Preliminary Market Engagement (PME) Notice for the provision of Mixed Economy services (Repairs & Patching)

THIS IS NOT A CALL FOR COMPETITION. THIS IS A MARKET ENGAGEMENT.

Description: Preliminary Market Engagement (PME) Notice for the provision of Mixed Economy services (Repairs & Patching). The Council is seeking to procure a Mixed Economy provider to play a central role in its evolving highways maintenance delivery model.

This model moves away from a traditional single-contractor approach and instead combines in-house delivery with strategic partners and specialist providers, enabling the Council to retain control over local, reactive services while leveraging external expertise, scale and innovation. This approach is now well established in Shropshire and has delivered demonstrable benefits, including significant reductions in defect backlogs, improved repair quality, and materially lower unit costs for activities such as pothole repairs, alongside increased public satisfaction and national recognition as leading practice.

The proposed contract will build on this success by introducing a long-term delivery partner capable of undertaking a core suite of maintenance and minor works activities, whilst supporting wider service resilience through winter maintenance, emergency response and surge demand. The Council is seeking a collaborative partner that can bring innovation, efficient treatment solutions, and robust data and technology integration to further improve asset performance and reduce whole-life costs.

Through this pre-market engagement, the Council aims to shape a longer-term (5+ year) contract that maximises flexibility, supports local supply chains, and further matures a Mixed Economy model that aligns delivery to strengths, combining local responsiveness with specialist capability to deliver best value for residents and the network. The purpose of this Preliminary Market Engagement Notice is to assist the Council in developing its requirements and approach to the procurement.

Particularly in relation to the themes addressed within the PME questionnaire. The main objectives of the preliminary market engagement will be to initiate an exchange with the market to consider specific themes related to the services and advance the Council’s strategic priorities.

The procurement will cover the provision of the following core services: •Potholes / Defect Repair (indicative demand 25% of contract value) •Patching - hand lay and machine lay (indicative demand 65% of contract value) •Crack and joint sealing - (indicative demand 10% of contract value) •Ironwork repairs - (indicative demand 10% of contract value) •Seamless/thermal treatments – (Demand included in Patching) •Recycled rubber or alternative mastic solutions – (Demand included in Patching) •In-situ repairs – (Demand included in Patching) •Minor Works - (indicative demand 10% of contract value) Secondary service to support where needed: •Winter gritting operations •Snow clearance support •Flood response or emergency network resilience •Urgent incident response where instructed by the Council The Council’s expectation is that a longer-term, single supplier contract will provide greater value for money for the council in terms of financial efficiencies, but also staff resourcing, consistency of service provision. The Council envisage that this, in turn, will create the conditions for the contract’s outcomes to align with wider Council objectives. Procurement The Council anticipates commencing the procurement process in June 2026, with the new contract expected to commence in October 2026, subject to Council approval and market engagement outcomes.