The London Borough of Ealing has published preliminary market engagement for its Highway Maintenance Term Contracts (232621HE). The opportunity has an estimated value of £140m excluding VAT, or £168m including VAT, with anticipated contract dates from 1 April 2027 to 1 April 2032 and a possible extension to 1 April 2034.
This is a planning notice rather than the formal tender. Suppliers should use this stage to assess fit, understand the likely lot structure and start preparing evidence. The Find a Tender notice is the relevant notice link for this stage. If you are considering this opportunity, contact Thornton & Lowe for an early bid/no-bid review.
Scope by lot
The opportunity is expected to cover two lots. Lot 1, Highways Maintenance Works, includes reactive maintenance such as patching, pothole repair and footway repaving, 24/7 emergency highway maintenance, planned resurfacing and repaving, winter maintenance, drainage maintenance, gully cleansing, signing and lining, vehicle crossings, and acting as Principal Contractor under CDM.
Lot 2, Highway and Civil Improvements, is aimed at larger planned improvement schemes. It covers traffic calming, traffic management, high street improvements, cycle and walking facilities, regeneration schemes, section 38 and section 278 works, section 106 or CIL-funded schemes, parking schemes, structural and civil engineering works, utilities and drainage works, and footway or carriageway works for housing estates, schools and parks.
Who should be interested
This should not be described simply as a construction framework. The best-fit suppliers are likely to include highways maintenance contractors, civil engineering contractors, surfacing specialists, drainage contractors, winter maintenance providers, traffic management businesses, signing and lining specialists, and firms with credible Principal Contractor capability for public highway works.
Ealing will need suppliers that can manage safety, disruption, programme control and resident or business communication in a busy London borough. Responses should therefore balance technical delivery with customer care, traffic management, health and safety, environmental management and strong contract governance. Our highways and civil engineering tenders support is directly relevant for suppliers preparing for this type of opportunity.
Key dates
- Engagement deadline: 7 July 2026
- Formal tender deadline: Not yet set at planning notice stage
- Anticipated contract start: 1 April 2027
- Anticipated contract end: 1 April 2032, with possible extension to 1 April 2034
Suppliers should treat the engagement stage as an opportunity to understand the buyer's direction and prepare for the later competition.
Bid preparation priorities
Likely evidence areas include reactive and planned maintenance delivery, emergency response, winter service management, surfacing, drainage, street works, traffic management, CDM Principal Contractor arrangements, quality assurance, KPI management, mobilisation, stakeholder communication, social value, carbon reduction, materials management, subcontractor control and delivery in dense urban environments.
The value and possible seven-year term mean bidders should also think beyond individual work packages. Ealing will need confidence that suppliers can provide resilient day-to-day service delivery, manage peaks in demand, coordinate complex works and provide transparent reporting across the life of the contract.
If you're preparing to bid, Thornton & Lowe can help you assess fit, prepare early evidence and shape a clear response for the formal tender stage.
