Herring and Haven Bridge tender, Norfolk County Council (closes 28 Sept 2026)

In brief

Norfolk County Council is looking for suppliers for construction and highways work (East of England).

The estimated value is £6,720,000 excluding VAT.

The contract runs for 5 years, up to 8 years with extensions, starting 1 February 2027.

It is split into 2 lots, so a supplier can bid for part of the work.

The buyer says it is suitable for small and medium-sized businesses.

Bids close at 10am, Monday 28 September 2026.

Built from the notice's own fields. Always check the official notice before you bid.

Can I win this?

Key dates

Questions by: midday, Thursday 17 September 2026
Bids by: 10am, Monday 28 September 2026

How bids are scored

Maintenance of Haven and Herring Bridge

Staff Experience and Structure 10% · Mobilisation 6% · Routine Works and Emergency Response 17% · Communcation 10% · Environment 6% · KPI and Report Management 8% · Stock Management 3% · Price 40%

Quality matters most. You can win without being the cheapest.

Operation of Herring Bridge

Staff Experience and Structure 14% · Mobilisation 9% · Business Continuity 14% · KPI and Report Management 9% · Communication and Emergency Response 14% · Price 40%

Quality matters most. You can win without being the cheapest.

Competition

Usually high: a median of 6 bids per contract for this buyer (from 48 awards in the last 12 months).

What the notice says

Norfolk County Council is responsible for the maintenance of the Haven Bridge, and the maintenance and operation of the Herring Bridge, which are both twin-leaf lifting bridges located in the port town of Great Yarmouth. The Haven Bridge is operated by Peel Ports on behalf of Great Yarmouth Port Authority, who have a statutory obligation to operate the bridge for navigation. On 19 November 2025, the Minister of State for Local Government and Homelessness made a written statement [UIN HCWS1071] saying that three proposals for unitary local government in Norfolk had been received - these could entail the creation of one, two or three unitary councils. The Minister announced a consultation…Read the full description

Norfolk County Council is responsible for the maintenance of the Haven Bridge, and the maintenance and operation of the Herring Bridge, which are both twin-leaf lifting bridges located in the port town of Great Yarmouth. The Haven Bridge is operated by Peel Ports on behalf of Great Yarmouth Port Authority, who have a statutory obligation to operate the bridge for navigation. On 19 November 2025, the Minister of State for Local Government and Homelessness made a written statement [UIN HCWS1071] saying that three proposals for unitary local government in Norfolk had been received - these could entail the creation of one, two or three unitary councils. The Minister announced a consultation exercise, which ended on 11 January 2026. The Minister stated that "once the consultations have concluded, the Government will assess the proposals against the criteria in the invitation and decide, subject to parliamentary approval, which, if any, proposals are to be implemented, with or without modification. On 4 December 2025, the Secretary of State for Local Government made a written statement [UIN HCWS1128] stating that the government intends to establish a Mayoral Strategic Authority for Norfolk and Suffolk as soon as possible, and that it is minded to hold inaugural mayoral elections in May 2028. Should these processes lead to unitary local government in Norfolk and/or to the establishment of a Mayoral Strategic Authority covering Norfolk (i) the contract may be transferred, assigned or novated to any successor authority(ies) to the council, or to any joint body incorporating or formed by any such successor and/or to any Mayoral Strategic Authority; and/or (ii) the council or a successor authority or joint body may order services on behalf of other local authorities serving any area within Norfolk's current geographical boundaries.

Should I bid?

Tick what applies to you. Nothing is saved.

Can you prepare a good bid in 0 days?That is tight, especially for a first bid with this buyer.
Is a contract of about £6,720,000 a size you can deliver?Buyers often check that your turnover is comfortably larger than the yearly contract value.
Can you deliver in East of England?Check the delivery locations in the tender documents.
Is one of the 2 lots a good fit?You can usually bid for one lot without bidding for the others.
Are you registered on the Central Digital Platform?You need to be registered to take part under the Procurement Act 2023.
The buyer says this suits small businesses.A good sign if you are an SME, but check the requirements.

How to bid

Read the full notice on Find a Tender, including any tender documents it links to.
Register your organisation on the Central Digital Platform (through Find a Tender) if you have not already. Suppliers need to be registered to take part in procurements under the Procurement Act 2023.
Follow the submission instructions in the notice; it does not name an e-tendering portal.
Send clarification questions before midday, Thursday 17 September 2026.
Make sure your bid arrives before 10am, Monday 28 September 2026. Late bids are usually rejected.

Lots

Lot	Trade	Value
Maintenance of Haven and Herring Bridge 1 February 2027 to 31 January 2032 What this lot covers The following maintenance services are required: 1) Maintenance (planned and reactive). 2) Planned and reactive maintenance of road traffic equipment including movable barriers, flashing beacons, audible warnings and CCTV. 3) Providing support to the emergency services in case of maritime or road traffic accident, chemical spillage, fire or other incident. 4) LOLER and weekly walkover inspection. Full details of the requirement can be found in the Service Specification, which forms a Schedule to the Terms and Conditions.	Construction, Highways and street lighting, Architecture and engineering	£2,080,000
Operation of Herring Bridge 1 February 2027 to 31 January 2032 What this lot covers The following operation services are required: 1) Operation of the bridge 24/7/365 from a manned control tower on site. 2) Soft and hard facilities management [planned and reactive] of the control buildings, control tower and welfare facilities including cleaning, HVAC, and domestic electrical, plumbing and heating systems. Full details of the requirement can be found in the Service Specification, which forms a Schedule to the Terms and Conditions.	—	£4,640,000

Timeline

25 August 2026Tender notice · UK4, notice 081005-2026

About the buyer

Norfolk County CouncilLast 12 months

Procurements

154

Awards

102

Suppliers it has used most for construction

All tenders and awards from Norfolk County Council

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