Ground investigation work

Tender description

Highways England (HE) is the government company charged with operating, maintaining and improving England's motorways and major A roads. We have a huge road investment programme to deliver and want to engage with suppliers to inform our approach to procuring our infrastructure projects. Supplier feedback and providing for genuine 2-way dialogue opportunity to take place between Highways England and the market, listening to what interested parties have to say and using this to shape the project and procurement development is extremely important to us; it is imperative that we work collaboratively to achieve the optimum solutions. Ground investigation is required to validate as well as complement the historical information currently available to provide geotechnical information adequate to manage identified and anticipated project risks in accordance with Highways England standard HD 22/08 (DMRB, Volume 4 Section 1, Part 1). The framework is anticipated to have a 4 year duration, with the focus on delivery of Ground Investigation on the Complex Infrastructure Programme (CIP) and National Infrastructure Programme (NIP) which may also include tunnelling works. The framework will be divided into lots, although the exact number is still to determined. There is anticipated to be a national lot for larger schemes within CIP and NIP. A smaller lot(s) will cover the other programmes within Highways England, and may be split regionally. The primary objectives of ground investigation are to: — investigate known unresolved issues to identify geotechnical hazards, — provide information for geotechnical and geo-environmental risk assessments necessary for the planning and design submissions including supporting the establishment of the geotechnical design basis for design and construction, — provide information for the detailed design and construction to provide greater certainty in construction methods, costs and programme, — define and identify additional investigations necessary to improve the management of geotechnical risks. We envisage this framework will be enabled for some authorities outside of Highways England to use. Highways England intends to use an e-Sourcing portal (Bravo) for this tender opportunity.