Thanks to framework wins and greater volumes of work across northern England, Octavius is affirming its position as a truly national presence
Octavius is strengthening its reach nationally. Draw a line from the Bristol Channel to The Wash and, historically, the company had a greater presence to the south of the line than to the north. But that has changed.
By securing numerous recent frameworks that cover northern England, and increasing the volume of northern work won on existing frameworks, Octavius is consolidating its position nationally as a leading provider of transport infrastructure.
During Control Period 6, 2019 to 2024, Octavius’ rail business was delivering projects on Network Rail frameworks covering western and southern England. This changed in Control Period 7, 2024 to 2029, when – in addition to the south and western frameworks – the company secured places on the North West & Central, and Eastern Routes Partnership (ERP) frameworks.
On the ERP, which extends from the midlands up to the boarder with Scotland, Octavius is commencing early contractor involvement on a package of AC switchgear protection renewals upgrades in the Leeds area.
Mass transit innovation
Demonstrating Octavius’ ability to support urban mass transit systems, the ERP work extends to the Tyne and Weir Metro, where Network Rail manages much of the system’s infrastructure on behalf of operator Nexus. Octavius is delivering a five-substation programme to renew DC circuit breakers with a product containing an integrated negative short circuit device (NSCD), which enhances safety by allowing access isolations to be undertaken without going trackside. Octavius has proven the integrated NSCD device’s value on a combined DC switchgear and NSCD renewals programme undertaken as part of the groundbreaking Southern Renewals Enterprise.
On the North West & Central Framework Octavius continues to engage on early contractor involvement to support Network Rail in providing scope challenges and minimum viable product solutions, ultimately driving an affordable sustainable solution for the schemes currently in engagement. These projects are on the West Coast Main Line, covering the customer’s entire North West region.
Octavius also plans to help enhance transport accessibility through the growing number of Access for All (AfA) projects on the north west and central routes frameworks. In addition, there are numerous AfA projects arising from investments by Greater Manchester Combined Authority and other local authorities across the north east and north west.
With a national portfolio of more than 35 successfully completed AfA projects, Octavius is, probably, one of the UK’s most experienced AfA delivery partners.
As Octavius work on the northern rail frameworks ramps-up jobs are being created, with 80 per cent of roles on the northern, central and eastern frameworks, new to the company. Most of the new teams are co-located at Network Rail centres in Manchester, Birmingham, York and Derby.
Year-on-year growth
Octavius’ highways business has been present on frameworks nationally for more than 15 years – for Highways England and now National Highways. The company’s contribution to the network’s northern regions has historically been significant.
Road Investment Strategy 2, 2020 to 2025, has seen year-on-year growth in the value and volume of work Octavius has undertaken in Scheme Delivery 
Framework’s north west and north east regions: £6 million in year one to £18 million in year four, with the prospect of further growth in year five as client relationships and confidence continue to build.
Among the most complex recent projects is the programme of repairs and maintenance to the Wentbridge Viaduct, a grade II listed structure which carries the A1 over the River Went in West Yorkshire. Works also encompassed repairs to the nearby Wentedge Road Bridge over the A1, including demolition and replacement of the central pier. Once work on the road bridge began, endoscopic surveys identified a number of hidden defects that required more extensive remedial work than originally envisaged.
Overcoming the challenges of a very confined working area was among the defining features of the project to replace steel barrier with a concrete vehicle restraint system on the M60 through the Irwell Valley.
The M6 at Penrith, often voted England’s most beautiful stretch of motorway, is where Octavius is undertaking repairs to the Lowther Bridge. Minimising impacts upon road users, and this celebrated environment, are central to the project’s success.
Focussed locally
National Highways is not alone in awarding Octavius frameworks and projects to develop, integrate and maintain northern England’s transport infrastructure. Recent years have seen the company secure places on:
- YORcivil3 and YORcivil Majors: Used by local authorities in Yorkshire and the Humber for the procurement of civil engineering services
- NEPO: Used by the 12 North East local authorities, the framework includes capital highway and infrastructure projects, public realm improvements and light rail projects
- Manchester City Council Highways Construction Works Framework: Under which Octavius is delivering the Victoria North East Gateway a package of road, cycle and walking route enhancements that improve access to Manchester city centre, public transport; and integrate walking and cycling schemes
- Peel Ports Construction Framework: Providing civil engineering and construction services at the ports of Liverpool, Heysham, Humber Bulk Terminal and the Manchester Ship Canal
Winning places on YORcivils, NEPO and similar frameworks, is one of the ways in which Octavius is extending the support it provides for combined authorities and local authorities across the region.
Creating jobs
As with the rail business, this regional growth in Octavius’ highways business is creating local jobs through direct hires, from four to more than 30 permanent staff in the last four years, as well as through the policy of using local sub contractors and suppliers – creating a supply chain familiar with the areas in which they will be working.
Creating jobs and contracting local companies is not the only way in which Octavius’ northern framework teams are helping enrich the communities in which they are working. Creating social value is central to the way projects are planned and delivered.
The company has a designated Social Value Team whose sole purpose is to work across all areas of the business, embedding a social value culture and enabling its creation. Octavius uses the Impact Evaluation Standard to set the framework for its social value plan, and records and measures social value using the Thrive social value platform.
The Manchester Victoria North East Gateway, for Manchester City Council, and National Highways’ Lowther Bridge projects exemplify Octavius’ approach to creating social value.
Embedding social value
During the Victoria North East Gateway project, the team’s contribution to the community included:
- Working collaboratively with charitable partner Mustard Tree to:
- Support unemployed people into work
- Provide a meaningful work placement paying the Real Living wage
- Invested £200 in initiatives to tackle homelessness
- Provided volunteers
- Invested £2,000 to refurbish and donate laptops and smartphones as part of the Manchester City Council digital inclusion initiative.
- Volunteered time and money for MCR Active health and wellbeing initiatives
- Provided donations in kind to Manchester Seed Library initiative
- Provided cash donation to support Read MCR ‘See myself in books’ festival in partnership with the National Literacy Trust
Helping Patterdale C of E School bring an unusable play park back in service –
by providing 20 tonnes of fresh play bark, tools and muscle – is one of the ways in which the Lowther Bridge team supported the local community. Broader social support came from the team’s involvement in the grueling Coast to Coast Challenge. This meant completing a two-day, 240 km cycle route from Whitehaven to Tynemouth, to raise £4,292 to support mental health charity Mind’s frontline services.
By securing places on Network Rail’s northern frameworks for the first time, increasing the volume of work being delivered through National Highways northern regions, and securing places on frameworks such as NEPO and YORcivils Octavius is consolidating its position beyond its established presence in south west and southern England. For the first time we are seeing Octavius rail teams, as well as highways, working nationally. Octavius’ credentials as a national business are rapidly gaining strength.
Tyne and Wear Metro image: © Copyright Andrew Tryon and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence.