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Roadmaster: The Whole-Life Cost Case
The number procurement actually needs.
Purchase price is the wrong metric. Whole-life cost is the one that decides it — and the comparison is not close.
Why purchase price is the wrong metric
A Roadmaster costs more upfront than a two-operator alternative. The purchase-price comparison ignores: the second operator (£35,000/year × 15 years = £525,000), return visits to the same site (3–4 per year vs once), auxiliary engine fuel (alternatives run a separate diesel engine all day), machine lifespan (Roadmaster ~20 years vs ~10), and the emergency-repair premium (reactive repairs cost up to 40% more than planned preventative ones).
The right procurement question
“What is the total cost of maintaining our road network per mile, per year, over the next 15 years — using our current methods versus spray injection patching?” That question has a clear answer, and we’re happy to help you model it with our whole-life cost calculator.
Independent trial data (East Ireland, 2024)
| Factor | Manual labour | Spray patching | Saving |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost per tonne laid | £625.81 | £260.35 | 58% |
| Annualised cost per tonne | £625.81 | £130.16 | 79% |
| Carbon per m² | 3.19 kg CO₂ | 1.6 kg CO₂ | 50% |
| Annualised carbon per m² | 3.2 kg CO₂ | 0.8 kg CO₂ | 75% |
Standards & frameworks
Roadmaster is engineered for modern surface-treatment works, including Sector Scheme 13, and aligns to recognised procurement routes such as ESPO and CCS — simplifying award and reducing supplier risk. Each machine offers a 15–20 year service life, and £1.6 billion has been allocated to councils for road maintenance in 2026.
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