Pre Engagement Marketing for Highways

The London Borough of Croydon is preparing for the future re-procurement of its Highways Term Maintenance Contract, with a new contract anticipated to commence in April 2027. In advance of tendering, the Council is undertaking a structured market engagement exercise to inform its procurement strategy and contract design.

Croydon continues to operate within a financially constrained environment following previous Section 114 notices and remains subject to oversight by the Government’s Improvement and Assurance Panel. Highways maintenance is, however, a statutory service and will continue to be funded through approved revenue and capital programmes. The future contract is expected to be procured as a zero-value contract in accordance with the Public Procurement Regulations 2023, with works instructed through approved programmes.

The Council has not yet determined the final delivery model, commercial structure, performance regime or procurement route. A range of potential approaches is under consideration, including contract packaging, NEC4 contract options, revenue maintenance pricing models, performance management arrangements, digital delivery requirements and sustainability and social value outcomes.

To support this process, the Council has issued the attached Market Engagement Questionnaire. The questionnaire has been deliberately structured to gather proportionate, focused feedback from the market on areas where supplier insight can meaningfully inform the development of a deliverable, competitive and compliant procurement approach. It is not a pre-qualification exercise and will not form part of any future tender evaluation.

The Council would welcome responses from organisations with experience of delivering highways term maintenance services within London and the wider Southeast. All responses will be treated in confidence and used solely for market analysis and strategy development.

To apply for these contracts, you must have first registered on the council’s e-procurement portal -https://in-tendhost.co.uk/croydontenders/. If you require assistance in using the portal please contact the Support Helpdesk by contacting the e-Sourcing Portal Helpdesk:support@in-tend.co.uk or 0845 557 8079 / +44 (0) 114 407 0065

This pre-market engagement is being carried out in accordance with the Procurement Act rules on Pre-Market Engagement (including Regulation 16).

Disclaimer

The information in this document is solely for the purposes of a soft market testing exercise, and no representation, warranty, or undertaking is given by the Council as to its accuracy or completeness, and the Council accepts no liability in relation to it.

The Council reserves the right to, at its discretion:

• (a)to change this document and/or the process for the soft market testing exercise,
• (b)to proceed or not with a subsequent procurement.

Any subsequent procurement will be separate. Neither participation (or otherwise) in this exercise nor any information supplied will advantage or disadvantage any person in such procurement.

No expense in responding to soft market testing will be reimbursed by the Council.

The Council will not treat as confidential any information submitted in response to the Exercise, and respondents should note that the Council is subject to the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and may be obliged to disclose responses under that Act.

Please submit your completed questionnaire by 2nd February 2026 via the Council’s procurement portal. If you have any queries regarding this market engagement exercise or require clarification on the questionnaire, please contact:

Oscar Akintoye, Head of Highways and Traffic,

Highways Services

London Borough of Croydon

Email: Oscar.akintoye@croydon.gov.uk

The Council appreciates the time and expertise required to respond to this exercise and thanks you in advance for your contribution to shaping the future of Croydon’s highways service.