At a meeting of the Wiltshire Council Cabinet, members agreed to award a new contract for surface dressing and micro asphalt surfacing, and noted a report on the same topic. Councillor Adrian Foster asked questions about Stone Circle, and was promised a written response.

New Surface Dressing and Micro Asphalt Surfacing Contract

The Cabinet agreed to award the Surface Dressing and Micro Asphalt Term Surfacing Contract to Contractor A, as reported in the meeting. They also authorised the Director of Highways and Transport, in consultation with the Corporate Director Place and Deputy Chief Executive, and Cllr Nick Holder, Cabinet Member for Highways, Street Scene and Flooding, to finalise the contract details and enter into the new Highways Contract.

The council sought to replace its existing contract with Kiely Brothers Ltd for surface dressing and micro asphalt surfacing, which ends on 31 May 2025. The new contract, set to commence on 1 June 2025, is similar to the current one, encompassing surface dressing, micro asphalt surfacing, and associated civil works. It also allows for additional spending on projects funded through external bids and enables other Wiltshire Council services to order works through the contract.

The procurement process followed the ‘Open Procedure’, involving a single-stage process where tenderers first demonstrated their suitability and compliance before their submissions were evaluated. The evaluation criteria weighted price at 65% and quality at 35%.

The contract is for five years and two months, with a possible five-year extension based on performance. Key performance indicators will monitor the contractor's performance, and good performance could be rewarded with a contract extension, while poor performance could lead to termination. The council will report on the contractor’s performance to the Environment Select Committee annually, or as needed.

The contract includes measures for carbon reduction, requiring the contractor to monitor and reduce carbon usage throughout the contract period. These measures include year-on-year targets for Scope 1 and 2 carbon intensity reductions, proposals for reducing Scope 3 carbon intensity, and reducing fleet CO2 emissions.

Public Participation

Cllr Adrian Foster asked supplementary questions about Stone Circle, specifically regarding priority allocation of homes for key workers, property values after adjustments, and whether an EPC rating¹ of C or below aligns with the council's Net Zero aspirations. Cllr Richard Clewer, Leader of the Council, thanked Cllr Foster for his questions and agreed to provide a written response.