IN Brief:
- Staffordshire County Council has opened a £7m framework tender for tarmacadam and other surface works.
- Individual projects are expected typically to range from £20,000 to £60,000, although the framework sets no hard minimum or maximum job value.
- The agreement is scheduled to run from April 2027 to March 2029 and will also be accessible to named partner organisations.
Staffordshire County Council has opened bidding for a £7m framework covering the supply, installation, repair and maintenance of tarmacadam and other surfaces across council buildings, grounds and partner estates.
The tender was published on 6 October following Cabinet approval in September to proceed with the procurement. The framework is scheduled to begin on 1 April 2027 and run to 31 March 2029, creating a common schedule of rates for individual surfacing and associated external-works packages.
The scope extends beyond laying asphalt. It includes playground and surface markings together with fixed equipment such as benches, canopies, lighting and electric vehicle charging points where these form part of the relevant external-works package.
Individual schemes are expected normally to fall between £20,000 and £60,000, but the tender does not impose a planned upper or lower limit on job value. The same procurement route can consequently be used for relatively small repairs and larger resurfacing packages rather than establishing a separate competition for every site intervention.
The framework will principally serve Staffordshire County Council properties and maintained schools, while a range of partner organisations can also use the agreement. Procurement records identify other local public bodies and Keele University among the potential users, widening the possible workload beyond the county council’s direct estate.
A schedule-of-rates model suits recurring maintenance because the same construction activities appear repeatedly across different locations. Surface removal, preparation, laying, patching, line marking and associated installation work can be priced against agreed rates, while individual call-offs define quantities, location, access arrangements and the combination of works required.
Site conditions will still alter how each package is delivered. Existing substrate condition, drainage, loading, pedestrian use and the type of surfacing already present all influence preparation and construction. A playground, school access route, car park and service yard may use related materials while requiring different textures, markings, drainage arrangements and resistance to traffic.
Preparation is particularly important where existing surfacing has failed because of movement or water ingress. Simply placing a new layer over an unstable or poorly drained substrate can transfer defects into the replacement surface, so local excavation, patching or drainage work may be required before final surfacing begins.
The inclusion of fixed equipment creates further sequencing requirements. Lighting columns, EV charging points, canopies and street furniture introduce foundations, ducts and electrical connections that need to be coordinated with excavation and surfacing.
Installing the finished surface before those below-ground elements are complete can lead to subsequent cutting and reinstatement. Coordinating foundations and service routes first reduces the number of penetrations through newly laid material and can improve the durability of the completed area.
Staffordshire’s Cabinet approved the procurement in September under the Procurement Act 2023. The council said the framework would provide a flexible route for managing expenditure across a recurring programme of works, with authority to award the agreement delegated after the competitive exercise concludes.
The live tender uses an open procedure and is scheduled to close on 4 November. Procurement records identify a total estimated framework value of £7m, although that figure represents anticipated capacity rather than a guarantee that the full amount will be spent.
Contractors appointed to a framework do not receive the entire headline value automatically. Work follows through later instructions or call-offs as participating organisations identify funded projects, meaning supplier turnover depends on the appointment structure and the volume of schemes commissioned during the framework period.
Surface maintenance across a public estate normally produces a sequence of smaller projects rather than one continuous construction site. Schools, offices, depots and public grounds can require intervention at different points in the asset cycle, while markings and external equipment may need replacement independently of the main surface.
Occupied schools and public buildings also constrain access. Contractors may need to phase noisy or disruptive work around operating hours, manage temporary pedestrian routes and maintain emergency access while plant and material deliveries are made to relatively confined sites.
The tender follows several months of procurement planning, with Staffordshire placing the requirement in its forward programme before Cabinet considered the commercial route in September. Moving to live competition now provides suppliers with the detailed timetable ahead of the intended April 2027 start.
Each eventual call-off will still need a defined site, specification, quantities and programme. The framework supplies the procurement mechanism and agreed commercial basis, while the engineering and access requirements will continue to be determined project by project.
