Select sites on which surface dressing will be effective, ie:- before major deterioration has occurred.

Cost effective maintenance is achieved by carrying out 'preventative' maintenance.

Tender Procedures

Let tenders early -

a) Surface dressing programmes should be completed before the end of August (and several weeks earlier in Northern parts of the U.K) to give some time for chipping embedment before winter frosts.

b) Contractors have finite resources and pre-planning is essential.

c) A good practice programme is:-

November - identify a provisional programme of sites.

December - let tenders.

January/February - evaluate tenders.

February - select successful tender.

April - ensure sites and relevant design information are available.

May/August - undertake surface dressing.

Specify contractors who are "quality assured" to Sector Scheme 13a and/or ISO 9002 standards.

Consider letting "End Performance" contracts.

Design dressings

Design dressings to Road Note 39 (fifth edition) practices. (Contractors will do this design under "End Performance" Contracts).

Train personnel involved in the surface dressing work

RSDA run several Training Courses each year.

Seek RSDA advice on contracts and procedures.

A Code of Practice for Surface Dressing and several Guidance Notes are available from RSDA.

A joint RSDA/CSS Code of Practice for Signing at Surface Dressing Sites is available from CSS.

THINK QUALITY AT EVERY STAGE IN THE PROCESS SITE SELECTION,
PREPARING TENDERS, DESIGN, WORKS AND AFTERCARE.