Five Welsh Councils Launch Bidding for £800m Civils Framework

By Amara Osei

More than 60 firms will fight for a share of a new South West Wales civils framework worth up to £800m, after five councils opened bidding for the replacement deal this week.

Carmarthenshire County Council is leading the procurement, with Ceredigion, Neath Port Talbot, Pembrokeshire and Swansea councils alongside it. The framework covers everything from small local repairs to major £3m-plus schemes and specialist infrastructure work.

The framework runs for three years from February 2027, with an option to extend by a further 12 months.

What does the final tender change?

The final tender sets out 16 lots, and it has raised the ceiling for smaller civils jobs to £1m — up from the £750,000 proposed earlier. A quiet win for mid-sized contractors, one suspects.

The structure breaks down as follows:

• Four geographical lots covering smaller schemes in Pembrokeshire; Carmarthenshire; Neath Port Talbot and Swansea; and Ceredigion
• Two regional lots for larger projects, split at £1m–£3m and £3m-plus
• One lot for civil engineering resource services up to £100,000, letting contractors supplement councils' in-house workforces
• Nine specialist lots

The specialist lots cover demolition; public lighting and associated electrical works; lining and road marking; surfacing; ground investigations; marine works excluding coastal works; traffic management; bridge maintenance and associated infrastructure; and hard and soft landscaping and maintenance.

How will bids be scored?

Price does most of the lifting. On the two larger civils lots, price accounts for 60% of bid scores and quality 40%. Specialist lots get a harder-edged split: 70% price, 30% quality.

Natural Resources Wales, Powys County Council and the Mining Remediation Authority are among the other bodies able to use the framework once awarded — which widens the prize well beyond the five founding councils.

When are bids due?

Bids are due by 2pm on 26 November. Award decisions are expected on 18 January, ahead of an 8 February start. Tender documents are available through eTenderWales under project reference 61783.

For the 60-plus incumbents on the current arrangement, the clock is now running. Miss the November deadline and the £800m conversation happens without you.