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Streetlighting Services - Maintenance & Capital programme

Stoke-on-Trent City Council

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

Planning

21 Sep 2026 at 11:42

UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Summary of the contracting process

Stoke-on-Trent City Council and Staffordshire County Council are jointly developing a future streetlighting service covering Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent. The requirement is for integrated maintenance and capital delivery for public lighting assets, including planned, preventative and reactive maintenance, emergency response, electrical and structural inspections, testing, compliance, fault investigation and repair. It may also include professional, technical and streetlighting design services, flexible capital investment and asset replacement programmes, accurate authority-owned asset information, customer and stakeholder liaison, and mobilisation, transition and service continuity. The service is intended to provide safe, legal, reliable and value-for-money lighting, with clear operational accountability and flexibility for each authority. The main category is streetlighting repair, maintenance and associated services, classified under CPV 50230000.

This procurement is at the planning stage and the current activity is exploratory market engagement, not an invitation to tender. The councils expect to develop a jointly procured service with one contractor, potentially using separate authority arrangements under a shared commercial and technical structure, subject to business-case and formal approvals. Existing PFI arrangements end on 18 May 2028 for Staffordshire County Council and 31 August 2028 for Stoke-on-Trent City Council. The anticipated replacement service would start on 19 May 2028 and run initially for four years, with an extension option taking the maximum period to 31 August 2036. The engagement is intended to test market interest, deliverability, contract structure, information requirements, mobilisation risks and changes that could improve competition and whole-life value. Interested organisations are asked to confirm interest by 16 October 2026.

The future requirement is likely to suit established streetlighting and highways-service providers with the capacity to deliver planned, reactive and emergency work across two authorities, while managing inspections, testing, statutory compliance and agreed response standards. Strong candidates will be able to mobilise from existing PFI arrangements, transfer and validate asset, maintenance, condition and operational information, and maintain reliable authority-owned asset data with open system access. Relevant capability includes streetlighting design, capital replacement, energy-efficiency programmes, carbon reduction, digital working, central management, smart-asset and connectivity technologies. The councils are seeking collaborative partners able to work with intelligent-client teams, manage workforce transition and supply chains, support health and safety and skills development, and offer local economic benefit and SME involvement. Preparation should also cover open-book contract management, measurable KPIs, reporting, escalation, innovation and transparent whole-life value proposals.

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Notice Information

Notice Title

Streetlighting Services - Maintenance & Capital programme

Notice Description

Future Street Lighting Service What Staffordshire County Council and Stoke-on-Trent City Council are seeking from the market Staffordshire County Council (SCC) and Stoke-on-Trent City Council (SoTCC) are working together to develop successor arrangements for their existing street lighting PFI contracts, which expire on 18 May 2028 and 31 August 2028 respectively. Our priority is to secure a safe, legal, reliable and value-for-money service, with effective mobilisation and uninterrupted service continuity from the relevant commencement date for each authority. Our anticipated requirement Subject to the outcome of the business case and formal approvals, the current direction is a jointly procured, single-contractor service, potentially comprising separate authority-specific arrangements under a common commercial and technical structure. The anticipated scope includes: * planned, preventative and reactive maintenance; * emergency attendance and response; * electrical and structural inspections, testing and compliance; * investigation and repair of faults referred by the authorities; * access to professional, technical and street lighting design services where required; * delivery of flexible capital investment and asset-replacement programmes; * maintenance of accurate, accessible and authority-owned asset information; * customer, stakeholder and third-party liaison; and * mobilisation, transition and service-continuity support. This integrated model is intended to provide clear end-to-end accountability while retaining flexibility for design services to be commissioned through the contractor where required, thereby managing operational interfaces and supporting effective delivery. The present planning assumption is an initial four-year contract with an option to extend for up to a further four years. Any extension would be subject to satisfactory performance, affordability, value for money and the requirements of the successor authorities. What we want from our future contractor We are looking for a capable and collaborative delivery partner that can: * Protect public safety and statutory compliance, supported by competent people, robust systems and clearly defined emergency and routine response arrangements. * Deliver a reliable, customer-focused service, responding to faults referred by the authorities and completing investigations and repairs within agreed service levels, while supporting the authorities' management of customer enquiries and complaints. * Assume clear operational accountability across maintenance, inspection and capital delivery, with the capability to provide design services when commissioned and to work effectively with each authority's intelligent-client team. * Demonstrate whole-life value, balancing maintenance, energy consumption, capital replacement, risk, asset condition and long-term affordability rather than focusing only on the lowest initial price. * Mobilise successfully from the existing PFI arrangements, including the controlled transfer and validation of asset, maintenance, condition and operational information. * Maintain high-quality asset data, with open access for the authorities, appropriate interfaces with authority systems and no avoidable supplier dependency. * Provide flexibility, allowing each authority to vary investment levels, service priorities and programmes within an agreed contractual framework. * Drive measurable improvement, including energy efficiency, carbon reduction, productivity, digital working and appropriate use of central management, smart asset and connectivity technologies. * Support responsible employment and supply-chain practices, including workforce transition where applicable, health and safety, skills development, local economic benefit, social value and opportunities for SMEs. * Operate through open-book, evidence-led contract management, with meaningful performance measures, timely reporting, effective escalation and a constructive approach to resolving problems. * Identify innovation and commercial opportunities, where these offer a demonstrable benefit to the authorities and communities, with benefits, savings and risks shared on a fair and transparent basis. These expectations reflect the authorities' emphasis on whole-life value, flexibility, innovation, energy efficiency, clear service levels, effective KPIs and strong contract management.

Planning Information

Purpose of this engagement At this stage, we are seeking to understand: 1. whether suitably experienced organisations would be interested in tendering for the proposed service; 2. whether the anticipated scope and contract structure are deliverable and commercially attractive; 3. the information that bidders would need to prepare a robust response and manage the service confidently; 4. the principal mobilisation, workforce, asset-data and supply-chain risks; and 5. any proportionate changes that could improve competition, deliverability or whole-life value. This engagement is exploratory and does not represent a call for competition or a commitment to a particular procurement route, scope, value or contract structure. Detailed innovation proposals and binding commercial submissions would be addressed through the subsequent procurement process. If you are interested in this procurement, please confirm your interest by emailing Dasa.Kucharkova@stoke.gov.uk by 16th October 2026.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-07763c
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/089054-2026
Current Stage
Planning
All Stages
Planning

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Not Specified
Procurement Method Details
Not specified
Tender Suitability
Not specified
Awardee Scale
Not specified

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

50 - Repair and maintenance services

CPV Codes

50230000 - Repair, maintenance and associated services related to roads and other equipment

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
Not specified
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
21 Sep 2026Today
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
19 May 2028 - 1 Sep 2032 4-5 years
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

Tender Status
Planning
Lots Status
Planning
Awards Status
Not Specified
Contracts Status
Not Specified

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
Stoke-on-Trent City Council
Additional Buyers

Staffordshire 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
STOKE-ON-TRENT
Postcode
ST4 1HH
Postcode Area
Stoke-on-Trent
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLG West Midlands (England)
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLG2 Shropshire and Staffordshire
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLG23 Stoke-on-Trent
Delivery Location
TLG23 Stoke-on-Trent, TLG24 Staffordshire CC
Local Authority
Stoke-on-Trent
Electoral Ward
Hartshill Park & Stoke
Westminster Constituency
Stoke-on-Trent Central

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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