extensions of 24 months each, could run until March 2036. 

The contract is described as suitable for small-to-medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), but prospective bidders must have posted annual turnover of £22m or more in at least one of the last three years. 

Full contract details and how to apply can be found here.