Section one: Contracting authority
one.1) Name and addresses
National Highways
Bridge House, Walnut Tree Close
Guilford
GU1 4LZ
Ruth.Atherton@nationalhighways.co.uk
Country
United Kingdom
Region code
UK - United Kingdom
Internet address(es)
Main address
https://nationalhighways.co.uk/
one.2) Information about joint procurement
The contract is awarded by a central purchasing body
one.4) Type of the contracting authority
Ministry or any other national or federal authority
one.5) Main activity
General public services
Section two: Object
two.1) Scope of the procurement
two.1.1) Title
Dartford & Hindhead HATMS Tunnel Systems
two.1.2) Main CPV code
- 72000000 - IT services: consulting, software development, Internet and support
two.1.3) Type of contract
Services
two.1.4) Short description
National Highways has an ongoing requirement for critical services related to the Dartford Crossing and Hindhead HATMS tunnel systems. This is to ensure the continuation of essential services amidst ongoing uncertainties and the development of a comprehensive exit strategy. All HATMS services must remain operational until replaced by CHARM and a new tunnels solution is procured. The focus is to maintain system availability and reliability, only implementing necessary hardware or software refreshes for maintainability.
two.1.6) Information about lots
This contract is divided into lots: No
two.1.7) Total value of the procurement (excluding VAT)
Value excluding VAT: £3,286,750.66
two.2) Description
two.2.3) Place of performance
NUTS codes
- UK - United Kingdom
two.2.4) Description of the procurement
HATMS Subsystems and software support across all ROCs & Hindhead and Dartford tunnels. (Dartford HATMS, Hindhead MIDAS SubSystem, East HATMS and Sub systems, South East HATMS SubSystems)
two.2.5) Award criteria
Price
two.2.11) Information about options
Options: No
two.2.13) Information about European Union Funds
The procurement is related to a project and/or programme financed by European Union funds: No
Section four. Procedure
four.1) Description
four.1.1) Type of procedure
Award of a contract without prior publication of a call for competition in the cases listed below
- No tenders or no suitable tenders/requests to participate in response to restricted procedure
- The services can be provided only by a particular economic operator for the following reason:
- absence of competition for technical reasons
Explanation:
National Highways is relying on Regulation 32(2)(b)(ii) of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 to justify the use of the negotiated procedure without prior publication for the following reasons:
The contract will provide the necessary time to resolve ongoing intellectual property (IPR) issues with one of the incumbent suppliers. In addition, critical services such as HE Traffic Camera Website (HETC), System Protocol Interface for Windows CE (SPICE), and Automatic Camera Test Tool (ACT) will continue under these contracts until suitable replacements are in place.
HETC is especially important, as the ADTS project is still in its early stages, with no proof of concept or supplier tendered. HETC remains a crucial backup system during DYNAC incidents in CHARM regions. Similarly, SPICE and ACT are essential services that will be maintained until the exit strategy is fully developed and implemented.
If these critical national infrastructure services are not continued, major disruptions will occur in the Southeast and East regions, including Dartford and Hindhead tunnels. This will pose significant safety risks and reputational damage to National Highways. Failure to retain these services may result in the closure of critical national infrastructure assets due to an inability to operate them safely and effectively, potentially jeopardising National Highways’ licence to operate.
four.1.8) Information about the Government Procurement Agreement (GPA)
The procurement is covered by the Government Procurement Agreement: No
Section five. Award of contract
Title
Dartford & Hindhead HATMS Tunnel Systems
A contract/lot is awarded: Yes
five.2) Award of contract
five.2.1) Date of conclusion of the contract
6 March 2025
five.2.2) Information about tenders
Number of tenders received: 1
The contract has been awarded to a group of economic operators: No
five.2.3) Name and address of the contractor
Costain Integrated Technology Solutions Ltd
London
EC3A 8BE
Country
United Kingdom
NUTS code
- UK - United Kingdom
The contractor is an SME
No
five.2.4) Information on value of contract/lot (excluding VAT)
Total value of the contract/lot: £3,286,750.66
Section six. Complementary information
six.4) Procedures for review
six.4.1) Review body
High Court
London
Country
United Kingdom