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Lower Thames Crossing Vendor Due Diligence - Business Readiness Assessment

National Highways

This public procurement record has 2 releases in its history.

Award

27 Aug 2026 at 08:50

UK6 - Contract Award Notice
Award

26 Aug 2026 at 10:13

UK5 - Transparency Notice
Summary of the contracting process

National Highways Limited commissioned an independent specialist organisation to assess the Lower Thames Crossing’s business readiness before Vendor Due Diligence, within the Investible Business Workstream. The work covers finance, tax, operations, information technology including human resources, and environmental, social and governance matters. It is business and management consultancy work for the Lower Thames Crossing programme, with the assessment focused on the project rather than a general corporate service. National Highways Limited is the public-sector buyer. The appointed organisation is expected to provide specialist analysis that supports preparation for vendor due diligence and the wider transaction process, drawing together financial, operational, technology, people and sustainability considerations for the crossing project.

The procurement is complete and was awarded through a direct award. Ernst & Young LLP was selected on 26 August 2026 for the single lot. The award is £1,445,000 excluding VAT and £1,734,000 including VAT. The contract period runs from 15 September 2026 to 31 December 2027, with a planned signature date of 9 September 2026. The award is for consultancy services above the relevant threshold. National Highways justified the direct award by citing Ernst & Young’s deep involvement in the Lower Thames Crossing, extensive preparatory work, specialist knowledge across finance, tax, ESG and operations, and the continuity, reduced duplication and better value for money this was expected to provide. The award remains active.

This award indicates demand from National Highways for specialist advisory teams able to support major infrastructure transactions and vendor due diligence across finance, tax, operations, IT, HR and ESG. A credible competitor for a future requirement would need integrated capability across these disciplines, experience of complex transport or infrastructure programmes, and the capacity to produce joined-up assessments for investors, lenders and other transaction parties. The buyer’s rationale shows that continuity, detailed knowledge of work already completed, rapid mobilisation and avoidance of duplicated analysis were decisive considerations. Firms seeking similar work should therefore be able to demonstrate sustained programme involvement, strong information retention and handover processes, independence where required, and the ability to manage conflicts while delivering specialist advice at substantial project scale.

How relevant is this notice?

Notice Information

Notice Title

Lower Thames Crossing Vendor Due Diligence - Business Readiness Assessment

Notice Description

Engagement of an independent specialist organisation to undertake an assessment of the following aspects of Lower Thames Crossing's business ahead of Vendor Due Diligence as part of the Investible Business Workstream: * Finance * Tax * Operations, IT (incl. HR) * Environmental, Social & Governance (ESG)

Procurement Information

The supplier is deeply embedded in the project, with unparalleled expertise built up over years; The supplier is fully onboarded and have undertaken significant work across the years as part of the Lower Thames Crossing (LTC) programme. The continuity of service across the preparatory and Vendor Due Diligence (VDD) workstreams would enable the current advisors to leverage the significant work done to date by Department for Transport (DfT) , National Highways (NH) and their organisations in order to offer a higher quality output, likely in less time, and with less friction - ultimately driving better value for money vs a new advisor Additionally, bringing on new firms to provide the VDD reports when preparatory work has been undertaken by other advisors will almost certainly necessitate replication of scope in order for the incoming parties to get comfortable with the current status, duplicating the work already undertaken and billed at this stage and creating the opportunity for unhelpful divergences in position While other "big four" advisors have internal capabilities to meet the requirements formally, the current advisor group has been significantly specialised by virtue of their experience to date on LTC that they are uniquely qualified to meet the scope from a Finance, Tax, ESG and Operations perspective, rendering any broader process ultimately uncompetitive Additionally, there are strategic benefits to limiting the number of teams and organisations already managing internal conflicts with the project and avoiding 'saturating' the market, to ensure that investors, lenders and all relevant parties are able to access the advisors they need quickly and without undue complications as part of a smooth and functional transaction process. If the incumbent advisors are not appointed for this process, they are highly likely to represent a counterparty on the transaction, who could reap the benefits of their significant experience rather than LTC; there is a strong case for preserving this knowledge internally The proposed VDD report scopes do not represent new independent scopes which are a departure from the work done to date. Significant pre readiness activity has been undertaken, and this is a build on such work.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-06ec12
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/081572-2026
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK6 - Contract Award Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Direct
Procurement Method Details
Direct award
Tender Suitability
Not specified
Awardee Scale
Large

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

79 - Business services: law, marketing, consulting, recruitment, printing and security

CPV Codes

79410000 - Business and management consultancy services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
Not specified
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
£1,445,000 £1M-£10M
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
27 Aug 20261 weeks ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
26 Aug 20261 weeks ago
Contract Period
15 Sep 2026 - 31 Dec 2027 1-2 years
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

Tender Status
Complete
Lots Status
Complete
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

Ernst & Young LLP

Further Information

Notice Documents

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

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