Liverpool City Council has issued a tender for its highways professional services framework, scheduled to begin in October 2026. The procurement, valued at £120m, is focused on obtaining consultancy expertise across a host of critical highway-related services, underpinning the city’s and region’s highways plans for the next four years.
The new framework, a successor to the current programme that expires in October, is split into four lots individually tailored to complementary aspects of highways and transport infrastructure delivery.
Lot 1 is centred on sustainable transport planning and policy advice, addressing the growing emphasis on sustainable transport solutions, requiring suppliers to provide extensive consultancy support including feasibility studies and detailed design work centred on sustainable transport and policy matters. The objective is to assist Liverpool City Council in aligning its highways projects with broader environmental and transport sustainability goals, a priority that many local authorities are increasingly pursuing.
Lot 2 encompasses highways and infrastructure design support services. This lot is wide-ranging, requiring expertise that covers everything from conceptual planning to detailed design and operations for highways, streets, and urban design projects. Suppliers will work on schemes that include major highways improvements, bus priority measures, pedestrian and cycling infrastructure, junction and crossing redesigns and public realm enhancements.
Under Lot 3 the Supplier shall provide the staff, resource, technical competence and expertise for the successful application of Project and Programme Management Support Services (PPMSS), primarily to support the delivery of the Highways Capital Programme. The Highways Capital Programme being with the Sustainable Transport, Highways and Parking department (TH&P), Liverpool City Council (LCC). This will contribute to successful delivery of PPM best practice, with these support services contributing positively to producing and managing all documentation, records, approvals, outputs, drawings, designs, reports, contract administration, drafting, submissions and any other documentation or services reasonably required by the Contracting Authority.
Lot 4 deals with the commercial and contract management support services and addresses the commercial governance side including cost control, procurement processes, contract administration, risk management and compliance monitoring. Ensuring sound commercial management is vital for Liverpool City Council to meet budgetary expectations and maintain timelines, particularly across extensive and varied portfolios of works.
The value of the framework is estimated to be £120m including VAT and the contract term is anticipated to span from 6 October 2026 to 5 October 2030, providing a substantial period for suppliers to contribute to Liverpool’s evolving infrastructure landscape.
(Picture: David Nowell/Dreamstime)
