The future of footpaths and roads in Horowhenua is in good hands. Following a robust, competitive open procurement process Higgins Contractors Ltd have been awarded a contract to maintain, improve and renew transport infrastructure on behalf of Horowhenua District Council for the next three years.

The contract covers road construction, maintenance and renewal works, surfacing and a portion of the improvements programme planned in the current draft Long Term Plan 2024, making Horowhenua a better place to explore on foot, on your bike or in a vehicle.

Chief Executive Monique Davidson says, “We look forward to strengthening the positive long term partnership we have with Higgins, who not only offer technical competence and experience, but who employ 68 members locally with 420 years of experience between them. Higgins also has a strong presence in Horowhenua and a successful track record of delivering quality work. Having one contractor to complete road maintenance and reseal services also means cost savings and efficiencies as we work together to take Horowhenua Infrastructure to the next level.”

The road maintenance, renewals and improvements contract, worth $9M per year, was signed following a robust and open tender process, with three suppliers submitting tenders.

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The process allowed Council officers to scope the competitive market and compare contender’s offerings and pricings. It provided clarity on the size of the market and challenged Higgins, who has been a key Council contractor since July 2015, to ensure they had a robust methodology to improve reporting moving forward, ultimately leading to better outcomes and added value for our ratepayers.

Before the contract went out for tender between Wednesday 16 August and Wednesday 13 September 2023, it was reviewed and endorsed by Council’s Procurement Review Group.

It will cover an initial term of three years, with two conditional extension opportunities for a total potential term of 8 years.

Council were briefed on the outcome of the tender process on 20 December 2023.

The current Road Maintenance Contract expires on 30 June 2024.

Founded in Manawatū in 1958 by Irish immigrant Dan Higgins, Higgins focuses on civil construction. In 2016, Higgins was purchased by Fletcher Building and is now part of the Fletcher Construction family of brands.

Notes:

While Horowhenua District Council has an advocacy role regarding SH1, SH56 and SH57, these are owned and managed by NZTA Waka Kotahi.

Locally, Council manages 544km of sealed roads and 51km of unsealed roads. We have more than 7,200 road signs, 48 bridges, 3,591 culverts and catchpits. There are also 210km of footpaths and a growing number of cyclepaths.

In all, we spend almost $9 million a year on roads and footpaths. It is a significant part of the total annual Council budget, however Council only funds part of the work, NZTA funds 61% of Council’s land transport activity.

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