East London boroughs launch tender for joint highway contracts

Delivery

The London boroughs of Havering and Barking & Dagenham have gone out to tender on two new joint highways contracts that are a trailblazer for planned pan-London contracts.

The winning bidders for the  planned highways work and street lighting contracts should start work  in November.

The contracts will only last for 30 months, until 2014, so that they will be aligned with the end date of the contracts of Newham, Redbridge, Tower Hamlets and Waltham Forest, the four other members of East London Solutions, a grouping of authorities that is seeking to deliver collaborative services.

Beyond 2014, the East London boroughs will consider either letting joint contracts for highways works and street lighting together, or else joining the Transport for London/London Technical Advisors Group planned joint contracts.

TfL and LoTAG plan to issue an Office of the Journal of European Union notice in September for four common contracts covering four areas of London for the full range of highways services. This will include surface improvements, reactive repairs, street lighting and winter maintenance.

TfL will put £25m a year of work through each area contract, and individual boroughs will decide when and if they join the contracts, and what work they use them for.

The aim is to cut the number of different highways contracts in the capital – there are currently 102.

Councillor Barry Tebbutt, cabinet member for environment at Havering, told LTT: “We are piloting a pan-London contract. This will be a short-term contract so we can be brought in line with the contracts of other members of East London Solutions.”

“If it will provide value for money for our residents, in 2014 we will join with other members of ELS or other London boroughs in a TfL contract.”