Contractors start to panic over packaged highways work

Contractors are starting to panic over the Highways Agency's (HA) plans to package major work programmes fearing contract allocations could leave group structures geographically unbalanced and commercially disadvantaged.

News of the unrest follows the launch of a consultation document on the HA's Capability Assessment Toolkit (CAT) which will be one process used to determine a preferred list of around 20 contractors and 20 consultants.

The other two stages involve a review of a company's past performance and a 'strategic overview' to ensure one contractor or consultant doesn't dominate all roads contracts within the agency.

One Mowlem source told CJ that it had concerns the group might be left weakened if it has to bid for initial packages away from its stronghold in the South, only to find it had reached its quota for the HA.

"This needs to be clarified," said the source. "We don't want to miss out on areas where we have the strongest teams as this will eat up resources. People won't want to relocate."

Mick McCarry, managing director of Morgan Est, told CJ that he wanted the opportunity to tell the HA what regions the group wanted to bid for during the CAT process.

However HA supply chain manager Gary Wright told CJ that the CAT system, which includes 18 indicators across the areas of internal resources, partnering, people, strategies and direction capabilities, was not open to regional demands.

"We will not be using CAT to assess a contractor's strengths at regional levels but as a group. Those feeling that they have strengths in certain areas should wait and bid for the relevant package."