Cheshire East seeks highways partner

The local authority is looking to appoint a partner for a 15-year highways management framework, which will be worth an estimated £600m.

The contract will not be divided into lots, and will include a break clause at eight years, at which point the council may terminate the agreement.

The council is looking to appoint a service provider to manage the council’s highways network and associated property, with services comprising:

— Asset management and lifecycle planning of the highway network

— Management and permitting of the highway network

— Design of maintenance programmes and improvement schemes

— Engineering, technical, project management and advisory services related to the highway network

— Routine maintenance of carriageway, footways, cycleways and car parks

— Public rights of way works

— Flood protection works

— Public realm works

— Routine maintenance of bridges, culverts and other structures

— Routine maintenance of fencing, barriers, vehicle restraint systems, signs, road markings and street furniture

— Routine maintenance of highway drainage systems and other drainage assets

— Routine maintenance of highway verges, hedges, trees and other landscaped areas

— Routine maintenance of street lighting and other illuminated installations

— Winter maintenance including precautionary salting and ice/snow clearance for the highway network

— Emergency response to incidents on or affecting the highway network

— Planned maintenance including patching, surfacing, surface treatments, reconstruction and reinstatement of the highway network

— Construction of improvement schemes for the highway network up to an estimated value of £5m per individual project.

Expressions of interest must be declared by 25 September.