Public sector civil engineering contracts
Councils, highway and rail bodies and flood authorities buy roads, bridges, drainage and road markings. Jonty finds the contracts that fit your business, reads the tender pack and writes the bid with you.
21 days free. No card needed.
Who buys it
Most civil engineering work comes from four kinds of buyer.
Councils
As highway authorities: resurfacing, footways, drainage, road markings, street lighting and bridge repairs.National highways bodies
Motorways and major roads, mostly through large term contracts and their supply chains.Rail and transport bodies
Bridges, embankments, stations and depots.Flood and water bodies
Flood defences, river and coastal works, and drainage schemes.
What the tender pack asks for
Each buyer words it differently, but a civil engineering tender usually asks for the same things.
Method statement
How you will do the work, keep traffic and the public safe around it, and keep disruption down.Pricing
Often a schedule of rates: a price for each unit of work, such as a square metre of surfacing, that the buyer orders against over the contract.Quality, safety and environment
Your management systems, often certified to ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and ISO 45001, and your safety record.Case studies
Similar schemes you have delivered, with their value, the client and a reference.Social value
What the contract does for the area, such as local jobs, apprenticeships and less disruption for residents. It is scored as its own question.
How Jonty helps
Spotting and finding the work come with Scout. Qualifying, writing and submitting come with Bid Manager. Nothing goes to a buyer without your OK.
1. Spot it early
Jonty tracks contracts coming back to market, often months before the tender, and tells you who buys what.2. Find
Jonty watches Find a Tender, Contracts Finder, Public Contracts Scotland and EU-Supply, and TED once you switch it on. It emails you the contracts that fit. No keyword lists: tell Jonty what you do in a short chat or call.3. Qualify
Jonty fetches the tender pack, reads every page and checks it against your Vault, where you keep your certificates, policies and past bids. Then it tells you to bid or pass, and shows the page behind each reason.4. Write
Jonty drafts each answer from your past bids and evidence, and leaves out anything it can't back up. You check it, change it and approve it.5. Submit
Once you approve the bid, Jonty fills in the buyer's portal and submits it for you before the deadline.
Where it's filed
CPV codes buyers use
Buyers tag each notice with a CPV code. These are the ones this work most often sits under. Jonty reads every notice in full, so a contract filed under an odd code still reaches you.
- 45220000Engineering works and construction works
- 45221000Construction work for bridges and tunnels, shafts and subways
- 45221119Bridge renewal construction work
- 45233000Construction, foundation and surface works for highways, roads
- 45233141Road-maintenance works
- 45233221Road-surface painting work
- 71311000Civil engineering consultancy services
Questions people ask
Where are public sector civil engineering contracts advertised?
Larger contracts go on Find a Tender. Many smaller ones in England go on Contracts Finder, and Scottish ones on Public Contracts Scotland. Some work is given out through frameworks instead of a full tender. Jonty watches these sources and emails you the contracts that fit.
What is a schedule of rates?
A price list for the contract: a rate for each unit of work, such as a metre of kerb or a square metre of surfacing. The buyer orders work against it over the life of the contract, so the total isn't known when you bid. Read the quantities the buyer gives, as they usually decide how the prices are scored.
Can I bid for road or bridge work as a specialist?
Yes. Councils let road markings, drainage, bridge repairs and similar work as their own contracts, and the big term contractors buy from specialists too. Jonty matches contracts to what you tell it you do, so specialist work reaches you without a keyword list.
See the civil engineering contracts that fit your business
Try Scout free for 21 days, no card needed. Tell Jonty what you do and your first matches arrive the same day.