Maylands Street Signs: The £165,192 Contract Behind Them

The new street signs going up around Maylands are part of a £165,191.64 contract, before VAT. Dacorum Borough Council awarded it to DMA Signs in March without running a fresh tender.

The figure is in the council’s officer decision record, signed on 18 March and published on 24 April. It covers the manufacture, supply and installation of wayfinding signage at Maylands Business Park.

The council announced on 25 September that work on the next phase of the scheme was under way.

What the scheme includes

The council’s announcement lists:

• 122 new street name signs
• six fingerposts
• two illuminated “M” gateway structures at the A414 and Maylands Avenue roundabout
• a banner campaign along Maylands Avenue, launching in October

The gateways and banners are expected to be in place from mid-October. Installation will carry on through the autumn.

The decision record does not split the £165,192 between these items. It also does not give a total for the whole project. The design work by the wayfinding consultants, Whybrow Studio, sits outside this contract.

Why the council says it is needed

The council says the scheme answers feedback from businesses about “inconsistent signage, confusing routes and the need for a stronger sense of place across the business park”. It forms part of the Maylands Masterplan.

According to the decision record, the masterplan and the wayfinding strategy were both prepared with businesses, mainly through the Dacorum Strategic Business Board. Hertfordshire County Council’s highways team and Hemel Garden Communities were also consulted.

Councillor Adrian England, the council’s portfolio holder for place, said: “The new wayfinding features will make Maylands easier to navigate, create a stronger identity for the business park, and support local businesses by improving the experience for employees and visitors.”

Who is paying

The council says the signs are funded from four sources:

• the UK Shared Prosperity Fund
• Section 106 money, paid by developers as a condition of planning permission
• a grant from Herts IQ, Hertfordshire’s enterprise zone, which includes land at Maylands
• a grant from the council’s own Climate and Ecological Emergency Fund

The decision record says the contract is within the approved project budget. The council’s deputy chief finance (section 151) officer commented that the project “is funded from existing resources and external funding” and is not expected to cause budget pressures.

Why there was no new tender

Officers used a public-sector framework, the Procurement Services Signs and Associated Services framework (Lot 1). Suppliers on a framework have already been tendered and scored, so a council can award work directly. The record says DMA Signs “achieved the highest total score” in that evaluation.

The record gives timing as the reason. Some of the money, including the Section 106 and Shared Prosperity Fund allocations, is time-limited. Delay risked “underspend or loss of funding”. The only alternative considered was doing nothing, which was rejected for the same reason.

The council’s Commercial Board agreed the award on 27 February. The Strategic Director for Place and Communities signed it off on 18 March. It was not a key decision and was not open to call-in by councillors.

What it means for you

• If you work in or visit Maylands, expect sign installation through the autumn. The council has not published any road closures for the work. Our roadworks and travel page carries any that are confirmed.
• The gateway structures at the A414 roundabout are due from mid-October. Drivers coming off the A414 will be the first to see them.
• To comment on the scheme, contact your ward councillor or the council’s regeneration team through dacorum.gov.uk. The decision itself has already been taken.
• The full decision record, with the officers’ reasons, is on the council’s democracy site.