Buckinghamshire Council has opened a Preliminary Market Engagement (PME) exercise as it prepares to procure two new highways framework agreements intended to underpin the county's infrastructure work in the years ahead. The exercise invites contractors, consultants and specialist suppliers to feed into the design of the procurement rather than responding to a fixed tender.
Two complementary frameworks
The council plans to establish two separate but complementary frameworks. The first, branded Framework 1 – Highways Works, will cover physical delivery: construction, maintenance and civil engineering activities. The second, Framework 2 – Professional Services, will provide access to technical and advisory expertise to support project development and delivery.
"support the delivery of future infrastructure investment across the county"
The PME is intended to gather market feedback on how the frameworks should be structured and to ensure they reflect current industry capability. Buckinghamshire Council has not yet disclosed the overall contract values.
What each framework will cover
- Framework 1 – Highways Works: site investigations and surveys, highway construction, drainage works, bridge and structural maintenance, traffic signs, road markings, resurfacing, pavement renewal and specialist surfacing treatments.
- Framework 2 – Professional Services: project and programme management, procurement advice, engineering design, environmental consultancy, arboricultural services, flood risk and drainage expertise, and specialist support on climate resilience, decarbonisation and sustainability.
Local implications and next steps
For residents and local businesses, the engagement signals that Buckinghamshire Council is seeking to shape contracts that match present market capacity and the county's policy priorities — particularly around climate resilience and decarbonisation. For firms operating in the county, the PME offers an early opportunity to influence lot structures, capability requirements and evaluation criteria before formal procurement commences.
The council has described the early engagement as a means to refine the frameworks. Respondents from across the supply chain are likely to see this as a chance to highlight practical issues such as programme phasing, skills availability and supply-chain resilience.
| Framework | Main focus |
|---|---|
| Framework 1 | Physical delivery: construction, maintenance, surfacing, drainage, structural works |
| Framework 2 | Professional support: design, programme management, environmental and specialist advisory services |
The council has not issued a timetable for the subsequent procurement stages or set financial limits for the frameworks. Interested suppliers should respond to the PME to ensure their operational realities and technical expertise inform the eventual tender documentation.
As Buckinghamshire plans future infrastructure investment, the eventual frameworks will determine how work is delivered across the county's highways, transport, drainage and environmental improvement programmes — and which companies will be eligible to bid for that work.
