National Highways renews £8m contract with Brightly Software for asset management

National Highways has announced a £8 million contract renewal with Brightly Software Limited, part of Siemens, for its Confirm enterprise asset management system, with an optional one-year extension to June 2029.

The contract, valued at £8,099,789.52 ex VAT (£9.7m inc VAT) was awarded directly to Brightly Software due to the absence of viable alternatives, as justified under Section 41 and Schedule 5 of the Procurement Act 2023.

National Highways use Confirm for asset and workflow management in a tailored implementation to integrate with multiple asset management databases for pavements, geotechnical assets, drainage, lighting, and ancillaries. The application supports essential functions, including incident response, asset inspections, cyclical maintenance, and network defect management. The software also facilitates connectivity with National Highways’ supplier system for ordering and payment processing.

National Highways emphasised that replacing the Confirm system at this stage would incur disproportionate costs and risks to service continuity. The current solution, which remains years from its end-of-life, has been heavily customised to meet specific operational needs, and any off-the-shelf alternative would require extensive reconfiguration. The decision to renew aligns with National Highways’ broader asset management transformation program, which aims to streamline future procurements and enhance cost efficiency.

The direct award was justified on technical grounds, as Brightly Software is the sole provider capable of maintaining the system’s data integrity and operational continuity. The contract includes provisions for additional purchases and potential enhancements to the solution’s scope during its term.

This renewal ensures stability for National Highways’ maintenance and response operations while the organisation plans a strategic transition to a next-generation works management system. The contract is expected to be signed by 13 June 2025, following a transparency notice to inform the market.