Award

S30048 Drone Road User Distraction

NATIONAL HIGHWAYS LIMITED

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

Award

19 Dec 2025 at 08:00

Award Notice
Summary of the contracting process

National Highways Limited, located in Birmingham, England, is managing a public procurement process titled "S30048 Drone Road User Distraction" within the development consultancy services sector. The contract, awarded to Ove Arup, a large-scale supplier based in Newcastle, is valued at £176,470.49. This procurement is part of a selective tender method, involving a call-off from a framework agreement, and has now progressed to the award stage as of 18th December 2025. The contract period commences on 1st January 2026 and concludes on 31st January 2027, covering multiple locations including the United Kingdom, Channel Islands, and other international regions. The initiative aims to research safe operational distances for drones relative to road users.

This tender presents significant opportunities for businesses specialising in consultancy services, particularly those with expertise in drone operations and safety assessments as per the Civil Aviation Authority regulations. Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) can particularly benefit from such procurements due to the suitability requirement emphasis. Companies involved in research and development, as well as those experienced with safety risk assessments in the transport sector, are well-positioned to engage in this project and contribute to the evolving needs of drone usage and safety standards in highway settings.

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Notice Information

Notice Title

S30048 Drone Road User Distraction

Notice Description

National Highways wish to appoint specialist technical consultants to undertake research to understand whether separation distances, between drones operated by/on behalf of National Highways and road users, can be safely reduced from the currently permitted 50 metres as defined in GG 954 - Drone Operations. Specifically, National Highways is seeking to establish whether flights at distances as low as 10 metres can be undertaken without distracting divers, enabling the potential for many more drone flights to meet growing business needs. Drone use for/on behalf of National Highways is governed by CAA regulations, CAP 722, as well as our own DMRB Drone Standard, GG 954 - Drones Operations. Projects wishing to use drones must submit a GG 104 Safety Risk Assessment to the relevant National Highways review body, evidencing the safety benefits of using a drone when compared to the 'baseline' way of working. In short, use of a drone must be safer than, or at least as safe as, the baseline way of working. A reduction in separation distances is permitted by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), subject to the Drone Operator being granted an Operation Safety Case by the CAA. Likewise, GG 954 - Drones Operations makes provision for reduced separation distances, subject to 'acceptance' from the Drone safety Control Review Group (SCRG) or National Safety Control Review Group (NSCRG). However, despite there being a route to potential acceptance of flights at distances less than 50 metres, those accepted so far have been in very specific circumstances and where flights could be visible to drivers, have required risk mitigation due to a lack of research/evidence available to understand the extent of what may/may not distract drivers at distances less than 50 metres.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-b5fd17-5b32f709-f497-4199-a6fc-8ede4dd16306
Publication Source
Contracts Finder
Latest Notice
https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/dd1acd9d-3f7d-495c-8e02-af18cbb92c63
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
£180,000 £100K-£500K
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
£176,470 £100K-£500K
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
19 Dec 20252 months ago
Submission Deadline
26 Nov 2025Expired
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
18 Dec 20252 months ago
Contract Period
1 Jan 2026 - 31 Jan 2027 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 LIMITED
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
Post Town
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

OVE ARUP

Further Information

Notice Documents

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

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