We are the government company charged with operating, maintaining and improving England’s motorways and major A roads. Our road network totals around 4,300 miles – carrying a third of all traffic by mileage and two thirds of all heavy goods traffic.
We work to provide free-flowing, safe, serviceable, accessible, and integrated roads. Our network helps drive economic growth across the country, creating jobs, supporting businesses, and opening areas for development.
We are committed to cutting our carbon footprint, and fully support government’s drive to achieve net-zero carbon by 2050. On 19 July 2023, we launched our Carbon in Contracts Policy which supports the integration of net zero into our construction and maintenance contracts and ensures that all construction related contracts, including design contracts, meet the construction related aims of the Net Zero Highways 2030-2050 Plan. The policy will be reflected in the National Highways Model Contracts Scope and conditions of contract.
Access the National Highways Carbon Hub (Note this is a sharepoint file and you will need to follow multifactor authentication and then request access to the hub). The hub includes: the Carbon Management System, Low Carbon Opportunity Register and supporting resources and a link to the Carbon Emissions Calculations Tool. For more information or any help with access to the hub email [email protected].
View the National Highways Improving Quality in Construction Charter here explaining why quality is integral to how National Highways manages, maintains and improves the strategic road network to make journeys safer, smoother and more reliable. Then complete the NEW Quality Learning Pathway to demonstrate your knowledge in this key area. Scroll down to see all NEW National Highways Supply Chain Learning Pathways which you can complete in your own time.
Scroll down on this page to view the new National Highways Carbon Net Zero Plans and the Category Management Plans, E-Learning Modules and Workshop and Webinar Resources (downloadable slides and videos of training events)
Download Meet the Buyers 2023 Plenary, Workshops and Scheme Presentation Recordings and Presentation Slides here.
As a responsible road operator, we recognise that, while roads are essential for society and the economy, their use does present environmental challenges. Therefore we avoid or reduce adverse environmental impacts wherever possible.
As one of England’s largest landowners, we are proud of the work we do to look after the wildlife that lives alongside our network, and to protect and improve the environment for future generations. We aim to achieve no net loss of biodiversity across all our activities.
In June 2023 we published Connecting The Country: Our Long Term Strategic Plan to 2050 which will inform our investment planning for each future Road Period toward 2050.
In May 2023, we launched our Environmental Sustainability Strategy to deliver a more sustainable road network to protect and enhance the environment over the next three decades focusing on three key areas: the protection and enhancement of nature, carbon reduction and support for community health and wellbeing. Watch our Biodiversity for Highways Webinar
In October 2022 we released our Social Value Plan 2022-2024, showcasing how we deliver and measure social value – and the ways we will maximise benefit to communities, our people and our customers.
National Highways supports and is working with its supply chain as set out in the Government’s Economic Crime Plan 2023 to 2026.
We have worked with several prime contractor supplier partners and the Supply Chain Sustainability School to develop a Supplier Development System (SDS), available to all materials, services and sub-contract suppliers working directly or indirectly in our supply chain.
This consists of a Self Assessment and linked Action Plan to drive individual / organisation learning.
The SDS is not linked to any commercial or procurement decision-making process. Its intention is to help develop a understanding of National Highways priorities and how the supply chain can best align to these.
Topics included in the Supplier Development System are:
- Health, Safety & Wellbeing
- Leadership & collaboration
- Efficiency & effectiveness
- Supply chain
- Net zero carbon & sustainability
- Social Value
Suppliers complete a self-assessment then receive an action plan to help build more sustainability knowledge.
Click here to find out more and enrol on the supplier development system.
Supply Chain Opportunities, Carbon Net Zero Plans and Category Procurement Strategies
Carbon Net Zero Plans:
National Highways has published a series of carbon plans which are a vital tool in cutting carbon through concrete and cement, drainage, landscaping, pavement, plant and earthworks, road markings, road restraint systems, structural steel, traffic management and trees. Please note that these strategies are often updated, so please always refer to the versions hosted on this site rather than download them.
Category Procurement Strategies:
Our Strategic Procurement Strategies are tailored to key challenges in their respective categories. They address our key challenges and provide solutions based around our main imperatives of safety, customer service and delivery.
Please see below links to the Strategic Procurement Strategies. Please note that these strategies are often updated, so please always refer to the versions hosted on this site rather than download them.
Supporting Major Projects and Framework Supply Chains
Click below to access more information on National Highways major projects.
Other support from National Highways
For more information on our work with the Supply Chain School please contact:
Andrew Wilson [email protected]
(07736 685588)
National Highways Supplier Development Group Leader
Stefan Jastak [email protected]
(07857 663191)