Award

UK5 - Transparency Notice OAWMS (Confirm On Demand)

  • National Highways

UK5: Transparency notice - Procurement Act 2023 - view information about notice types

Notice identifier: 2025/S 000-016537

Procurement identifier (OCID): ocds-h6vhtk-05065e

Published 23 April 2025, 2:08pm



Scope

Reference

OCAMS0094 - pro_20830 - OAWMS

Description

The Operational Asset Works Management Systems (OAWMS) solution plays a critical role in facilitating the organisation's operations, directly impacting the safety of both internal users and external stakeholders, notably road users. The service is deeply integrated with various interfacing systems, serving as a linchpin for data exchange and operational processes. Its uninterrupted functionality is paramount for maintaining data quality, ensuring regulatory compliance, and upholding business efficiency standards.


Contract 1

Supplier

Contract value

  • £8,099,789.52 excluding VAT
  • £9,719,710.80 including VAT

Above the relevant threshold

Earliest date the contract will be signed

13 June 2025

Contract dates (estimated)

  • 1 July 2025 to 30 June 2028
  • Possible extension to 30 June 2029
  • 4 years

Description of possible extension:

Option to extend for a further period of 12 months period at the sole discretion of the contracting authority.

Main procurement category

Services

Options

The right to additional purchases while the contract is valid.

Additional scope and functionality may be required to enhance the scope of the solution.

CPV classifications

  • 72200000 - Software programming and consultancy services

Other information

Conflicts assessment prepared/revised

Yes


Procedure

Procedure type

Direct award

Direct award justification

Single supplier - technical reasons

This is a transparency notice to inform the market that National Highways is renewing its contract with Brightly Software Limited for Confirm Enterprise Asset Management and optional support services from July 2025 to June 2028 with an option to extend for an additional year to June 2029.

The Confirm software application has been configured to provide an operational asset and workflow management solution which is integral to National Highways' delivery model, maintenance and response operations. It supports the delivery of core functions such as responding to incidents, delivering asset inspections, managing cyclical maintenance and responding to network defects. National Highways uses different asset management systems for different asset classes such as pavements, geotechnical, drainage, lighting and ancillaries. To maintain data continuity and integrity, the Confirm system has been tailored to provide connectivity and integration with each of these asset management databases. Further it holds asset information for assets where National Highways does not currently have an asset management system. It has also been configured to connect directly with National Highways' supplier system for works ordering and payment processing.

A significant investment has been made to deploy the existing solution which has several years before it reaches 'end of life'. To undertake a replacement of the solution at this juncture would come at a disproportionate and unreasonable cost as any off the shelf replacement solution would require considerable work and configuration to meet National Highways' specific requirements. Any replacement solution will need to factor in significant time to transition to a new supplier to maintain service delivery.

National Highways is in the interim developing an asset management transformation programme. This will make future procurements of both asset delivery and management solutions simpler and more cost effective. Renewing the Confirm contract aligns with this long-term strategy, providing stability and continuity while strategic planning for the eventual transition to a new works management system.

National Highways is therefore relying on Section 41 and paragraph 6 of Schedule 5 of the Procurement Act 2023 to justify the use of direct award in special cases on the basis that there is an absence of competition for technical reasons and there are no reasonable alternatives to those services.


Supplier

BRIGHTLY SOFTWARE LIMITED

  • Companies House: 12838751

Chatham Maritime

CHATHAM

ME4 4YG

United Kingdom

Region: UKJ41 - Medway

Small or medium-sized enterprise (SME): No

Voluntary, community or social enterprise (VCSE): No

Contract 1


Contracting authority

National Highways

  • Companies House: 09346363

Bridge House, 1 Walnut Tree Close

Guildford

GU1 4LZ

United Kingdom

Region: UKJ25 - West Surrey

Organisation type: Public authority - central government