Oxford Zero Emission Zone (ZEZ) and Connecting Oxford

Further Competition under Lot 5, Highways, Traffic and Transport of ESPO Framework 664_21.

Oxfordshire County Council and Oxford City Council require consultancy support to finalise the Connecting Oxford and Oxford Zero Emission Zone proposals. This includes development of a strong business case and the detailed appraisal of the schemes' costs and benefits, and which will be the basis for the following key project milestones:

• I.A public consultation on preferred ZEZ and Connecting Oxford schemes. Planned for June and July 2022.

• II.A local decision to approve implementation of the final ZEZ and Connecting Oxford traffic filters, and to make a request to the Department for Transport (DfT) for approval of the final Connecting Oxford WPL. Planned for November 2022.

• III.A decision to approve implementation of the Connecting Oxford WPL by the Secretary of State (DfT). Assumed to take six months from November 2022.

The Commission covers a range of different tasks as listed below and set out in more detail within the Specification. This will require an experienced team of specialists from different technical backgrounds and who will need to work together in a coordinated way to ensure successful delivery of the work and the Councils' overall aim in delivering the ZEZ and Connecting Oxford schemes effectively and in the quickest possible timeframe.

The Councils expect all members of the proposed Consultants team to have significant and relevant skills and experience. This includes being able to effectively communicate and engage with a wide range of local and national stakeholders. Given the breadth of work covered by the Commission the Councils also welcome proposals that include use of specialist sub-consultants who may be required for some tasks such the assessment of wider and non-transport economic impacts, bus service planning and data collection and research, for example.

In this present instance, the Customer is issuing this Invitation to Tender as a Further Competition under Lot 5, Highways, Traffic and Transport of ESPO Framework 664_21.