Award

T0653 TLAB3009 Freight Wider Economic Impacts Study

NATIONAL HIGHWAYS

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

Award

14 May 2025 at 09:09

Award Notice
Summary of the contracting process

The procurement process titled "T0653 TLAB3009 Freight Wider Economic Impacts Study" was carried out by National Highways, based in Birmingham, England. The contract, which falls under the industry category of Development Consultancy Services, was awarded on the 12th of May 2025 to the supplier Arup, a well-regarded large-scale firm active in the sector. The procurement followed a selective method, specifically a call-off from a framework agreement. This particular project seeks to enhance methodologies for appraising road freight's wider economic impacts, supporting strategic priorities of the Department for Transport. The project completion is mandated by April 30th, 2026, with work taking place across various locations, including the UK and international territories.

For businesses, this tender presents a notable opportunity to engage with the Department for Transport in strengthening transport investment appraisals. Firms well-suited to compete for similar contracts are those possessing expertise in transport infrastructure and development consultancy. Given the project's scope and strategic alignment with significant national transport priorities, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), despite not being part of the typical bidders' scale for this tender, could explore partnership opportunities or subcontracting roles, leveraging their agility and innovative capabilities in areas such as dynamic transport models and freight analysis. The potential for refining and implementing cutting-edge methodologies can lead to further growth and establishment in government contracting spheres.

Find more tenders on our Open Data Platform.
How relevant is this notice?

D3 Tenders Premium

Win More Public Sector Contracts

AI-powered tender discovery, pipeline management, and market intelligence — everything you need to grow your public sector business.

Start Free Trial Book a Demo
All Features Pricing

Notice Information

Notice Title

T0653 TLAB3009 Freight Wider Economic Impacts Study

Notice Description

Transport infrastructure investments are appraised using the Transport Analysis Guidance (TAG) framework, primarily capturing welfare impacts through user benefits derived from transport modelling. While these benefits typically reflect the welfare effects of transport investments, market distortions can result in additional Wider Economic Impacts (WEIs). Currently, TAG assumes a fixed freight demand for Heavy Goods Vehicles (HGVs) in future years, with cost estimations focused on journey time, fuel, and other charges. Road Freight-related WEIs (FWEI), including Employment, Induced Investment, and Productivity (Agglomeration), are incorporated under TAG but often rely on generalized assumptions, such as a 13.4% uplift in freight benefits to represent induced investment. There is growing interest in exploring areas where TAG could further develop its approach to capturing FWEI going forward, such as: 1) Considering dynamic effects, like the reorganisation of distribution centres to serve broader markets. 2) Examining how freight sectors respond to improvements in reliability and fuel cost savings compared to time savings, which could shift freight patterns. 3) Differentiating between urbanization and localization agglomeration effects to better reflect freight clustering dynamics. This presents an opportunity to refine TAG methodologies and provide a more comprehensive appraisal of road freight-related economic impacts. Through the successful completion of this project, Department for Transport aims to strengthen transport investment business cases while addressing key research questions aligned with the DfT's five strategic priorities. Key research areas within the broader DfT Strategic Priorities that align with this project include:

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-b5fd17-8ff71149-3bdf-424c-bc2c-177f7e9a8794
Publication Source
Contracts Finder
Latest Notice
https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/cfb325aa-fdfd-49ef-a315-90bd00cd3d12
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
Award Notice
Procurement Type
Framework
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Selective
Procurement Method Details
Call-off from a framework agreement
Tender Suitability
SME
Awardee Scale
Large

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

73 - Research and development services and related consultancy services

CPV Codes

73220000 - Development consultancy services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£189,310 £100K-£500K
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
£189,310 £100K-£500K
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
14 May 20259 months ago
Submission Deadline
28 Mar 2025Expired
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
11 May 20259 months ago
Contract Period
11 May 2025 - 30 Apr 2026 6-12 months
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

Tender Status
Complete
Lots Status
Not Specified
Awards Status
Active
Contracts Status
Not Specified

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
NATIONAL HIGHWAYS
Contact Name
Not specified
Contact Email
spats@nationalhighways.co.uk
Contact Phone
Not specified

Buyer Location

Locality
BIRMINGHAM
Postcode
B1 1RN
Post Town
Birmingham
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLG West Midlands (England)
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLG3 West Midlands
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLG31 Birmingham
Delivery Location
Not specified
Local Authority
Birmingham
Electoral Ward
Ladywood
Westminster Constituency
Birmingham Ladywood

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
1
Supplier Name

ARUP

Further Information

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

View full OCDS Record for this contracting process

Download

The Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS) is a framework designed to increase transparency and access to public procurement data in the public sector. It is widely used by governments and organisations worldwide to report on procurement processes and contracts. 

{
    "tag": [
        "compiled"
    ],
    "id": "ocds-b5fd17-8ff71149-3bdf-424c-bc2c-177f7e9a8794-2025-05-14T10:09:03+01:00",
    "date": "2025-05-14T10:09:03+01:00",
    "ocid": "ocds-b5fd17-8ff71149-3bdf-424c-bc2c-177f7e9a8794",
    "language": "en",
    "initiationType": "tender",
    "tender": {
        "id": "tender_346433/1480757",
        "title": "T0653 TLAB3009 Freight Wider Economic Impacts Study",
        "description": "Transport infrastructure investments are appraised using the Transport Analysis Guidance (TAG) framework, primarily capturing welfare impacts through user benefits derived from transport modelling. While these benefits typically reflect the welfare effects of transport investments, market distortions can result in additional Wider Economic Impacts (WEIs). Currently, TAG assumes a fixed freight demand for Heavy Goods Vehicles (HGVs) in future years, with cost estimations focused on journey time, fuel, and other charges. Road Freight-related WEIs (FWEI), including Employment, Induced Investment, and Productivity (Agglomeration), are incorporated under TAG but often rely on generalized assumptions, such as a 13.4% uplift in freight benefits to represent induced investment. There is growing interest in exploring areas where TAG could further develop its approach to capturing FWEI going forward, such as: 1) Considering dynamic effects, like the reorganisation of distribution centres to serve broader markets. 2) Examining how freight sectors respond to improvements in reliability and fuel cost savings compared to time savings, which could shift freight patterns. 3) Differentiating between urbanization and localization agglomeration effects to better reflect freight clustering dynamics. This presents an opportunity to refine TAG methodologies and provide a more comprehensive appraisal of road freight-related economic impacts. Through the successful completion of this project, Department for Transport aims to strengthen transport investment business cases while addressing key research questions aligned with the DfT's five strategic priorities. Key research areas within the broader DfT Strategic Priorities that align with this project include:",
        "status": "complete",
        "classification": {
            "scheme": "CPV",
            "id": "73220000",
            "description": "Development consultancy services"
        },
        "items": [
            {
                "id": "1",
                "deliveryAddresses": [
                    {
                        "countryName": "British Oversea Territories"
                    },
                    {
                        "countryName": "Channel Islands"
                    },
                    {
                        "countryName": "Europe"
                    },
                    {
                        "countryName": "Isle of Man"
                    },
                    {
                        "countryName": "Rest of the World"
                    },
                    {
                        "countryName": "United Kingdom"
                    }
                ]
            }
        ],
        "value": {
            "amount": 189310.51,
            "currency": "GBP"
        },
        "procurementMethod": "selective",
        "procurementMethodDetails": "Call-off from a framework agreement",
        "tenderPeriod": {
            "endDate": "2025-03-28T19:00:00Z"
        },
        "contractPeriod": {
            "startDate": "2025-05-12T00:00:00+01:00",
            "endDate": "2026-04-30T23:59:59+01:00"
        },
        "suitability": {
            "sme": true,
            "vcse": false
        },
        "mainProcurementCategory": "services"
    },
    "parties": [
        {
            "id": "GB-CFS-228749",
            "name": "National Highways",
            "identifier": {
                "legalName": "National Highways"
            },
            "address": {
                "streetAddress": "The Cube",
                "locality": "Birmingham",
                "postalCode": "B1 1RN",
                "countryName": "England"
            },
            "contactPoint": {
                "email": "spats@nationalhighways.co.uk"
            },
            "roles": [
                "buyer"
            ]
        },
        {
            "id": "GB-CFS-317449",
            "name": "Arup",
            "identifier": {
                "legalName": "Arup"
            },
            "address": {
                "streetAddress": "Birmingham"
            },
            "details": {
                "scale": "large",
                "vcse": false
            },
            "roles": [
                "supplier"
            ]
        }
    ],
    "buyer": {
        "id": "GB-CFS-228749",
        "name": "National Highways"
    },
    "awards": [
        {
            "id": "ocds-b5fd17-8ff71149-3bdf-424c-bc2c-177f7e9a8794-1",
            "status": "active",
            "date": "2025-05-12T00:00:00+01:00",
            "datePublished": "2025-05-14T10:09:03+01:00",
            "value": {
                "amount": 189310.51,
                "currency": "GBP"
            },
            "suppliers": [
                {
                    "id": "GB-CFS-317449",
                    "name": "Arup"
                }
            ],
            "contractPeriod": {
                "startDate": "2025-05-12T00:00:00+01:00",
                "endDate": "2026-04-30T23:59:59+01:00"
            },
            "documents": [
                {
                    "id": "1",
                    "documentType": "awardNotice",
                    "description": "Awarded contract notice on Contracts Finder",
                    "url": "https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/cfb325aa-fdfd-49ef-a315-90bd00cd3d12",
                    "datePublished": "2025-05-14T10:09:03+01:00",
                    "format": "text/html",
                    "language": "en"
                },
                {
                    "id": "2",
                    "description": "n/a",
                    "url": "https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/Attachment/d5827f4e-04ac-472d-920f-9531a67d8db6",
                    "format": "application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.wordprocessingml.document"
                }
            ]
        }
    ]
}