East Sussex County Council has named civil engineering and construction specialists Costain CH2M as its preferred bidder on a £300m highways contract.
The newly-formed joint venture is set to take on responsibility for maintaining the East Sussex’s roads, pavements, drainage, street lights, traffic lights and structures under the seven year deal.
Over the life of the contract, there will be a fixed price for routine maintenance activities such as grass cutting and gritting giving the council greater certainty over costs.
There will also be a new county council management structure and a range of incentives and penalties to ensure good service.
Cllr Carl Maynard, East Sussex County Council lead member for transport and environment, said: ‘The new contract will bring everything from gritting to street lights under one provider, enabling us to provide a more unified, effective and efficient service.
‘We were very impressed with the bid from Costain CH2M, who have a lot of experience with major infrastructure projects and highway maintenance and were able to offer a proposal which met all our needs and offered value for money for the taxpayer.
‘One of the key things for us was their commitment to put customers at the heart of their service, to listen to and respond to the public, who have a valuable role to play in letting us know about any issues with our roads which need addressing.’
Currently East Sussex has three separate contractors responsible for highways, street lighting and traffic signals.
The council will publish a contract award notice on January 6, following completion of the statutory ‘standstill period’.
