Civil engineering consultancy services

Tender description

Transport Scotland is intending to award a contract to acquire expert advice and support in the development and delivery of rail projects during Control Period 6 from 2019 to 2024 as well as deliverables of both current rail franchises. The contact will focus on technical, operational, engineering, monitoring as well as commercial deliverables to ensure that the projects being taken forward are robustly appraised and deliver best value for money at an efficient cost. 1) Expert assistance is required to provide support to rail directorate in the development and delivery of Network Rail’s Control Period 6 (CP6) proposed projects pipeline from a technical, operational, timetabling, engineering, monitoring and commercial basis. The key task is to ensure that projects taken forward are robustly appraised for delivery and prioritised at an efficient cost taking due cognisance of lessons learned from Control Period 5 (CP5). Transport Scotland also requires assurance and confidence in Network Rail’s project cost and programme estimates for CP6 projects. Timing considerations for procuring this contract are critical in order that the required advice can support delivery of the tasks; 2) Assist rail directorate to analyse the Network Rail schedule of items proposed by Network Rail, ScotRail and Transport Scotland to be funded from the available CP5 Headroom; 3) Utilising the latest timetable planning software, develop an analysis of future capacity options Scottish rail network. The analysis will also provide modelling evidence which complies with Train Service Requirements (TSRs) issued by the Department for Transport (DfT) and which reflect changes in the Train Planning Rules (TPRs) and Sectional Running Times (SRTs). All of the analysis should facilitate diagramming of rolling stock units based on the timetable developed; 4) Provide advice on current deliverables of the current rail franchisees to include: — train service delivery, — property, — rolling stock, — performance regimes, — railway staffing, — stations, — passenger issues, — fares, — franchise contract management, including re-basing, re-letting, extension and termination, — maintain close links with ferry services. 5) Provide technical advice and suitable expertise to Transport Scotland’s Rail Franchise team in the event that either or both of the 2 rail franchises require contingency planning options for an operator of last resort to be activated. This advice will be in addition to a separate procurement for commercial and financial advisors for full operator of last resort services to Transport Scotland; 6) Assist Transport Scotland develop a public sector bid for the next ScotRail franchise should they wish to do so, to ensure delivery of service improvements, strengthen competition and achieve best value for taxpayers’ money; 7) The successful consultants will require a high level of expertise in the core skills of rail transport planning, forecasting, operational analysis and appraisal. In-depth knowledge of GRIP processes will be essential; 8) The successful consultants will require to draft and implement a programme plan of knowledge transfer from the supplier to Transport Scotland staff during the periodicity of the commission. The transfer of expertise will be achieved through mutual collaboration, coaching, close working relationships and subsequent measurement to give assurance that the knowledge has been transferred effectively.