Major highways contractors are preparing to compete for £8 billion of project work after National Highways issued an invitation to tender for its next-generation Maintenance and Response 2 framework which will overhaul upkeep of England’s 4,500-mile strategic road network.

The new seven regions regime will replace the existing 10 maintenance contracts set up as they expire from July 2028. Current area contractors include Amey, Colas, Costain, Kier and Ringway, reports Construction Enquirer.

Under the shake-up, a single contractor will be appointed to each of seven regional lots.

All winners will also join an overarching national framework allowing National Highways to call on other suppliers if an incumbent fails or extra resilience is needed.

The contracts cover cyclical and reactive maintenance, incident response, winter service, roadside technology and selected asset renewals including road markings, lighting, signs, barriers and fencing.

The seven regional packages add up to around £6.1bn, with National Highways allowing further headroom for inflation, contingency and resilience to take the overall framework ceiling to £7.96bn.

Contractors chasing more than one region will be required to rank their preferred lots.

National Highways will then use tender scores alongside those preferences when allocating regions, limiting the prospect of one contractor simply sweeping multiple areas on score alone.

The framework is due to start on 6 January 2028 and run until July 2037, making it one of the biggest highways maintenance procurements undertaken in England.

The deadline for applications is 26 October, with contract awards scheduled for November 2027. Further details can be found here.

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