Rochdale Council is driving forward a new way of delivering highway repair contracts to help boost business for local firms.

Until recently a national supplier delivered most of the highways work across the borough. But this contract was formally ended in March 2022 and the council is now looking to set up a new delivery model which will make it easier for local firms to get involved with the delivery of the borough’s ambitious road repair programme.

Under the new delivery model, companies which meet a specific set of criteria will be awarded a place on the framework. The council will then select a business from the framework each time a contract becomes available. This means that businesses will not need to go through a formal tendering process each time a job is available.

All businesses which want to be part of the new system will need to go through an initial tendering process where they will be scored against a set of criteria, as with all council contracts, such as cost, quality and social value. Although any business which meets the criteria can apply, the council is keen to support local companies as much as possible.

The new contract will support the delivery of a number of highways improvement schemes, including road resurfacing, road marking and footway improvement schemes. There will also be scope for local companies to support our day-to-day work including pothole repairs and gully cleaning.

Large scale and complex projects, such as the recently completed Junction 19 link road, will still be subject to separate tendering processes.

Councillor Shah Wazir, cabinet member for highways at Rochdale Borough Council, said: “We made some changes last year to give us more control over how we deliver our highways service, and this includes making it easier for us to support local businesses.

“Although we already work with local businesses, this new model will allow us to work with even more, which in turn will support local jobs and keep money flowing in the local economy. It also means faster, more agile delivery of projects and reduces our carbon footprint because companies aren’t travelling long distances to deliver our schemes.

“We’re investing around £25 million into highways improvements over the next 5 years, so there will be plenty of scope for people who want to get involved who meet the criteria.”