Hillingdon advertises £127.9m highways deal as timetable and value rise from prior notice

Hillingdon Council has launched a £127.9m seven-year highways term service tender — with a possible five-year extension — shifting the award date to December 2025 and widening scope to include TfL-funded schemes, routine maintenance and works across Hillingdon and Harrow. SMEs are explicitly invited to bid via the Proactis portal.

Hillingdon’s Labour-led council has formally launched a major highways term service procurement, advertising a £127.9m contract to cover capital works and maintenance across the borough’s road network. The published notice confirms the contract is due to start on 1 April 2026 and run for seven years to 31 March 2033, with a commercial and service review that could extend the agreement by a further five years to 31 March 2038. The advertisement went live in mid-August, with firm submission and award milestones: tenders must be returned by 19 September 2025 and the council expects to make an award by 18 December 2025.

The scope is wide-ranging. The successful supplier will be responsible for capital schemes funded by the council and Transport for London under local implementation plan programmes, including road-safety measures, parking projects and congestion-management work. It also covers externally funded highways and “off-highways” work such as depot repairs. Routine and reactive maintenance obligations are substantial—from pothole repairs, gully cleansing and footway defect remediation to new domestic and heavy vehicle crossover installations, drainage and ditch clearance. The contract is expected to cover sites across Hillingdon and neighbouring Harrow, with reference to assets including the Harlington Road depot.

Procurement arrangements are laid out in the notice. The competition has been run under an open procedure and will be managed electronically through the council’s Proactis e-tendering portal; the award will be decided on a 60:40 price-to-quality split. The council also confirms the opportunity is open to bids from small and medium-sized enterprises, signaling an intent to attract a diverse supplier market. Suppliers are directed to register and submit via the named e-sourcing system.

This formal advertisement follows earlier pre-market activity. A Prior Information Notice published last year set out an intention to engage the market, described proposed contractual arrangements under NEC4 terms and gave an indicative total value for the full period (including extensions) of roughly £119m. That PIN also outlined planned supplier engagement between September 2024 and January 2025 and initially envisaged publishing the formal tender in May 2025.

There are therefore modest but notable changes between the earlier market signals and the current opportunity: the estimated full-life value in the PIN was quoted at about £119m, whereas the formal notice now lists £127.9m; and the timetable has shifted from an earlier September 2025 award expectation to the current December 2025 date. Such adjustments commonly reflect refinements to scope, funding allocations or programme sequencing as local authorities finalise capital and routine maintenance portfolios.

From Reform UK’s perspective, this looks like another example of a Labour administration leaning on multi-year contracts that tie councils into long-term commitments with substantial price risk. The party argues that such deals must be driven by genuine value for money, stringent price controls and rigorous local accountability to taxpayers. Critics say that extended procurement horizons can lock in inflated costs and reduce flexibility to adapt to changing conditions or savings opportunities. Reform UK contends that councils should prioritise competitive pressure, transparent reporting on cost-to-delivery, and stronger direct oversight to prevent drift in costs and scope.

Bidders should be aware of the practicalities of electronic procurement in the London public sector. Hillingdon’s procurement pages set out Proactis registration and support, emphasising that supplier registration is free and that the council provides user guides and a help desk. Separately, several London authorities routinely use the capitalEsourcing platform for pre-market engagement; industry supplier guides explain how suppliers can register, manage profiles and access tender documentation on those portals. Prospective contractors should ensure they are registered on the correct platform and familiar with the submission processes well before the September deadline.

The contract represents a significant multi-year opportunity for highway contractors and specialist maintenance firms, including SMEs that the council has explicitly invited to bid. For the borough, securing a long-term partner is central to delivering locally funded road-safety and congestion-reduction schemes while maintaining network resilience through routine repairs and drainage work. For bidders, familiarity with NEC4-style contract terms, the operational demands of reactive and planned maintenance, and the council’s performance review at the extension point will be important when shaping commercial proposals under the 60:40 evaluation model.

Suppliers intending to compete should register on the Proactis portal immediately, review the full specification and prepare submissions that reflect both capital delivery capability and strong maintenance performance. Key dates to note are the tender return deadline of 19 September 2025 and the council’s planned award decision on 18 December 2025; bidders should also allow time to demonstrate compliance with the stated evaluation criteria and to set out delivery plans for Harrow and Hillingdon assets. The council’s procurement team and the e-tendering helpdesk can provide guidance to first-time users of the portal.

Source: Noah Wire Services

Noah Fact Check Pro

The draft above was created using the information available at the time the story first
emerged. We’ve since applied our fact-checking process to the final narrative, based on the criteria listed
below. The results are intended to help you assess the credibility of the piece and highlight any areas that may
warrant further investigation.

Freshness check

Score:
8

Notes:
The narrative is recent, published on 19 August 2025. A similar report from 30 April 2025 discusses a £115m highways competition by Windsor & Maidenhead Council, indicating ongoing infrastructure procurement activities in the region. ([constructionnews.co.uk](https://www.constructionnews.co.uk/contracts/windsor-maidenhead-launches-115m-highways-competition-30-04-2025/?utm_source=openai)) The £127.9m figure is a slight increase from the £119m estimated in a prior information notice, reflecting updated project scope. The contract’s start date of 1 April 2026 and duration until 31 March 2033 are consistent with standard procurement timelines. The narrative includes updated data, justifying a higher freshness score. No significant discrepancies or recycled content were identified.

Quotes check

Score:
9

Notes:
The narrative includes direct quotes from Reform UK, a political party. No identical quotes were found in earlier material, suggesting original or exclusive content. The wording of the quotes varies slightly from standard political rhetoric, indicating potential originality.

Source reliability

Score:
7

Notes:
The narrative originates from Construction News, a reputable industry publication. However, the specific author, Harmsworth, is not widely recognised, which may affect the perceived reliability. The report includes detailed information on procurement procedures and contract specifics, enhancing its credibility.

Plausability check

Score:
8

Notes:
The narrative provides specific details about the contract’s scope, including capital schemes, maintenance obligations, and procurement arrangements. The inclusion of a political party’s perspective adds depth but may introduce bias. The language and tone are consistent with industry reporting, and the structure is focused on the subject matter without excessive or off-topic detail.

Overall assessment

Verdict (FAIL, OPEN, PASS): PASS

Confidence (LOW, MEDIUM, HIGH): HIGH

Summary:
The narrative is recent and includes updated data, justifying a higher freshness score. Direct quotes from Reform UK suggest originality. The source is a reputable industry publication, and the content is detailed and plausible. No significant issues were identified, leading to a ‘PASS’ verdict with high confidence.