Highways maintenance transparency report 2026 - Managing highways maintenance contracts effectively

ID Question  
12.1.1 Does your authority retain in‑house technical capability to independently assess maintenance interventions proposed by contractors? Yes
12.1.2 Do you routinely analyse actual unit costs (for example £/m² of road surface treatments, or £/pothole repair) for core highways maintenance activities delivered under contract and compare them against benchmarks or historic performance? Yes
12.1.3 Do you have defined KPIs for your highways maintenance contract(s), and are they actively monitored by your authority to manage performance? Yes
12.1.4 If reactive pothole repairs are delivered by a contractor, do your contracting arrangements incentivise single‑visit permanent repairs where it is safe and appropriate to do so? Yes

Evidence Summary

Contractor reports are presented at regular contract meetings and appraised accordingly. These contain such things as health and safety, risk management, current work completed, work proposed, work quality, financials, compensation events and early warnings, KPIs and social values.

For over 5 years, we have been a member of the NHT CQC analysis undertaken by the Institute of Transport Studies at the University of Leeds.

Further context

The authority retains an in-house technical capability in roles such as senior highway maintenance engineer and operational project team leaders, to independently assess all contractor works.

Defined contract KPIs are in place and actively monitored, with contractor KPI performance reported monthly to drive continuous improvement. Contract arrangements incentivise single-visit permanent pothole repairs where safe and appropriate.

In addition, CQC results are reviewed as part of contract performance management to provide assurance on quality, compliance and value for money across maintenance operations. Actual unit costs for carriageway maintenance activities are routinely analysed and benchmarked against historic and industry performance.