National Highways (NH) is looking to secure the provision of a single supplier to provide independent specialist technical advice on all issues relating to paints and the corrosion protection of steelwork used in our highway structures. As well as providing specialist technical advice the services will include undertaking inspections of paint to structures on sites within England, obtaining and testing paint samples and the testing of paints to ensure durability of products used. The strategic road network includes motorways, and single and dual carriageway all-purpose trunk roads. It is proposed to construct a large number of steel highway structures associated with major schemes. National Highways is also responsible for maintaining approximately 1750 steel bridges, 3000 steel gantry structures and many minor steel structures such as masts and lighting columns on the strategic road network

Procurement Act 2023

Direct award The specialist advice and testing contract requires a company which can provide independent specialist technical advice on paints and the corrosion protection of steelwork used in our highway structures, as well as undertaking inspections of paint to structures on sites within England and the testing of paints to ensure durability of products used. National Highways can only contract with organisation that has laboratories based in the UK including that the paint inspection and facility capabilities are fully UKAS accredited, and self deliver all elements of the scope. There is a need for a UK testing facility and UKAS accreditation requirements. There is also a mandatory requirement that all personnel must be qualified to a minimum level 2 of the National Association of Corrosion Engineers (NACE) Association for Materials Protection and Performance (AMPP) and Institute of Corrosion (Corr) personnel. National Highways released a UK2 Market Engagement Notice in August 2025 to start market engagement activities and understand the capability of the suppliers in this sector. Following extensive engagement there was only one supplier identified that could provide the services are described above and so NH moved away from an open market competition to a Direct Award approach.