---
title: "S30129 Road Design DMRB Standards Research & Development CD127, CD109 & CD116"
ocid: "ocds-b5fd17-0a1a71a2-dc59-408b-9b17-09f7e1f61bd7"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-b5fd17-0a1a71a2-dc59-408b-9b17-09f7e1f61bd7"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-0a1a71a2-dc59-408b-9b17-09f7e1f61bd7.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-0a1a71a2-dc59-408b-9b17-09f7e1f61bd7.json"
source: "Contracts Finder"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "National Highways"
published: "2026-09-02"
---

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

Buyer: National Highways  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-b5fd17-0a1a71a2-dc59-408b-9b17-09f7e1f61bd7

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## Summary

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.

## Notice

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.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Contracts Finder |
| Latest notice | https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/d7dbeeeb-d0ae-4eb9-8dd2-2c08b27232cc |
| 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 |
| All stages | Award |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 2 Sep 2026 |
| Submission deadline | Not specified |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | 21 Aug 2026 |
| Contract period | 21 Aug 2026 - 31 Mar 2028 |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | £229,671 |
| Lots value | Not specified |
| Awards value | £229,671 |
| Contracts value | Not specified |

## Status

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender status | Complete |
| Lots status | Not specified |
| Awards status | Active |
| Contracts status | Not specified |

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | National Highways |
| Locality | BIRMINGHAM |
| Postcode area | Birmingham |
| Postcode | B4 6GA |
| Country | England |
| ITL 1 | TLG West Midlands (England) |
| ITL 2 | TLG3 West Midlands |
| ITL 3 | TLG31 Birmingham |
| Local authority | Birmingham |
| Electoral ward | Ladywood |
| Westminster constituency | Birmingham Ladywood |
| Delivery location | Not specified |

## Supplier

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Number of suppliers | 1 |
| Supplier names | WSP UK Ltd - SPaTS 1 |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 73 - Research and development services and related consultancy services

### Codes

- 73220000 - Development consultancy services

## Release History

- 2 Sep 2026 at 13:27 - Award - Award Notice - https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/d7dbeeeb-d0ae-4eb9-8dd2-2c08b27232cc

## Documents

- https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/d7dbeeeb-d0ae-4eb9-8dd2-2c08b27232cc
  2nd September 2026 - Awarded contract notice on Contracts Finder
- https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/Attachment/033c5faa-25d8-4404-81ed-a1d80bec7efc
  n/a

## Provenance

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