Birmingham City Council has agreed a two-year extension with Kier to continue maintaining the city’s highways network and delivering essential services across Birmingham.
The extension follows the Government’s decision not to continue the existing Highways Private Finance Initiative (PFI) contract and will provide the council with additional time to procure a longer-term arrangement.
Kier has delivered highways maintenance services across Birmingham since April 2020. Under the extended contract, the company will continue to maintain the city’s roads, pavements and other highway assets, helping to ensure they remain safe, functional and well maintained for residents and businesses.
The contract covers a wide range of services, including highways and footway maintenance, emergency repairs, street lighting, drainage and arboriculture works, winter maintenance and traffic management.
It spans more than 2,500km of roads, 5,000km of footways, 846 structures, three tunnels, 94,000 street lighting columns and 76,000 highway trees.
The interim agreement also includes an option to extend for a further nine months, taking the contract through to April 2029.
Cllr Rob Grant, cabinet member for transport at Birmingham City Council, said the condition of the city’s roads remains a key priority for residents and businesses, adding that the council is committed to maintaining a safe and reliable highways network.
He also thanked Kier for its continued support, expertise and commitment to ensuring continuity of service delivery.
Ian Davies, general manager at Kier, said the extension provides an opportunity to build on the progress made in managing Birmingham’s extensive infrastructure and asset network.
He said Kier would continue to focus on delivering safe, reliable and efficient highways services, while working with Birmingham City Council, its teams and supply chain partners to create lasting value for communities across the city.
Kier is a valued partner of Downtown in Business, which brings together businesses, organisations and key decision-makers across Birmingham and the wider West Midlands to support economic growth, investment and regional development.
The contract extension provides certainty for Birmingham’s highways maintenance over the next two years while arrangements for a longer-term contract are developed, following the Department for Transport’s decision earlier this year to bring the longstanding PFI arrangement with the council to an end.
