Yotta to survey M40 for Carillion

Highways technology firm Yotta DCL has won a contract to provide surveys for Carillion on the M40.

Yotta DCL were awarded the five-year contract, which is worth £375,000, after being shortlisted based on experience and knowledge through an e-auction.

The auction saw providers bid against each other for the survey work.

Carillion holds the operation and maintenance agreement with UK Highways, which is the M40 design, build, finance and operate (DBFO) company.

Yotta will provide Carillion with Deflectograph, CHART, High Speed Road Monitor (HRM) and Skid Resistance surveys and resulting quality data. The company will survey 350-km of carriageway, including slip roads, running between Junction 1 and Junction 15 of the M40.

“To give us surety of service delivery, we took the decision to offer a five-year contract instead of the usual annual procurement. We are pleased that Yotta DCL won the e-auction as the company has provided surveys for us in previous years. Being a DBFO, it is an unusual contract to award because it runs much longer and so it is good to be working with a company that we trust.” says Graham Farr, asset manager, Carillion.

The M40 DBFO is one of the most mature in the UK. It was established in 1997 and will run until 2027. UK Highways holds the concession for the M40 DBFO with Carillion being responsible for all operations and maintenance.

Deflectograph is a vehicle-based survey that measures the deflection of the road surface under a known load. The survey assess the structural condition and provides a wide range of data to help assess the residual life of the carriageway together with detailed information that guides strengthening or reconstruction schemes. CHART is a walked survey that is performed simultaneously with the deflectograph; it picks up fine detail that may otherwise be missed by the survey vehicle.