Technical Assessment of the Changes to the Outdoor Noise Directive

The Department for Business and Trade is seeking to commission a project to an organisation with expert knowledge in acoustics with a focus on the noise by equipment for use outdoors. We are seeking expert advice in assessing the changes that the EU has made to Annex III of the Outdoor Noise Directive and the impact that these changes may have on manufacturers of equipment in scope of the Directive.

We are seeking this information as, under the Windsor Framework Agreement between the UK Government and the EU, the UK Government must implement these changes in Northern Ireland. The information will be beneficial in future policy making more widely too.

We require the organisation to produce us with a report containing the following information, once they have completed their analysis:

• A high-level summary of what the changes actually are/what they mean which can be easily understood by an audience without knowledge of the technical or scientific detail;
• A more in-depth analysis of the differences between the Annex III in the original Directive and the new Annex III;
• Assessment of the potential impacts that these changes might have on manufacturers of outdoor equipment in scope;
• Any additional insights into the affected sector.