Gloucestershire Highways Professional Services Procurement 2025

The purpose of a newly procured contract model for professional services from 2025/26 is to put Gloucestershire County Council into the best position to be fit for the future in delivering its objectives. The Council has engaged with suppliers, officers and lead cabinet members to inform a contract form that introduces an element of competition, whilst maintaining competitive tension and attractiveness to market, protecting the TUPE rights of individuals, fostering flexibility and agility and maintaining collaboration between other highways suppliers. Based on these criteria a single supplier arrangement with a specialist supplier framework has been deemed to be the most advantageous option given expected contract spend and the specialist supplier framework is expected to support the local economy.

The Client requires the single supplier Consultant under this model to deliver professional highways consultancy services (Services) in relation to development proposals for all relevant Client’s schemes, including but not limited to dealing with Client’s and / or Local Planning Authorities, Highways Authorities and other Consultees, as more fully described within the Scope.

To deliver its highways schemes the Client requires the services of an external consultant possessing specialist technical skill to supplement and support Client’s in-house teams and the Client’s other providers.

It shall be a mutual objective for both Client and Consultant to ensure that the professional highways services are:
1.1.1 environmentally sustainable;
1.1.2 provide social value to benefit local communities;
1.1.3 strengthen the role of the local communities in the decision making process;
1.1.4 sustainable in delivery, function and serviceability compliant with Gloucestershire County Council’s policies and standards
1.1.5 Safe and fit for purpose;
1.1.6 provide excellent value for money.

The Consultant shall deliver the Services’ objectives in accordance with the Service Specifications.

All costs shall be developed and submitted in accordance with the Pricing Schedules.

The Services under this Contract consist of a comprehensive highways and transport, network and asset management design, maintenance and improvement services for Client.

There is no grant of exclusivity to these Services and no guarantee is given of the value in any calendar year, or to the extent of Services required. The client reserves the right to procure non-core services through the specialist supplier framework and to seek and employ other routes for procurement of professional highways consultancy services on the basis of the capacity, capability, cost, complexity, political sensitivity, and resources.

The extent of Services to be delivered through this Contract will be determined on value for money, complexity, capability, reputational risk and quality of the Services. It is in the single supplier Consultant’s interests therefore to demonstrate that procurement through this Contract is the best option for Client.
It is anticipated that the delivery of the Services will include supply of the staff to supplement and collocate with the in-house teams.

The Consultant shall, at the beginning of the Contract and at subsequent times throughout, provide Client with details of the key personnel proposed by Consultant to deliver the Services. This information will include details of their qualifications and experience.

We are following a 2 stage process using the Restricted Procedure. The contract form will be the NEC4 Professional Services Contract as amended in accordance with the procurement documents.

The contract is valued between £20m and £60m ex VAT. This contract value range is based on predicted budgets over both the initial term and optional terms of the contract.

The estimated value does not include contingency to account for inflation, potential one-off funding bids, DfT awards and other unknown possible increases in funding over the total potential contracted periods. Due to recent unpredictability regarding these areas the contract value will be adjusted to reflect these circumstances as a modification using Regulation 72 of the Public Contract Regulations 2015, if required during the contract term.

The existing Contractor has indicated that there are currently employees engaged in the Service that are likely to be affected by TUPE. This advice is based on information supplied by the current Contractor; however bidders should ascertain the likely position for them and seek appropriate advice as required. In order to obtain the TUPE details you will need to complete and sign the Confidentiality Certificate in the Attachments section of the Advert or ITT and return it via the messaging system in Pro-contract. The TUPE details will then be provided to you.