ReFlow | Tender opportunities: Highways UK insights

Those interested in contracting for the Scheme Delivery Framework 2 should be aware that the deadline is just days away – and updates on Maintenance & Response 2 have revealed key changes to application requirements.

At this year’s Highways UK conference, Jo Jarvis, procurement director at National Highways, shone some light on upcoming tender opportunities and highlighted one or two new bits of information.

Crucially, the deadline for the Scheme Delivery Framework 2  (SDF2), is fast approaching. The first-stage submission deadline is 14 November.

Who can take advantage?

The original Scheme Delivery Framework, which promised £6bn for renewals and improvements across the strategic road network (SRN), named the likes of WSP, Jacobs, Kier, Interserve, Amey, VolkerFitzpatrick, Morgan Sindall, and Colas among their contracts – and a further 23% of places were taken by SMEs.

Continuity and integration across project lifecycles

A major theme of the session was the shift toward integrated project delivery. National Highways wants key partners to stay involved from feasibility through design, construction, and delivery – reducing the traditional handover points that can add cost and complexity.

Future schemes will include mandatory core services such as construction management, commercial management, and feasibility studies from the outset. The aim is for a single integrator role to work across all project stages, ensuring consistency and accountability.

This integrated approach will also allow National Highways to retain greater cost control and ensure that decisions made early in design translate smoothly into delivery.

New frameworks and procurement routes

The lotting model is designed to give National Highways the flexibility to contract with band A or band B suppliers – or to contract directly with specialists on Band F.  

The organisation will rely on a mix of flexible procurement routes – including these ‘banded’ tenders and traditional open competitions – to maintain project flow.

Jo Jarvis emphasised that these band options have been built into the system to ensure coverage for every type of project, and that main contractors should look to the framework to find their subcontractors – making a place in the selection even more desirable.

This flexibility reflects lessons learned from earlier frameworks, where rigid structures sometimes limited responsiveness or slowed mobilisation.

Jo Jarvis gave two key takeaways:

·       “You need to bid for anything and everything that you want,” she said. “It's a numbers game and you need to put your bids in and make sure that they're right. Make sure you’re really considering what you’re bidding for.”

·       “This is about telling us what you’ve done. Not what you will do. It’s all about case studies and evidence of what you’ve done in the past.”

M&R 2 and the road ahead

Looking further ahead, the Maintenance and Response (M&R) 2 procurement will run as a two-phase programme, with contracts awarded in 2028and 2029. Specifications are being refined, with increased focus on technology and smarter asset management, while some areas (like depot facilities) will be excluded from the new scope.

Jo Jarvis encouraged suppliers to review the tender opportunities and to ensure they are fully registered on the Central Digital Platform and Jaggaer.

Digital field management at scale: one of the foundations for winning tenders

As frameworks evolve and new technology is embraced across the sector, the ability to demonstrate control, accuracy, and efficiency of your operations and your data is becoming more and more essential.

Organisations using field management systems will have full visibility across their operations. This makes it easier to evidence the data and case studies required for tenders.

 The software also helps in other ways:

·       Unify every aspect of your work – from planning, scheduling, and managing jobs in real time to live reporting and forecasting.

·       Use data and visibility of your operations to strategise future tenders. Clarity over profit/loss and utilisation can help teams plan with more accuracy.

·       Take advantage of an ongoing development roadmap – including the upcoming PAS 2080 module.