Sole Provider Amey wins Area 9 Highways Management Contract

Oxford based support services company Amey has been awarded a prestigious contract with the Highways Agency to manage and maintain the motorways and trunk roads in the Midlands. The company has been selected by the Highways Agency as the Managing Agent Contractor (MAC) for its Area 9 scheme, in a deal worth up to £275 million.

Amey will be the sole provider on the contract bringing together operational, engineering and consultancy skills in one organisation to maintain more than 650 miles of road; including one of the busiest stretches of motorway in the UK – the M6 through Birmingham. The company will also manage a workforce of more than 750 people, creating a number of new jobs in the region. The workforce will consist of a mixture of design, management and maintenance staff.

Mel Ewell, Chief Executive of Amey, said:  “Being awarded the Area 9 contract as a sole provider is testament to the wide range of engineering consultancy and maintenance services Amey can now deliver.  Amey’s increased capability over the last few years means we are now able to offer a truly integrated service to the Highways Agency and other clients.

“Area 9 is one of the most important networks of roads in Britain, providing essential transport links between some of the country’s largest industrial and metropolitan hubs. We are proud to have been selected as the Managing Agent Contractor and are wholly committed to maintaining an efficient and safe network for all road users.”

Tim Harbot, Highways Agency Regional Director adds: “This appointment allows us to continue to provide a high level of service to the road user putting our customers first whilst maintaining and operating the strategic road network.”

Amey is the current incumbent in Area 9 together with consultant Mouchel; however, the two organisations decided to bid independently for new contracts in 2005. The current contract ends 30 June 2009, with the new one starting on 1 July 2009. The contract will initially run for five-years, with the opportunity to take a two-year extension, depending on performance.

The Highways Agency’s Area 9 contract centres on the Midlands and covers the motorways and trunk roads in eight counties and three metropolitan boroughs, plus Birmingham. As of 30th June 2009 the Area will also include a significant proportion of the former Area 11 which has been split by the Highways Agency between Areas 7 and 9. Consequently, areas of the M6, M42 and A38 previously managed by the Optima consortia (Atkins, Enterprise and Jarvis) will now fall under Amey’s experienced hand.

Other bidders for the contract included InterRoute (Balfour Beatty/Birse), Interserve/Atkins, A1 Plus (Costain/Colas/Halcrow), and EnterpriseMouchel.

ENDS

Notes to the Editor

Amey is one of the UK’s leading support service partners, specialising in the outsourcing of sustainable business solutions.  Amey works in partnership with customers across the aviation, central government, defence, education, local government, rail and strategic highways sectors. 

Amey is part of Ferrovial, one of Europe’s largest infrastructure and services groups, which brings with it the strength and additional capabilities of a world-leading organisation.

Amey has been listed amongst the ‘Top 100 Companies that Count’ in Business in the Community’s (BITC) Corporate Responsibility Index since 2005.

For further information about Amey, visit www.amey.co.uk

1. The Highways Agency is an executive agency of the Department for Transport. We manage, maintain and improve England's motorways and major A roads on behalf of the Secretary of State.

    

2. The new contract will include two-thirds of routes currently covered by a separate contract (Area 11) matching the boundaries of the Government Office for the West Midlands region as well as the Highways Agency’s West Midlands Regional Control Centre coverage.

    

3. The new contract covers M50 between A449 junction 4 and M5 junction 8 (incl. M50 Jct 1/A38 slip roads); A38 between A50 (Toyota Island) and Minworth Island; A449T between M50 junction 4 and A40; A40T between A449T and Welsh Border (290m West); A46 between M5 junction 9 and M40 junction 15; M5 between junction 9 and M6 junction 8; M42 between M5 junction 4A to junction 11 (A42); M40 between M42 junction 3A to junction 15; M6 between junctions 1 and 16; M54 between M6 junction 10a and junction 7 (A5); A5 between M54 junction 7 to Welsh Border (Gledridd Viaduct); A458 between A5 Churncote and Welsh Border (Middletown); A483 between A5 (Mile End) and Welsh Border (Llanymynech); A49 between A5 (Shrewsbury) and A40 (Ross-on-Wye); A45 between M42 junction 6 and Stonebridge; A45 between A46 (Festival Island) and the M45; A46 between M6 junction 2 and M40 junction 15; A446 (A452) from Stonebridge to A38 Bassets Pole; A5 between A449 Gailey to Mancetter Island; A449 between M54 junction 2 to A5 Gailey; A4123 between A456 Hagley Road and Shaw Road junction Cosley; M69 junction 1 to M6 junction 2; A50 Catchams Corner to A500; A500 between M6 junction 15 and 16.

    

4. Real -time traffic information for England's motorways and major A roads is now available:

    

   • From our new traffic radio service, available on DAB digital radio and the internet at http://www.trafficradio.org.uk. To tune into the DAB service, simply press the "scan" button on your radio. The radio will tune into all available channels and you can select the new service by scrolling through the channels until you reach "Traffic Radio".
   • On the internet at http://www.highways.gov.uk/trafficinfo
   • By phone from the Highways Agency 24-hour voice activated phone service on 08700 660 115. (Calls from BT landlines to 0870 numbers will cost no more than 8p per minute; mobile calls usually cost more).

    

5. Before using a mobile, find a safe place to park. Never stop on the hard shoulder of a motorway except in an emergency. Make sure it's safe and legal before you call.

    

6. For more general information about the highways agency and its work, visit the highways agency website, or telephone the highways agency information line on 08457 50 40 30 at any time. (Calls to 0845 numbers cost no more than 3p/min from BT residential landlines. Call charges from other landlines and mobile networks may vary

For further information please contact:

Callum Laidlaw or Maddy Press, Burson-Marsteller, 01865 713 240 Email callum.laidlaw@bm.com or maddy.press@bm.com

Press Contacts