Tender

Professional Services Contract for Cambridgeshire County Council

CAMBRIDGESHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL

This public procurement record has 3 releases in its history.

Tender

02 Feb 2026 at 14:54

Planning

20 Oct 2025 at 10:41

Planning

08 May 2025 at 16:20

Summary of the contracting process

Cambridgeshire County Council is seeking to appoint a single provider for a Professional Services Contract, focusing on highways and transport services. This tender is part of a larger strategy approved in March 2025 to improve service delivery in Cambridgeshire. The contract covers transport solutions, project delivery, planning, design services, and more, with an estimated contract value of £35 million, potentially rising to £42 million. The procurement, using a competitive flexible procedure, is currently in the tender stage, with the deadline for expressions of interest set for 9th March 2026. The service period starts on 1st December 2026 for four years, with potential extensions up to seven years.

This tender presents significant opportunities for businesses specialised in transport, environmental, and engineering consultancy services. Companies that can provide comprehensive solutions and share the Council’s commitment to a sustainable and efficient transport network will be well-positioned to succeed. The project requires a collaborative approach with the Council, making it ideal for firms with strong stakeholder engagement and project management capabilities. Businesses that can provide innovative, efficient, and high-quality service offerings can not only secure a valuable contract but also be instrumental in shaping the future of transport services in Cambridgeshire during a period of potential local government restructuring.

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Notice Title

Professional Services Contract for Cambridgeshire County Council

Notice Description

The Highways and Transport Services delivered by the Council impact on the lives of everyone living, working, learning, and travelling in the County every day. The Council needs to ensure that it is in a position to respond to the changing needs of Cambridgeshire's residents, meeting both short and long-term challenges, whilst also providing support to the people that need us most. In March 2025 the Highways and Transport Committee approved a procurement strategy for the future commissioning and delivery of highways and transport. The main goal of this strategy is to secure best value in the management of these Services by improving the efficiency, effectiveness and the customer experience of these Services. This will be based on engaging the appropriate segment of the market to deliver the best results for the service the Council needs to procure. The Council has sought to appoint an experienced Consultant who fundamentally understands and shares its' long-term vision of a greener, fairer and more caring Cambridgeshire to Provide the Service. The Consultant will work collaboratively with the Council to deliver the Councils Strategic Framework 2023 - 2028 through achieving best value in the management of the highway network for the benefit of all communities that use Cambridgeshire's highway infrastructure. The Council anticipates that the Services required under the Professional Services Contract ("PSC") will consist of: - Transport Solutions - Project Delivery Studies - Consultation and Stakeholders - Planning and Statutory Services - Design Services (feasibility, preliminary and detailed) - Commercial Services - Surveys and investigation - Environmental Services - Future Mobility Services - Construction Phase Services - Any other relevant/related Services The Council has an existing in-house design team, so it is looking to supplement and support that through the PSC. To do this, it needs access to technical specialities over and above simple design resource and the PSC will also be used to represent the Council with other suppliers e.g. through construction management. It intends to appoint a single provider, for an initial term of four years, with the option to extend for a further period or periods of up to an additional three years, resulting in a total potential duration of up to seven years. Any mobilisation period between the Contract Date and the Service Commencement Date is separate from, and in addition to, the Service period set out in this Tender Notice. The Services will be instructed entirely by Task Order under the contractual mechanism and that there is no minimum guaranteed volume or value of work under the Contract. The Council reserves the right to place Services similar to the service under this Contract with other service providers or to carry them out itself or not at all. Task Orders may be instructed at any time up until the final day of the Service Period and in the event, there is unfinished work under Task Orders at the end of the Service Period the Service Period will be extended until those Task Orders are complete. Interested parties should refer to the draft Contract in the associated tender documents for further details. Under the wider Local Government Reform (LGR) agenda the Government has stated its intention to restructure remaining two-tier areas in England into single tier unitary authorities. This programme aims to streamline local government structures, improve accountability, and achieve efficiencies. As Cambridgeshire currently operates under a two-tier system, LGR is expected to affect the Council during the lifetime of this Contract. As the timing and scale of these changes are not yet confirmed, LGR may result in modifications to this Contract. Potential impacts include changes to the contracting authority through novation, variations in service volumes or values, and adjustments to the scope of Services required. Any changes will remain aligned to the existing nature of the Contract, although related additional Services may be required. A number of successor authorities may require access to the Services and the Contract will accommodate their entitlement to do so. Applicants should be aware of this forthcoming reform and be prepared to work collaboratively with the Council to support transition and ensure continuity of Services. The financial values set out in this Tender Notice are indicative estimates and are presented at current prices as of the date of publication, therefore may be subject to change. The Council is providing the total estimated value of the Contract in accordance with the PA23 requirements on valuing contracts and for transparency purposes. The estimate is however provided purely as a guide, and the Council makes no guarantees in terms of scope, demand, or costs. Full details of the procurement procedure, the intended Contract, required Services, and the process for expressing an interest in this opportunity are detailed within the associated tender documents. The Council reserves the right to abandon the procurement and is not bound to award any contract arising from this Tender Notice. Applicants are solely responsible for all costs and expenses incurred in relation to the preparation and submission of their PSQ Response, as well as any costs arising from participation in subsequent stages of the procurement, assessment, and contract award process.

Lot Information

Lot 1

Renewal: After the initial 4-year term, the contract may be extended by a period or periods of up to 3 additional years, resulting in a maximum total duration of 7 years.

Planning Information

This notice serves as an invitation to prospective suppliers to participate in this pre-market engagement exercise. To receive the Pre-Market Engagement Information Document, interested parties should email Jon Collyns and Samantha Hastings on jon.collyns@cambridgeshire.gov.uk and samantha.hastings@cambridgeshire.gov.uk The document provides further background to the Highways Programme and includes a short questionnaire, focused on each of the three procurements, for completion as relevant. The objective of the Pre-Market Engagement Information Document is to enable suppliers to provide their key insights and recommendations to the Council in respect of its approach to the Highways Programme. The closing date for receipt of submitted questionnaires is 12pm on Monday 9th June 2025.

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-050f3e
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/009043-2026
Current Stage
Tender
All Stages
Planning, Tender

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK4 - Tender Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Selective
Procurement Method Details
Competitive flexible procedure
Tender Suitability
SME
Awardee Scale
Not specified

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

60 - Transport services (excl. Waste transport)

71 - Architectural, construction, engineering and inspection services


CPV Codes

60000000 - Transport services (excl. Waste transport)

71000000 - Architectural, construction, engineering and inspection services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£35,000,000 £10M-£100M
Lots Value
£35,000,000 £10M-£100M
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
2 Feb 20261 months ago
Submission Deadline
25 Feb 2026Expired
Future Notice Date
12 Jan 2026Expired
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
1 Dec 2026 - 30 Nov 2030 4-5 years
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

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

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
CAMBRIDGESHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL
Contact Name
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Email
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Phone
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →

Buyer Location

Locality
ALCONBURY WEALD, HUNTINGDON
Postcode
PE28 4YE
Post Town
Peterborough
Country
England

Major Region (ITL 1)
TLH East (England)
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLH4 Cambridgeshire and Peterborough
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLH42 Cambridgeshire CC
Delivery Location
TLH1 East Anglia, TLH12 Cambridgeshire CC

Local Authority
Huntingdonshire
Electoral Ward
The Stukeleys
Westminster Constituency
Huntingdon

Further Information

Notice Documents

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

View full OCDS Record for this contracting process

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The Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS) is a framework designed to increase transparency and access to public procurement data in the public sector. It is widely used by governments and organisations worldwide to report on procurement processes and contracts.

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