NEX23/59 Legal Services for the Washington Metro Loop

Nexus requires suitably qualified and experienced legal advisors, who will be appointed to a zero-value eight-year framework to support Nexus on a project to plan, construct, commission and operate passenger services on the Washington Metro Loop (WML). Subject to approval of the Outline Business Case (OBC) by Government in due course, the legal retainer is expected to encompass the advice required to (i) prepare the content of the OBC; (ii) implement the agreed strategies set out in the OBC; (iii) deliver the OBC strategies and, in turn, commence operations on the WML in years ahead. The exact scope of work during the framework term will be subject to the timely progress of the project.

The legal advisors will be required to have strong levels of recent experience across rail infrastructure projects, including but not limited to experience in the following areas:

• Strategies in connection with land acquisition and consents;
• Planning matters including permitted development rights in a rail context;
• Rail regulatory matters including licensing, consents and communications with regulatory bodies;
• Rail operations;
• Interfaces with Network Rail as a key delivery partner in the project, to include areas such as infrastructure management, track access, station leases and train operations;
• Project governance and communications with project stakeholders including local authority and combined authority partners, DfT and MHCLG among others;
• Project funding;
• Procurement, with the potential need for additional rolling stock as part of the project deliverables;
• Environmental and/or social issues connected with the project;
• Rail construction and engineering contracts; and
• Project insurances.