AwardedAwarded 6 October 2026

S30142 DMRB / MCHW Geotechnical Standards Technical updates

National Highways · Central government

In brief

National Highways awarded research work to Ove Arup on 6 October 2026.

The notice gives a value of £200,000 excluding VAT.

The contract runs for 30 months, starting 7 October 2026.

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

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

What the notice says

The need for updates to the Design Manual for Roads and Bridges (DMRB) and Manual of Contract Documents for Highways Works (MCHW) (Instructions for Specifiers (IfS) and Specification for Highway Works (SHW)) has been established from a review carried out by National Highways. The objectives are to: - enhance content, usability, and structure in line with the current revision of the Manual for Development of Documents (MDD); - increase the applicability to modern forms of contracts and construction techniques; - promote decarbonisation and digital readiness of the DMRB Documents; and, - ensure the new DMRB documents are aligned with the associated MCHW documents. - ensure that…Read the full description
The need for updates to the Design Manual for Roads and Bridges (DMRB) and Manual of Contract Documents for Highways Works (MCHW) (Instructions for Specifiers (IfS) and Specification for Highway Works (SHW)) has been established from a review carried out by National Highways. The objectives are to: - enhance content, usability, and structure in line with the current revision of the Manual for Development of Documents (MDD); - increase the applicability to modern forms of contracts and construction techniques; - promote decarbonisation and digital readiness of the DMRB Documents; and, - ensure the new DMRB documents are aligned with the associated MCHW documents. - ensure that the DMRB and MHCW requirements align and work well together During this task, the Consultant shall support NH in the completion of: - updates to the geotechnical DMRB & MCHW documents; - governance deliverables and outputs appropriate for the change category in accordance with the MDD; and, - industry awareness documentation. The Consultant's activities during this task involve: - online document reviewing, commenting, drafting, and authoring; - advising on aspects connected with this work; - technical review and comment on drafted text; - compliance with the MDD; - liaison with Client's specialists (including Technical Authors for the other parts of the DMRB and MCHW, owned by other disciplines) and other interested parties (designers, specifiers, and constructors to be identified); - planning for and supporting Technical Authors engagement at TSC meetings; - supporting NH in the informing of industry and the supply chain; and, - advising on relevant legislation such as the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations and Construction Products Regulations.

Who won

WinnerValueDates
Ove Arup£149,108
Awarded 6 October 2026

Values as the award notice gives them, excluding VAT where stated.

Timeline

  1. Contract award notice · notice b365221c-69e9-4c31-ae03-b2d40cdffeaf-916603

About the buyer

National HighwaysLast 12 months

Procurements

450

Awards

374

Suppliers it has used most for research

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From notice b365221c-69e9-4c31-ae03-b2d40cdffeaf-916603 on Contracts Finder, first published 6 October 2026. We last checked for changes on 6 October 2026.