Two-stage call-off takes £8m National Highways depot at Bridport to site

Work has started on an £8m maintenance compound for National Highways at Bridport, Dorset, procured through the Procure Partnerships South West Framework using a two-stage call-off and let under an NEC4 Engineering and Construction Contract (ECC).

Procure Partnerships said the scheme started on site in autumn 2026 and is due to complete in autumn 2027. The compound will house four gritters, a 3,000-tonne salt barn and offices for National Highways operations staff, contractors, highways inspectors and managers, and will support maintenance of the A35.

Early works comprise demolition of an existing building, diversion of services and site clearance, the framework provider said.

Peter Brackpool, Preconstruction Manager at Morgan Sindall Construction, said: "Some unique bespoke hurdles to the project did materialise through the preconstruction stage, for example existing ecological conditions, power supplies to the site and the effect on power to the wider community".

The procurement route

According to Procure Partnerships, National Highways ran a further competition under the framework as a two-stage competitive tender for the pre-construction stage. That was followed by an open-book second stage and the award of an NEC4 ECC contract.

During pre-construction the client and contractor assessed the scheme's green credentials, ground conditions, access requirements and neighbour liaison so that cost and programme could be fixed, the framework said. The contractor also helped prepare the reports needed to discharge pre-commencement planning conditions.

Risks examined at that stage included ground conditions and the fire protection of the timber-framed office and mess building, which Procure Partnerships said was assessed in both its temporary and permanent states, with advice passed to the designers. Site visits identified constraints including maintaining access to an existing sewage pumping station, existing service diversions and the presence of dormice.

Will Cooper, Framework Manager (West) at Procure Partnerships Framework, said: "This was an excellent example of a two-stage tender leading to transparency and collaboration during preconstruction to ensure cost certainty".

Procure Partnerships offers single-stage, two-stage or direct award call-off options under the framework, which was let under the Public Contracts Regulations 2015.

Who is delivering it

The framework's announcement is not consistent on the contractor's identity. Its headline and most of its text name Morgan Sindall Construction as the contractor, but the same page says the scheme is "Delivered by Contractor Partner Overbury", and Cooper refers to "Overbury and Morgan Sindall". Morgan Sindall Group lists Overbury as its traditional fit-out and refurbishment business.

Procure Partnerships said Morgan Sindall had built similar facilities for National Highways before and applied that experience during pre-construction, particularly on the salt barn. Morgan Sindall Construction has reported completing a £20.7m programme for National Highways comprising new two-storey offices at Bescot in Walsall and Doxey in Stafford, and refurbishment of the Warndon and Strensham depots. That work, procured through SCAPE, included a new garage and salt barn at Strensham and was completed in under a year, the contractor said in October 2023.

Planning

Dorset Council's Western and Southern Area Planning Committee considered National Highways' application P/FUL/2024/06791 for the Picnic Area Cafe site on New Street Lane, Bridport, on 17 July 2025. The application sought demolition of existing buildings and construction of a highway depot with a single-storey office, a 3,000 tonne salt barn and garages with parking and landscaping. The committee granted it subject to conditions.

Reporting and social value

Once on site the contractor will report monthly through the framework's project management platform against key performance indicators covering cost, time, health and safety, sustainability and client satisfaction, Procure Partnerships said.

Social value is a contractual requirement on every framework project, with a minimum 12% social value add. For Bridport, the commitments include two local full-time jobs hired or retained, 35 weeks of apprenticeships or T Levels, six weeks of student placements and eight hours of school and college engagement.

The contractor has also committed to £2,472,180 of spend locally or within targeted supply chains, 20 volunteering hours, £500 in donations or in-kind contributions, 12,000 car miles in low or zero-emission vehicles and 12 hours of climate change and carbon reduction training for staff and the supply chain.

Procure Partnerships said its social value adviser verifies the evidence behind each outcome, with reporting tracked monthly. The scheme is planned to complete in autumn 2027.