Archaeology Framework

Highways England has a legal obligation to ensure that archaeological remains are preserved, and recorded where new roads, motorway widening projects and trunk road improvements are built by providing appropriate archaeological expertise, advice on design and contract documentation, supervising, monitoring, search and recovery and reporting progress on all stages of work. Highways England has therefore highlighted the need for an archaeology framework with technically competent, capacity enabled suppliers, in order to provide a consistent route across programmes/ directorates, drive savings and build direct relationships with suppliers. The scope of the services and works that will be delivered under the Framework inherently fall into three types: - Type 1: Development of archaeology strategies, written schemes of investigation and negotiations with stakeholders during the consenting process for major projects. - Type 2: Delivery of trial trenching to support the consenting process and watching briefs during works by statutory utilities, ground investigation contractors and others. - Type 3: Delivery of major programmes of archaeological investigation and associated post excavation conservation and reporting. A supplier event is being held on 30 April. This will be an online or conference call format as a result of current C-19 restrictions and will provide greater clarity on tendering for this framework. See Additional Text for more information. It is envisaged that there will be 3 Lots divided into the following bandings: Lot 1: schemes £5M

Additional information: A supplier event is being held on 30 April. This will be an online or conference call format as a result of current C-19 restrictions and will provide greater clarity on tendering for this framework including key objectives and also guidance on understanding, completing and submitting Highways England tender documents. If you are interested in registering for this event please email: [email protected]. We will then contact you with further details on how to register.

This notice does not constitute any commitment by Highways England to undertake any public procurement exercise.

Interested parties will not be prejudiced by any response or failure to respond to this notice. Nor shall a response to this Notice guarantee an invitation to participate in any future procurement process that Highways England may conduct. This Notice does not constitute a call for competition to procure any works or services and is not published to reduce time limited for the receipt of tenders. Highways England is not bound to accept any proposals offered.

Highways England is not liable for any costs, fees or expenses incurred by any party responding to this Notice or any party who may participate in any future procurement process. In the event that Highways England decides to proceed with any procurement, it is currently assumed that such procurement will be carried out in accordance with the provisions of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 unless any legal requirement requires a different procedure to be adopted.

Interested parties should note that this Notice is separate to a Notice advising the market of an A303 Stonehenge opportunity and should be treated as a different potential opportunity.