National Highways wishes to implement a new framework to provide cost estimating support to increase capacity and capability of our internal cost estimating team. Cost estimates are used to inform key decisions on billions of pounds of expenditure for projects in the Road Investment Strategy. Our current framework expires March 2028, and delivers this via: Options estimating — Early-stage cost ranges to support scheme option selection Development estimating — Estimates as schemes progress through design development Budget setting — Estimates underpinning programme budgets and funding approval Time charge support — Flexible resource to bolster in-house Cost Estimating capacity