The External Services/Providers Monitoring Group met on Tuesday 16 June 2026 to review the performance of SBC Contracts during the 2025/26 financial year. The group approved the recommendations within the report, which noted the performance of SBC Contracts.

SBC Contracts Fourth Quarter Report 2025/26

The meeting received a report summarising the performance and operations of SBC Contracts for the financial year 2025/26, ending on 31 March 2026. The report detailed the key projects, operational workstreams, and strategic initiatives delivered over the past 12 months.

Key Activities and Achievements:

• Road Surface Treatment: SBC Contracts undertook surfacing works at 21 sites for Scottish Borders Council (SBC), two for Midlothian Council, and four for East Lothian Council. Major capital patching works were completed at 14 sites. Smaller patching works using Jetpatchers and the Pothole Pro resulted in 1,699 individual repairs covering 11,391m², while Jetpatching completed 17,981 repairs, and reactive patching covered 25,460 repairs.
• Surface Dressing: The surface dressing programme was completed across the network by the end of July, covering an area of 110,597m², despite unseasonable weather.
• Bond Coat Operation: This specialist operation successfully completed several schemes and long-term contracts for clients including South Lanarkshire Council, West Dunbartonshire Council, and Midlothian and East Lothian Councils, contributing positively to financial performance.
• Civil Engineering: Works commenced at 157 individual sites, with 142 completed and 15 carried forward into the 2026/27 financial year. These works included bridgeworks, flood prevention, groundwork construction, and footpath restoration/creation.
• Bridgeworks: Projects were completed on 43 bridges, including repairs for accident damage. Major works included repairs to parapets, wingwalls, and abutments at Drygrange Old Bridge, Ale Bridge, Ettrick Bridge, and Romano Bridge.
• Retaining Structures: Repairs were undertaken on retaining walls at Laidlawsteil/Thornielea, Heatherlie Terrace in Selkirk, Walkerburn, and Cardrona.
• Flood and Coastal Protection: Projects were completed at Cowdrait Lower Burnmouth (seawall reconstruction), Ettrick Valley (Ettrick Water erosion repair), and River Ettrick at Selkirk (erosion repairs).
• Cattle Grid Renewals: New cattle grids were installed at Kershope, Lower Hindhope, Old Kirkhope, and Hartwoodmyres.
• Major Projects Secured: SBC Contracts secured main contract and sub-contract works on significant projects including Destination Tweed Tweed Trails (£900,000), Lauder to Oxton Cycleway Phases 4a and 5b (£500,000), Tweedbank Speedway (£290,000), Lowood Care Village Enabling Works (£1.1m), Border Innovation Park Phase 2 (£450,000), Lowood Estate Pumping Station (£150,000), Teviot Crescent Hawick Link Footpath (£420,000), and Selkirk High School Refurbishment (£300,000).
• Third-Party Works: The team also undertook works for Midlothian Council (roads, footpaths, and active travel network), South Lanarkshire Council (5-year framework for bond coating and surface dressing), East Lothian Council (Dunbar Station Footpath Link), NHS Borders (road widening for a new MRI scanner), and Clovenfords Community Council (new footbridge at Caddonfoot).
• New Site Welfare Setup: A pilot of an eco-friendly, sustainable site welfare setup was trialled, utilising solar, wind, and battery technology, which demonstrated a reduction in carbon emissions.
• Easter Langley Recycling Facility: The report highlighted the ongoing development and improving performance of the Easter Langley recycling facility, which reprocesses demolition and construction materials to reduce landfill waste and save costs.

Discussion Points:

• Councillor Thornton-Nicol inquired about the process for surface dressing and patching, and the criteria for deploying the Pothole Pro. Chief Officer Roads, Jason Headley, explained that patching is a preparatory step before surface dressing and that the deployment of the Pothole Pro is prioritised for A and B class roads, balancing limited resources with the need to address over 40-50,000 defects annually across 3,000 kilometres of road network.
• Councillor Thornton-Nicol also raised a question about the recruitment of women into the manual workforce. Mr. Headley acknowledged that while there had been no new female manual workforce hires in the past year, other departments like Waste Services had seen success. He emphasised the council's commitment to being an attractive employer for women, highlighting job security and career development opportunities.
• Councillor Marshall Douglas commended the team for their work on the Caddonfoot Bridge in Clovenfoots.
• Councillor Bathgate raised concerns about the potential for asbestos contamination in aggregates delivered to the recycling centre and asked about the percentage of external contracts versus internal work and the cost benefits. Mr. Headley assured members that all incoming material is from licensed waste carriers and is independently tested for contaminants. He also noted that external contracts typically represent 15-20% of turnover and provide good returns.
• The Chief Officer Roads, Jason Headley, and Commercial Manager, Mark Douglas, presented the report and answered questions from members.

Decision:

The External Services/Providers Monitoring Group noted the performance of SBC Contracts during the 2025/26 financial year, as detailed in the report.