S30082 Pavement assessment accreditation and quality assurance, PAAQA 2026+

National highways is obligated to deliver the Government's Road investment for the 2026/27- 2031/32 Road Period. A key element of this is 'Keeping the network in good condition'. Maintaining our network is essential to keeping it functioning. Road maintenance affects all aspects of performance - the time that roads must be affected by repairs; the likelihood of accidents; even emissions from vehicles on the network. Effective asset stewardship, in terms of monitoring and management, is vital to the successful operation and maintenance of the English strategic road network (SRN) It is therefore essential that maintenance of the network is planned, prioritised and undertaken in a way that it minimises any delays when carrying out road works and improvements; provides value for money and investment in improved services and helps make journeys safe and reliable. An essential element in the successful maintenance of the network is the accurate, reliable and consistent assessment of the pavement surface and structural condition.

The task seeks to achieve:

• Confidence in the accuracy and consistency of network and scheme level pavement surveys to support a safe and sustainable network.
• The accreditation of an adequate fleet of third-party survey tools i.e. Deflectograph, Dynamic Plate Testers and Sideway-force Coefficient Routine Investigation Machines to meet our contractual and technical obligations.
• The maintenance and updating of accreditation specifications to keep abreast of industry good practice.

The service now being sought is for a supplier to provide, plan, and deliver the accreditation and quality assurance, including holding the accreditation trials, and certification, for the fleets of Sideways-force Coefficient Routine Investigation Machines, Deflectographs and Dynamic Plate Testers (aka FWD).