Kent County Renews Traffic Signal Maintenance Contract with Telent

Telent has been awarded a five-year extension of its Kent County Council traffic signal maintenance contract. Used by thousands of drivers, cyclists and pedestrians every day, the county’s traffic signal system is vital for keeping people safe across the region.

The extension will run from April 2021 until March 2026 and follows on from the existing contract which started in April 2016.

Initially awarded as a traffic signals and ITS maintenance contract in 2006, Telent’s maintenance responsibilities now involve assets including variable message signs, vehicle actuated signs and speed indicator devices which are vital to ensuring the roads are as safe as possible. The contract also includes the supply and installation of new sites and refurbishments.

Nigel Weldon, Business Development Director – Highways at Telent, said: “Close Customer Collaboration is key in everything we do at Telent and our work with Kent County Council has been a real precedent for our approach to other projects. Having such a close working relationship and a dedicated team with deep local knowledge of the area has meant we’ve continually hit the council’s Key Performance Indicators at a rate of 100% and corrected 99.9% of traffic signal faults on time throughout the contract.”

The dedicated Telent team is comprised of 15 staff from various roles across the business. Over the years, the two teams have co-located in the Kent County Council Highways Depot meaning communication has been efficient and immediate. Emergencies can be dealt with instantly and Telent can address urgent issues remotely if the team is unable to visit the live site.

Michael Payne, Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport at Kent County Council, said: “The contract extension is testament for the high standard of service provided to the public of Kent during the past five years, and I hope that the excellent working relationship and performance will continue during this period. Our priority is to ensure that the county’s transport system operates at a level of safety and quality that our residents expect. This contract extension, partnering us for a further five years with Telent’s dedicated team, means we can continue doing so.”