HDMGlobal is an international consortium comprising academic institutions and consultancy organisations, established to oversee the future management of HDM-4. Originally, the consortium was granted a five-year concession by PIARC in June 2005, with exclusive distribution rights for the software.

The success of HDM-4 Version 2 during this initial period led PIARC to extend the concession in 2010 and again in 2015, each time for an additional five years. Subsequently, the concession was extended further: first in December 2019 for one year, then incrementally to July 2021, July 2022, and July 2024.

In April 2024, the agreement was extended to December 2024, with a further extension announced in November 2024, prolonging the concession until 31 December 2025.

At the centre of the consortium is the Highway Management Research Group a UK-based association of the University of Birmingham, AtkinsRealis and AECOM in partnership with; TRL Ltd also of the UK, ARRB Transport Research Ltd from Australia, PFC and EGIS from France, and ICH of Chile. The main partners are complemented by close links with the associate member from the Mexican Institute of Transport.

The concession will involve the consortium offering -

i) User support and other technical assistance services for present HDM-4 version 1.3 users and to HDM-4 Version 2 users

ii) Development and management of the HDM-4 website, including a database of user questions and answers

iii) Organization of the sales HDM-4 of the software and documentation throughout the world

iv) Operation of an HDM-4 users club to facilitate contacts, feedback from applications, etc

v) Organization of a system of labelled HDM-4 training courses

vi) Maintenance of the protection of the software against illegal multiple copies and pirating of the software

vii) Production of periodic up-graded versions including corrective actions and enhancements defined from user's feedback

viii) Regular updating of the HDM-4 documentation in the three languages English, French and Spanish

ix) Active promotion of the dissemination of HDM-4 via the Internet, articles, participation in conferences and training courses

The consortium will be required to report to a PIARC-appointed review board and demonstrate its fulfilment of concession requirements, in particular, the quality of services to users.

HDMGlobal™ is a Trademark  of the University of Birmingham Enterprise Limited