This report recommends acceptance of a tender from C and D Surfacing Limited, and award of a contract for the provision of the works to undertake bituminous and asphalt patching work on roads within Wirral.

The Wirral Plan 2021-2026 sets out the council’s vision to secure the best possible future for our residents, defined by the community prosperity we create and supported by our excellent people and services. This proposal directly supports the following key themes within that plan:

·  A prosperous inclusive economy where local people can get good jobs and achieve their aspirations; and

·  Safe, vibrant communities where people want to live and raise their families.

The purpose of the works provided under the proposed contract is to enable the council to meet its statutory duties under Section 41 of the Highways Act 1980, by undertaking repairs to dangerous defects on the council’s roads. The contract also enables proactive maintenance repairs to be made.

Resolved – That the Director of Neighbourhood Services has approved the award of the contract for the provision of works to undertake bituminous and asphalt highway patching work in Wirral to C and D Surfacing Limited (company registration number 07773726) as the most economically advantageous tenderer at a contract price of £1,411,046.

An Invitation to Tender was placed via the Due North Chest tendering portal to a selected list of six suppliers (identified from Constructionline as meeting all the necessary requirements to be awarded such a contract by the council) for works to undertake bituminous and asphalt patching work on roads within the borough.

The majority of the work that is in scope of the proposed contract relates to the council’s statutory duties to maintain the highway, including: repairs to carriageways and footways. Having an appropriate supplier in place will enable the council to fulfil its statutory duties and reduce the potential risk of adverse legal claims. 

Only one compliant tender was received. Based upon previous contract awards and prices, the tendered price of the compliant tender shows a small reduction from the latest price indices and therefore represents good value for money.

The tender from C and D Surfacing Limited represents the most economically advantageous tender received, is fully compliant with the tendering requirements, and is within the available and allocated budget provision. C and D Surfacing Limited has already been providing a service under contract B1 since April 2021 and has performed well and met the relevant contractual performance requirements.

The existing contract B1 could not be further extended within the terms of the contract so this option was discounted.  As only one tender was received a further tender exercise was considered, but this option was discounted for the following reasons: there was no guarantee that further bids would be received; more time and resources would be expended in the procurement process and the one compliant tender is considered to demonstrate good value for money, hence the recommendations set out within this report.