Purpose

Reason:

There are a multitude of upcoming projects within Neighbourhood
Operations which require the use of specialist infrastructure
contractors including, but not limited to, the following elements:
Surfacing works (including verge hardening); Drainage works; Line
marking; Traffic/Parking signage works; Design and build contracts
e.g. car park and access track upgrades. This will benefit several
departments to assess this contract, such as Parking, Parks and
Open Spaces, and SANG Delivery.

Background:

On 1 October 2025 HCC began a 7-year highways maintenance contract
(with potential extension to 21 years) with Ringway worth over
£55m per annum. This contract is for architectural,
construction, engineering and inspection services and contains the
schedule (17) for District Authorities to join this contract
whereby they can issue task orders directly to the contractor for
their services. The ability to be able to direct award contracts to
Ringway would improve beneficial for multiple services within
neighbourhood Operations, in the immediate future this would
benefit:

1.SANG
In 2022 Bunkers Park was designated as a Suitable Alternative
Natural Greenspace (SANG) and as a part of the SANG management plan
several enhancements have been agreed and signed off DBC and
Natural England which are intended to make the park more accessible
to visitors, including the upgrade of the access track and car
park, alongside drainage works, which equate to
£187,500.

2. PARKS AND OPEN SPACES
In July 2025 Cabinet agreed to support endorse phase 1 works on
Coronation Fields, which includes resurfacing old tennis courts to
create a car park. S106 funding and capital budget funding are
intended to fund the phase 1 works, with an estimated
£120,000 required for car park construction works.

3. PARKING SERVICES
The Parking Services team is required to undertake maintenance, and
management works of DBC on-street and off-street parking. This
includes: replacing existing on-street parking signs and posts in
accordance with TSRGD regulations for signs that have become faded
or damaged; refreshing on-street parking related road markings in
the borough that are supported with a TRO; refreshing bay markings
and other surface markings in the councils 26 (off-street) car
parks; and providing new parking signs and road markings at request
when we introduce new TROs. Utilising the schedule 17 of the HCC
– Ringway contract would enable this work to be tasked
directly to Ringway.

4. PARKING SOLUTIONS
The Council adopted the Parking Solutions Policy in October 2024
and are now at the point of starting delivery of schemes of work
which involve strengthening or paving areas of highway verges or
other green space. These schemes will be delivered through a design
and build model, thus having access to this contract will speed up
the process by enabling direct award for works.

Overall, the above service areas will benefit from the ability to
utilise the contract between HCC and Ringway for their services. It
will enable a more efficient route to market than a typical open
tender or similar means, thus improving deliverability of project
milestones, reducing officer input time to procurement and
delivering greater value for money through economies of scale. As
well as benefitting projects outlined above, this route to direct
award route to market has the potential to benefit emerging
projects in the future.

Decision

To enter a joining agreement with
Hertfordshire County Council (HCC) and Ringway Infrastructure
Services Limited (Contractor) under which the contractor provides
advice and services (including design and construction services) to
Dacorum Borough Council.

Alternative options considered

Option 1 - Typical route to market for each
project
Option 2 - Contract/framework route to market to cover all aspects
directly between DBC and a contactor
Option 3 - N/A

Option one was discounted as it would require individual services
to follow a typical open tender for each project over the
threshold, or retrieval of quotes and there it would be less
efficient to the directorate rather than utilising a signal
pre-existing contract. This agreement would result in a reduction
of officer resource dedicated to tendering to market.

Option two was discounted on the basis it would require significant
input from the service to set-up such a comprehensive contract and
unlikely to offer better value for money than the HCC-Ringway
agreement due to economies of scale.