Bristol City Council has picked firms for its £288M highways asset management and civils framework for 2025 to 2029, including ground investigation and civils contractors.

The framework for the provision of highways asset management and civils work is for four years and comprises 10 lots.

Lot 5 covers highways civil engineering works up to £499,999 (excluding VAT), lot 6 covers highway civil engineering works over £500,000 (excluding VAT) and other specialist highway engineering works, and lot 9 covers geotechnical and soil investigation works on or adjacent to the highway.

Cambrensis Civil Engineering and Walters UK have been awarded places on lot 5, which has an estimated value of up to £50M.

The contractors will carry out minor maintenance projects, new highways projects and traffic management projects that will involve a range of disciplines.

Cambrensis Civil Engineering, ETM Contractors, MJ Church, Octavius Infrastructure, Taylor Woodrow Infrastructure and Walters UK have been awarded places on lot 6, which has an estimated value of up to £145M.

The contractors will carry out large scale, complex highways and public realm projects valued at and above £500,000 and other specialist highway civil engineering requirements valued under £500,000 not covered in the generic scope. The projects will involve a range of disciplines.

For both lots, the award notice states that the contractor is the principal contractor under the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015. It also states that the contractor will need to accommodate within its programme the works being carried out by other contractors involved in the project.

Ground Solve, Jackson Geo Services, Arcadis Consulting and Structural Soils have been awarded places on lot 9, which has an estimated value of up to £8M.

The scope of the geotechnical and soil investigation works will be tailored to investigate the specific issues that are negatively affecting the relevant existing highway structure, according to the contract award notice.

These issues may include, but are not limited to, abutments and retaining wall that are experiencing differential settlement, ground movements, or rotational and shear ground failure, and partial failure and slippage of embankments and cuttings.

Investigation works and testing may include, but is not limited to, boreholes, inclinometers, dynamic probes, water level monitoring, trail pits, trial trenches, window sampling, soil testing and laboratory testing. The contractors will be expected to report the analysis, testing and findings to the client.

The full list of the 10 lots is as follows:

  • Lot 1: Machine laid surfacing
  • Lot 2: Surface dressing and micro asphalts
  • Lot 3: Slurry seal and preventative treatments
  • Lot 4: Road markings, road studs, high friction and coloured surfacing and joint / crack repair systems
  • Lot 5: Highways civil engineering works up to £499,999 (excluding VAT)
  • Lot 6: Highway civil engineering works over £500,000 (excluding VAT) and other specialist highway engineering works
  • Lot 7: Structural and steel maintenance, repairs and reconstruction works to bridges and highway retaining wall structures up to £499,999 (excluding VAT)
  • Lot 8: Structural and steel maintenance, repairs and reconstruction works to bridges and highway retaining walls structures over £500,000 (excluding VAT)
  • Lot 9: Geotechnical and soil investigation works on or adjacent to the highway
  • Lot 10: Traffic management.