Official UK procurement notice
Exploratory Research into the Adaptation and Implementation of the Magnetic Main Flux Method (MMFM) for UK Bridge Infrastructure
Authority: National Highways Limited (Central government)
What is being bought
Published requirement descriptionNational Highways is a government owned organisation responsible for operating, maintaining and improving the strategic road network
National Highways seeks to undertake exploratory research into the Magnetic Main Flux Method (MMFM), an advanced non-destructive testing (NDT) technique used to detect internal corrosion, wire breaks, and deterioration in bridge cable systems. This research will investigate the method’s suitability, performance, and adaptability for the United Kingdom’s bridge stock, particularly within aging suspension, cable-stayed, prestressed and post-tensioned concrete structures.
There are claims that MMFM could demonstrate effectiveness under various protective layers—including cement grout, galvanisation, coatings, High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE) sheathing, and wax—while providing quantitative assessment of corrosion and residual cable capacity. This exploratory work aims to understand if these claims for MMFM can be technically validated, and adaption for deployment under UK environmental and operational conditions could be considered.
This notice forms part of a preliminary market engagement process under the Procurement Act 2023. It is intended solely to support exploratory research and does not constitute a call for competition or commit National Highways to any future procurement. All information shared during this process will be managed in accordance with applicable data protection regulations.
CPV: Research services
The lotProcurement structure
single lot · no lot value publishedPipeline intelligence · planning stage: how this market runs before the tender is published
How National Highways Limited buys Research services (CPV 7311), and who usually turns up
National Highways Limited’s own published record, next to the published market for the same work. Frameworks and DPS are kept out: they attract a different number of bids. Whole-market view: Research services (CPV 7311) →
How the contest usually goes
Winner shares use published awards; bid and price charts use contested lots.
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How often small and medium firms win.
Share of awards where the winner’s size is known.
The counts under this question show how many awards have a known supplier size.
Small firms have won here. Neither number says whether you qualify; it describes who has been winning.
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How often local firms win similar work.
Winners with a registered address in the delivery region, out of awards with a known address.
A local branch does not count if the registered address is elsewhere.
No winner locations published for this authority. Local means a registered address in the delivery region.
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How long buyers here take to decide after bids close.
Middle value in days from the deadline to the first award notice, on competitions that published both dates.
Only decided tenders count, so slow ones still waiting are not in.
Half of these awards were announced within 87 days of the bid deadline.
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How often work is awarded with no recorded rival.
Direct awards and tenders where every published lot count shows one bid.
Thin markets produce this too; it is not proof of a tailored specification.
Direct awards or one recorded bid are common here. Check the route before spending time on a bid.
How many bids did past lots attract?
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How many bids past lots received.
Each colour is a bid-count range. Only competed lots with a published count are included.
Past bids do not predict this tender.
1 bid8%
2–346%
4–633%
7+13%
How did awards compare with estimates?
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Where winning prices landed against estimates.
Each colour shows awards below, close to or above the published estimate, one lot at a time.
Past prices are a guide, not a bid price.
Below estimate27%
Within ±2%64%
Above estimate9%
Assess each lot i
What past awards tell you about each lot.
See the forecast, this buyer’s earlier suppliers and firms with relevant wins.
No supplier is confirmed as a bidder.
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What past awards tell you about each lot.
See the forecast, this buyer’s earlier suppliers and firms with relevant wins.
No supplier is confirmed as a bidder.
Open a lot for its forecast, this buyer’s previous supplier and possible competitors, from published award history, not a bid list
Lot #1CPV 7311Published estimate£50k
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How many bids this lot may attract.
The forecast uses similar past competitions. The bar shows either that forecast or past bid counts; the line below says which.
Each lot shows its own forecast based on its own category; forecasts for different lots of the same notice are not comparative. The bar shows 79 past lots.
A forecast, not a list of bidders.
1 bid19%
2–332%
4–634%
7+15%
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Where the award price may land.
The forecast uses similar awards and the buyer’s estimate. The band covers the middle half of likely prices.
No comparable awards for this lot yet.
A statistical guide from past awards, not a price to bid.
Who has supplied this buyer on similar work? i
Who has done similar work for this buyer.
Past contracts are matched by buyer, title and type of work.
A past supplier may not bid again.
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Who has done similar work for this buyer.
Past contracts are matched by buyer, title and type of work.
A past supplier may not bid again.
No earlier contract of this buyer matches this lot on the published record.
Who could compete for this lot? i
Who could compete for this lot?
Firms with relevant past wins. On a framework, we show firms on that agreement.
None is confirmed as a bidder.
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Who could compete for this lot?
Firms with relevant past wins. On a framework, we show firms on that agreement.
None is confirmed as a bidder.
Candidate suppliers for this notice have not been worked out yet, so this is not a verdict that nobody fits.
About this data
- Source. Official UK public procurement notices (Find a Tender), reused under the Open Government Licence v3.0. New notices arrive through the day; the figures are rebuilt nightly.
- Two views, kept apart. The authority’s own track record and the wider market for the same kind of work sit side by side and are never mixed. Where the local picture is too thin, a figure widens to a broader market and says which one it used.
- Forecasts are labelled. The price forecast and its range, possible competitors and the earlier-work matches are our estimates from past awards: not published facts, not win chances and not price advice. Official notices do not say who is bidding.
- Every figure shows what it rests on. Not every notice publishes a bid count, a value or a delivery region, so each figure carries the number of records behind it, and one built on few records is marked as such. The on a figure explains it; the counting rules are in the methodology. Spotted something wrong? Tell us.
Procedure terms & legal framework
From the official record- Legal basis
- UKPGA · 2023/54 Procurement Act 2023
- Procurement category
- Services
- Notice status
- Planned procurement
- Procurement threshold
- Below threshold
- Regulatory regime
- Standard
- Commercial structure
- Stand-alone contract (no framework)
- Competition type
- Competitive procedure
- GPA / WTO covered
- Unspecified in notice
- Recurring procurement
- Unspecified in notice
- First published
- 5 Aug 2026, 13:27 BST
- Last source update
- 5 Aug 2026, 13:27 BST
- FTS notice number
2026/S 000-074202- Latest notice
- Preliminary market engagement notice (UK2)
- Classification (CPV)
- Delivery area
- Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-06dc67Find a Tender
How it was run
Official notice- Submission deadline
- —
Timeline
5 Aug 2026 → 1 Dec 2026 · 4 dates- Planning notice published78 days ago5 Aug 2026, 13:27 BST
- Market engagement51 days ago31 Aug 2026, 23:59 BST
The purpose of this market engagement is to gather information, insights, and research collaboration opportunities from organisations with experience in MMFM. National Highways wishes to understand the feasibility of UK‑based application, potential research partnerships, and requirements for data calibration, interpretation, and long‑term capability development.
This exploratory research may inform future work oriented to technical specifications, pilot studies, and potential procurement pathways for integrating MMFM into national bridge maintenance strategies.
Interested suppliers are invited to complete a Market Engagement questionnaire via the following link.
forms.cloud.microsoft/e/rZGdajuaXS ↗
This questionnaire seeks further information on supplier's research capability, experience with MMFM or similar technologies, available equipment, analytical tools and proposed areas for collaborative research. Responses should focus on exploratory research potential rather than commercial deployment.
This notice is issued as a Preliminary Market Engagement notice under the Procurement Act 2023. It supports exploratory research and market understanding only and does not represent a call for competition or a commitment to any future procurement. Participation in this process will not confer any advantage in subsequent procurement activities.
- Tender notice expected16 days ago5 Oct 2026, 23:59 BST
- Today22 Oct 2026
- Contract startsin 40 days1 Dec 2026
Notice history
1 event · 1 release on Find a Tender- Preliminary market engagement notice published5 Aug 2026, 13:27 BSTUK2
Commercial outcome & contract awards
Pipeline notice- Awards (0)
- No award published
- Contracts (0)
- No contract published
- Bid statistics
- No aggregate bid statistics published
Contracting authority & participating public bodies
Official documents & specifications (1)
Official links; attachments are not copiedNotices published for this procedure
- Preliminary market engagement notice Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender