IN Brief:
- The tender concerns about 4.95km of segregated cycling infrastructure along the A38 corridor.
- Works include junction alterations, new crossings, signal changes, and associated highway improvements.
- Bids close on 18 December 2026, with contract award targeted for March 2027.
Birmingham City Council has opened a construction tender for approximately 4.95km of segregated cycle infrastructure along the A38 between Selly Oak and Longbridge. The contract covers more than the cycleway itself, with carriageway alterations, junction upgrades, pedestrian and cyclist crossings, traffic signal changes and supporting highway infrastructure included in the works package. Bidders have until 18 December 2026 to submit tenders through the council’s procurement platform.
Birmingham’s P3435 competition uses an open procedure and specifies an NEC4 Engineering and Construction Contract, Option C. Under this target-cost form, defined cost and contractual pain/gain mechanisms influence how financial risk is managed, although the precise allocation depends on the signed contract. The council aims to appoint a contractor in March 2027, begin construction in April 2027 and complete the works in May 2029. None of those dates constitutes an awarded contract or a guaranteed programme at the tender stage.
Creating a continuous protected route within an established urban road corridor involves more than laying a new coloured surface. Segregated infrastructure must connect across existing junctions, driveways and crossing points, while maintaining workable arrangements for pedestrians, buses, general traffic and servicing activity. The tender’s inclusion of signal modifications and crossing upgrades indicates that the contractor will be changing how multiple transport movements interact, rather than building a cycle lane in isolation.
An existing route connects central Birmingham to Selly Oak along the A38 Bristol Road. The proposed new works would continue south towards Longbridge. Birmingham’s 2025 public consultation referred to an approximately 6km extension, whereas the November 2026 works invitation specifies approximately 4.95km. The figures come from different stages of design and procurement; the currently tendered construction scope is the 4.95km figure and should not be represented as identical to every element shown in the earlier consultation.
The earlier consultation received 850 responses, with 56% supporting the proposals, 39% opposed, and 5% neutral or not expressing a position. Birmingham City Council approved the outline business case in November 2025 and moved towards more detailed project development. The new tender seeks a contractor to undertake the highway works; the invitation does not mean that construction has started. It also leaves the final contractor’s construction sequencing and traffic arrangements to be established through the delivery process.
Council consultation visualisations show segregated cycle space passing through revised junctions, helping explain how separation from motor traffic could be maintained along the corridor. They were prepared before this tender and are not as-built drawings or proof that every proposed junction treatment remains unchanged. Finalised layout details and any construction-stage alterations must be distinguished from illustrative material used to consult the public in 2025.
The contract specifically includes pedestrian crossings as well as cycle facilities, which is important for a scheme that changes junction geometry and priority. Construction will require interfaces between kerbing, drainage, road surfacing, traffic signals, road markings and pedestrian access, with the order of operations affecting both temporary traffic arrangements and the finished network. Any diversion, night-work or road-closure plans will need to be assessed against information issued by the appointed contractor and highway authority; they are not confirmed in the tender summary.
NEC4 Option C sets a contractual framework for cost management but does not itself establish a final construction price. Commercial procurement listings reproduce differing headline estimates and VAT treatments; the council’s contract notice and pricing documents would need to be reconciled before a precise contract value could be stated without qualification. The extent of any utility diversions, traffic-management requirements, and retained risks will also affect how tenders are priced.
The bidding procedure runs through Birmingham City Council’s In-tend system, which is the formal route for submissions and correspondence. Suppliers have been directed to use the platform rather than make direct approaches to officers. A clarification timetable and supporting contract documents should give bidders more information about scope boundaries, risk allocation and the expected programme as the competition proceeds.
Bids close on 18 December 2026. Subject to evaluation and successful award, construction is expected to begin in April 2027 and continue until May 2029. The principal works include not only the segregated cycleway but also junction alterations, pedestrian crossings, signals, and other highway interfaces that have to remain functional as the corridor is adapted. A contractor appointment and agreed traffic-management programme will provide the next firm delivery details.
