National Highways opens £700m A46 Newark Bypass procurement

National Highways has begun market engagement for a design and build partner on the £700m A46 Newark Bypass scheme, despite the project’s future remaining subject to a Government consultation.

National Highways is preparing the procurement route for one of the East Midlands’ biggest planned road schemes.

A new notice has been published seeking market input ahead of the proposed £700m A46 Newark Bypass contract, which would involve widening 6.5km of the existing single carriageway to dual carriageway.

The procurement development comes while the Government is consulting on the potential cancellation of the scheme as part of proposed changes to the current Road Investment Strategy.

In brief:

• National Highways has published a preliminary market engagement notice for the A46 Newark Bypass.
• The estimated contract value is £700m excluding VAT.
• The proposed scheme would dual 6.5km of the existing A46 between Farndon and Winthorpe roundabouts.
• The Government is consulting on the scheme’s future and says no final decision has been made.

Why the £700m A46 Newark Bypass procurement matters

The new notice marks the latest step in National Highways’ preparations for the A46 Newark Bypass scheme.

The proposed project would widen around 6.5km of the existing single carriageway between Farndon and Winthorpe roundabouts near Newark-on-Trent, providing two lanes in each direction. National Highways describes the A46 as an important connection between the M1 and Leicester, and the A1 and central Lincolnshire.

The preliminary market engagement notice is intended to help National Highways develop its commercial and procurement strategy for the scheme. It is seeking a design and build partner and is inviting suppliers to take part in market engagement before the procurement progresses further.

The estimated value of the proposed contract is £700m excluding VAT, or £840m including VAT. The notice currently gives estimated contract dates of December 2028 to December 2038.

That does not, however, mean the scheme has received final approval to proceed to construction.

The procurement notice itself acknowledges that the Government is consulting on proposed changes to RIS3 and that the A46 Newark Bypass is included in those proposals. It states that no decisions have been made at this time.

That uncertainty is significant because the Government has been considering the potential cancellation of the scheme as part of changes to the roads investment programme. In July, the Department for Transport confirmed that the A46 Newark Bypass was one of two schemes being considered for cancellation and said no final decision would be taken until the consultation had concluded.

The scheme already has planning consent. National Highways’ project information confirms that the Development Consent Order for the A46 Newark Bypass was approved by the Secretary of State in October 2025. Its current project page lists the start date, end date and cost as still to be confirmed.

That leaves the latest procurement activity in an unusual position. National Highways is actively engaging with potential suppliers about how a major construction contract could be procured, while the Government is simultaneously consulting on whether the scheme should remain in the investment programme.

The market engagement process itself is already moving forward. Suppliers interested in participating have been invited to register by 13 October 2026, with a pre-recorded procurement presentation due to be issued on 20 October followed by planned one-to-one engagement sessions from 26 October.

For the construction and highways supply chain, that makes the notice relevant even before any final decision on the scheme’s future. It gives potential contractors and consultants an indication of the proposed procurement strategy and the scale of the opportunity.

For the wider project, however, the key caveat remains the Government consultation. The procurement notice should not be read as confirmation that the A46 Newark Bypass will definitely enter construction.

That distinction is particularly important given the amount of work already undertaken on the scheme. National Highways secured its Development Consent Order last year, while the Government subsequently confirmed that its existing contract with Skanska would not proceed to the main construction works after the scheme’s delivery was expected to be later than previously assumed.

The latest notice therefore represents procurement preparation rather than a final green light.

For the highways sector, that is the immediate story. National Highways is preparing for a potential £700m design and build contract and engaging the market now, but the Government has yet to decide whether the A46 Newark Bypass will remain in the programme.

The next significant development will therefore be the outcome of the consultation and whatever decision follows it. Until then, the procurement process shows that National Highways is continuing to prepare the commercial route for the scheme while its ultimate future remains unresolved.