Review of Highways England's ability to improve efficiency from its asset management capability (in support of Highways England's RIS2 strategic business plan and ORR's RIS2 efficiency review)

This review is being jointly commissioned, overseen and funded by Highways England and ORR.

Highways England is responsible for operating, maintaining and improving England's strategic road network, comprising 4,400 miles of motorways and main A roads.

Work is currently underway within government on the second Road Investment Strategy ('RIS2'). RIS2 will set out the performance requirements and funding for Highways England during Road Period 2 ('RP2'), the five year period from April 2020 to March 2025.

The development of RIS2 requires the coordinated efforts of the DfT, Highways England and ORR with each organisation having responsibility for leading relevant work streams. Highways England is responsible for developing a strategic business plan (SBP) detailing its plans for delivering the performance requirements set out in the Government's draft Road Investment Strategy. ORR is responsible for leading the RIS2 efficiency review, an assessment of the level of efficiency that Highways England proposes to achieve in the SBP.

A core part of the work to develop Highways England SBP and ORR's RIS2 efficiency review is the assessment of Highways England's ability to make efficiencies from improvements to its core business processes during Road Period 2. Highways England and ORR have agreed to jointly assess three business processes: (1) portfolio and programme management, (2) asset management and (3) procurement and contract management.

This invitation to tender is to support one of these capability reviews - an assessment of Highways England's ability to make efficiency improvements through improvements to asset management capability ie how it manages its maintenance, renewal and operational activity on the strategic road network.