Press release: Smart alliance to improve journeys on England’s busiest motorways

The government company has launched the procurement process for its Smart Motorway Alliance. It needs six partners to join it for 10 years to develop a smarter network, creating extra capacity relieving congestion, for more traffic to use the country’s busiest motorways.

The infrastructure that goes into creating that capacity also forms the foundations for connected vehicles to use the motorways in the future.

The Alliance is the second part of the company’s ground-breaking Routes to Market procurement approach; earlier this month it announced the companies it will work with on £8.7bn worth of Regional Delivery Partnership deals.

Highways England’s Chief Executive, Jim O’Sullivan said:

We want a step change away from traditional thinking and more towards creating value. We want companies that can learn from their experiences, and work together to deliver ever improving efficiency and productivity.

Highways England has developed the model through engagement with the supply chain. The innovative and infrastructure leading approach will enable a step-change in performance and aid the delivery of a large number of schemes that will increase capacity and reduce congestion on motorways, whilst improving safety during the delivery of these schemes.

The company is seeking three on-site delivery partners, two digitally enabled design partners and one production management partner.

The six partners will work with Highways England to provide exemplar performance and achieve results that include:

• better safety, through better aligned and common working practices and reduced time on site
• more efficient delivery, through a programmatic approach that will drive standardisation, production and off-site assembly
• improved customer service with a reduction in time needed for works and minimising any disruptions for road users
• increased investment in skills and innovation from the supply chain, supported by a secure and long-term pipeline of work

The contract is outcome focused and partners will be collectively responsible and rewarded based upon delivering efficiencies. The Alliance puts integration and collaboration between Highways England and its supply chain at the heart of how Highways England’s smart motorway programme will work going forward.

The Contract Notice has been issued to the OJEU.

Accompanying procurement documents can be accessed via Bravo Solution, Highways England’s e-procurement portal. View the Smart Motorway Alliance descriptive document.

Interested potential partners from the supply chain can attending a briefing on Monday 10 December in central Birmingham.

General enquiries

Members of the public should contact the Highways England customer contact centre on 0300 123 5000.

Media enquiries

Journalists should contact the Highways England press office on 0844 693 1448 and use the menu to speak to the most appropriate press officer.