Isle of Wight Highways PPP managing consultants appointed

The Isle of Wight Council has awarded a contract worth over £300,000 to the multinational engineering consultancy Jacobs to provide the island authority with commercial and programme management support for the Isle of Wight Highways PPP contract.

The Isle of Wight’s Highways PPP is now in its ninth year of operation and covers the entirety of the island’s road, footway and cycleway network from “fence to fence”, including replacement of all of the island’s 13,000 streetlights with LEDs, to reduce electricity and maintenance costs.

As of summer 2020, over 800km of roads and 29km of cycleway have been resurfaced, as part of a programme of work which has also improved bridges, street-lighting, drainage, urban footways and street furniture on the island.

The PPP, a partnership between the Isle of Wight Council and Island Roads, a joint venture between Meridiam and Vinci Concessions, is worth over £800m over the length of its 25 year concession, is supported by a £260m grant from the UK Government, plus a fee the Council is paying for Island Roads’ annual maintenance work.

Island Roads’ operation and maintenance contractor Eurovia is also carrying out routine maintenance, which includes the replacement of road signs and markings, street cleaning, cyclical maintenance of streets and vegetation and provision of the island’s winter maintenance service.

Jacobs’ commission from the island’s Council is for the provision of financial and commercial contract support.

In particular, it will be required to complete Phase 1 and 2 of the Savings Programme, entered into in January 2018 between the Council and the Island Roads SPV to deliver financial savings of £2m per annum; to complete Phase 3 of the Savings Programme; and, to provide strategic contract management support.

This will include milestone certification and resolution of historical and any emerging contractual disputes.

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