Decision Maker:

Outcome:

Is Key Decision?: No

Is Callable In?: Yes

Date of Decision: December 8, 2025

Purpose:

Content: Salford City Council – Record of Decision   I Councillor Youd, Lead Member for Finance and Support Services and chairman of the Procurement Board, accept the recommendation of the Procurement Board and in exercise of the powers contained within the Council Constitution do hereby:   ·     approve to Award the Contract forHighway Design Consultancy Support, as detailed in the table below: Detail required Answers Title/Description of Contracted Service/Supply/Project Highway Design Consultancy Support Procurement Reference numbers (DN and CR number supplied by Procurement)   Name of Successful Contractor Waterman Infrastructure and Environment Supplier Registration Number (to be supplied by Procurement 03269195 Proclass Classification No. (to be completed by procurement) 150000 Type of organisation (to be supplied by Procurement) Private Limited Company Status of Organisation (to be supplied by Procurement) Non-SME Contract Value (£) £97,558.40 Total contract value £ (including extensions) £ 292,675.20 total project value Contract Duration 6 months Contract Start Date 05/01/2026 Contract End Date 03/07/2026 Optional Extension Period 1 6 months Optional Extension Period 2 6 months Who will approve each Extension Period? Executive Director (extension < £150k) Contact Officer (Name & number) Stephen Hands (07809 085252)       Lead Service Group Place How the contract was procured? (to be supplied by procurement) Direct Award/ Call off Framework Details (where applicable) (procurement body, framework reference & title, start/ end date ESPO Framework 664_25 Start Date 01-09-25 End Date 31-08-27 Lot 5 Highways, Traffic and Transport Funding Source Grant Ethical Contractor (EC): Mayor’s Employment Charter No   EC: Committed to sign The Mayor’s Employment Charter Yes     EC: Committed to the principles outlined in the Mayor’s Employment charter Yes   EC: Accredited Living Wage Employer Yes   EC: Committed to becoming Accredited Living wage Employer N/A ?   The Reasons are: to progress priority projects and meet expenditure deadlines.   Options considered and rejected were: competitive tender but this would move project completion beyond the funding deadline and would disrupt the performance of the current team.      Assessment of Risk: Project delivery, current funding and future bid opportunities are at risk if key projects are not progressed without delay.   The source of funding is: Grant – CRSTS Re-prioritisation and CRSTS Revenue funding.   Legal Advice obtained: Yes – The Shared Legal Service When commissioning contracts for the procurement of goods, services, or the execution of works, the Council must comply with public procurement legislation and its own Contractual Standing Orders (CSO’s), failing which a contract may be subject to legal challenge from an aggrieved provider. The proposed award of the contract follows a direct award in accordance with the ESPO Framework 664_25 Lot 5 for Highways Traffic and Transport.   The purpose of a framework agreement is to select through a procurement/ evaluation process a number of providers who can meet the service requirements of the Council, as and when those services are required. If they are required then the Council will undertake an exercise to call off the services from one or more of the providers who have been selected to be on the framework and this may be through any number of ways e.g. mini-competition, direct allocation etc. depending on the circumstances. A contract will then be formed between the Council and the chosen provider/s.   Reasons for requesting the award of the contract under the ESPO framework are set out in the report, namely the lack of available resource within the Council  and there being some urgency due to timescales involved in delivery of some of the proposed schemes, but as this is a call off contract let under a framework and a compliant route to market, any risk would be considered to be very low, assuming always that the Council has  followed the procedure set out in the Framework Agreement to ensure the award is compliant.   Financial Advice obtained: Yes – The Finance Team The Highway Design team has experienced a reduction in staff due to factors such as retirements and difficulties in attracting suitably qualified candidates. In addition, new requirements to develop pipeline projects for future funding opportunities have placed further demands on the team, which cannot be met with the current level of resource.   To address this shortfall, additional support was brought in from Waterman Aspen in late June through a Direct Award via the ESPO Framework. This additional resource has proven highly valuable, enabling progress on the Ordsall Neighbourhood project towards public engagement and advancing the Broughton Cycleway, one of the Council’s priority pipeline projects.   Both projects initiated by the consultancy staff are scheduled to move into their next stages in January 2026. The in-house team remains fully committed to existing projects and does not have the capacity to take on these upcoming work stages. Given the need to maintain the programme and meet strict funding deadlines, there is insufficient time to undertake a competitive tender process.   The total cost of the two consultancy staff is £97,558.40, which will be fully covered by CRSTS1 revenue funding (£549,000 in total). It has been confirmed that £200,000 of this grant is allocated to the Highway Design team, ensuring that the proposed expenditure is within available budget.   Procurement Advice obtained: Yes – The Corporate Procurement Team ESPO Framework 664_25 for Consultancy Services is available to all public sector bodies to use.  It was procured under the Public Contracts Regulations of 2015.   Call-Off contracts can be procured via direct award or mini-competition, and with direct award the onus is on the contracting authority to demonstrate, despite the absence of competition, why the call-off represents the most economical solution for its requirements. The published framework rates must not be exceeded under a direct award.   Framework Schedule 3 – Form of Contract and Call-Off Terms must be completed to form the contract between the parties and the Confirmation of Award Form must be completed and sent to ESPO.   Details of the contract award must be published on Contracts Finder and the details entered on the Contracts Register.   Whilst the direct award option on this framework allows for quick access to vetted suppliers at the published framework rates, it may not be the cheapest option. Ideally in future, commissioners must consider running further competitions through the frameworks to ensure that the Council can demonstrate value for money.   HR Advice obtained: Yes – Tricia Battersby HR & OD Business Partner The significant pressures currently impacting the Highways Design Team are fully acknowledged.   In the absence of interim support, there is a clear risk of delays to high-profile and funded projects. Given the ongoing challenges in recruiting experienced candidates to permanent roles, the proposed approach offers a pragmatic solution to maintain momentum across the programme.   The Service remains committed to securing permanent appointments. A Senior Engineer post is currently being advertised, which if successfully filled will provide additional capacity in the short term to address the current spike in demand.   In parallel, the Service is progressing plans for career pathway posts. Once the necessary approvals are in place, a further recruitment exercise will be launched. This initiative is designed to support internal staff development, ensuring they are not disadvantaged. The career pathway will offer a structured progression route, helping to retain talent by recognising high performance and the achievement of defined goals.   Climate Change Implications obtained: Yes - Stephen Hands, Senior Group Leader, Highway Design The named project and other pipeline opportunities supports the delivery of aspirations in the Greater Manchester 2040 Transport Strategy which seeks to deliver a step change in how people travel across Greater Manchester, with the aspiration for 50% of all journeys to be made by walking, cycling and public transport. These roles contribute towards the delivery of Salford’s Highways Capital  programme which seeks to promote sustainable modes as part of Salford’s commitment to reducing the carbon impacts associated with travel in our City.   The following documents have been used to assist the decision process: ·     Report of the Executive Director for Place to Procurement Board on 25th November 2024, Procurement of Consultancy Resources to Support the Delivery of the Infrastructure Programme in the Place Directorate   Contact Officer: Stephen Hands Telephone number: 07809 085252   This matter is not subject to consideration by another Lead Member.   The appropriate Scrutiny Committee to call-in the decision is the Growth and Prosperity Panel.     Signed:    Cllr J Youd         Dated:   8 December 2025.              Lead Member       FOR DEMOCRATIC SERVICES USE ONLY   *         This decision was published on 9 December 2025 *         This decision will come in force at 4.00 p.m. on 16 December 2025 unless it is called-in in accordance with the Decision Making Process Rules.