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S30129 Road Design DMRB Standards Research & Development CD127, CD109 & CD116

National Highways

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

Award

02 Sep 2026 at 13:27

Award Notice
Summary of the contracting process

National Highways Limited commissioned development consultancy services to research and potentially modernise key road design standards for the strategic road network. The programme covers motorway and major-road lane capacity, alternative layouts such as 2+1 and 2+2 roads with central barriers, design speeds and visibility requirements, and the design of large, complex junctions including major roundabouts. Its purpose is to support safer, more efficient and more deliverable road schemes while addressing potential capacity constraints, cost pressures and safety risks in existing standards. The work is delivered across the United Kingdom and may also cover the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man, Europe, British Overseas Territories and other international locations.

This procurement is complete and has been awarded following a selective call-off from a framework agreement. The tender deadline was 9 July 2026 at 19:00. National Highways Limited awarded the contract to WSP UK Ltd – SPaTS 1 on 21 August 2026. The awarded value is £229,671.76 including the stated currency of GBP. The contract runs from 21 August 2026 to 31 March 2028. The procurement is for services and was identified as development consultancy services. The published scope focuses on research and development rather than construction delivery, covering road capacity, safety, speed, visibility and complex-junction design standards.

For suppliers that did not win this call-off, the award provides a clear example of National Highways’ demand for specialist road-design research and standards development. Relevant capability includes applying road engineering and transport-planning expertise to motorway and major-road capacity, alternative cross-sections, central-barrier arrangements, design speed, driver visibility and collision risk. Experience of assessing large junctions and roundabouts, identifying operational or safety problems, and translating technical evidence into practical standards would be important. Strong competitors would be able to combine research, engineering analysis and clear recommendations for a national strategic-road network, while addressing safety, efficiency, cost and future capacity together. The opportunity was suitable for small and medium-sized enterprises, although the selected supplier was a large organisation.

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Notice Information

Notice Title

S30129 Road Design DMRB Standards Research & Development CD127, CD109 & CD116

Notice Description

National Highways is commissioning a programme of research to review and potentially modernise key road design standards, with a strong focus on safety, efficiency and future capacity of the strategic road network. This work will examine whether motorways and major roads could safely carry more lanes than currently allowed, and whether alternative road layouts (such as 2+1 or 2+2 configurations with central barriers) could deliver similar performance at lower cost, while maintaining or improving safety. It will also assess whether current design rules around speed and visibility (including how we set design speeds for rural roads and how small objects must be detectable by drivers) are still appropriate, as these have direct implications for collision risk and compliance. Finally, it will review the design of large, complex junctions (such as major roundabouts) to ensure current standards do not contain gaps that could lead to operational issues or safety concerns. This work is important and time-sensitive because existing standards may be limiting capacity, increasing costs, or unintentionally introducing safety risks, and updating them could enable more efficient, safer and more deliverable schemes across the network.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-b5fd17-0a1a71a2-dc59-408b-9b17-09f7e1f61bd7
Publication Source
Contracts Finder
Latest Notice
https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/d7dbeeeb-d0ae-4eb9-8dd2-2c08b27232cc
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
Award Notice
Procurement Type
Framework
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Selective
Procurement Method Details
Call-off from a framework agreement
Tender Suitability
SME
Awardee Scale
Large

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

73 - Research and development services and related consultancy services

CPV Codes

73220000 - Development consultancy services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£229,671 £100K-£500K
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
£229,671 £100K-£500K
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
2 Sep 20261 weeks ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
21 Aug 20263 weeks ago
Contract Period
21 Aug 2026 - 31 Mar 2028 1-2 years
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

Tender Status
Complete
Lots Status
Not Specified
Awards Status
Active
Contracts Status
Not Specified

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
National Highways
Contact Name
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Email
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Phone
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →

Buyer Location

Locality
BIRMINGHAM
Postcode
B4 6GA
Postcode Area
Birmingham
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLG West Midlands (England)
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLG3 West Midlands
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLG31 Birmingham
Delivery Location
Not specified
Local Authority
Birmingham
Electoral Ward
Ladywood
Westminster Constituency
Birmingham Ladywood

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
1
Supplier Name

WSP UK Ltd - SPaTS 1

Further Information

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

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