T0686 M&R Specification

The M&R Contractor, for a given area or region, is responsible for all cyclical and reactive maintenance of civil and technology assets, incident response, defect rectification and severe weather delivery on the Strategic Road Network (SRN), and operates under the guidance of a well-defined specification.

National Highways determines the asset needs and instructs the works to be undertaken by the M&R Contractor on an 'as required' basis. The M&R contract has specific payment mechanisms aligned to each workstream, for example Cost Reimbursable payment for work which cannot be well defined (e.g. incident response), Schedule of Rates for works which is well defined but the quantum may not be consistent (e.g. cyclic maintenance), to Lump Sum where the work and quantum is well understood (e.g. management of depots and winter fleet).

To enable effective external delivery, the contract documentation must clearly translate the standards, organisational approach and requirements of National Highways into operational delivery. The contract must provide clarity and certainty of what National Highways requires from its Contractor whilst delivering value for money by using the most favourable payments terms. The contract needs to clearly define 'what good looks like' and enable low-cost high-volume works to be consistently delivered. This should be in a timely and effective manner, to the right quality, evidenced for statutory defence, paid for and repeated on a consistent high-volume basis.

The specification is the key document in achieving this. It translates the standards and organisational approach and requirements into definable activities and is fundamental in enabling National Highways to comply with its statutory duties. It supports National Highways in managing network risk to provide a safe and serviceable SRN, while also delivering value to users, the specification can ensure that sustainability is a core consideration in all maintenance and inspection activities, contributing to the broader Net Zero agenda.

This task will support National Highways to further develop the specification and deliver the outcomes stated in GM701, for the next generation of M&R contracts, whilst ensuring our requirements can be delivered effectively and consistently through our commercial arrangements which are vital in meeting our Licence and legal obligations.