Complete Re-Design of Manual Contract Document for Highway Works

After nearly 30 years, the “White Book”, more commonly known as Manual Contract Document for Highway Works (MCHW), has been fully overhauled with the national launch of new documents set for release on 29^th September 2025. Future projects involving Civil and Structural Engineers, along with design support specialists, will be affected by this change. This impact extends beyond the design teams; it also involves client organisations such as National Highways, Network Rail, local authorities, national and local framework providers, and private developers.

Pell Frischmann’s Technical Directors Darren Morris and Adrian Wightman have been part of the redesign of the document over the past 18 months by providing consistent feedback to National Highways on its functionality and raising industry awareness of the upcoming change.

Adrian Wightman, our Transp o rt Infrastructure Technical Director, said:

Many of us have spent hours creating contract documents for our highway projects. The depth of knowledge acquired by individuals is greater and richer as a result of using the content of the MCHW, not to mention the intrinsic links between presentation of design and technical data within drawings, specifications, Bills of Quantities and ECC documentation.

National Highways has prepared this short explanatory 8 minute video and will be offering a webinar on 22 October, 13 November or 29 January 2026 to provide further information regarding the new documentation.

On the release of the Complete Re-Design of the Manual Contract Document for Highway Works, National Highways said:

A communication and change programme is in place which will include post-implementation support. You may have seen some presentations on the future MCHW at Traffex, Highways UK or Roads Expo Scotland.