§ Ms. WalleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will give details of the tendering procedure adopted by his Department when employing consultants to undertake an environmental assessment.
§ Mr. Chope[holding answer 20 November 1991]: Generally the tendering procedure for appointment of the main consultant is by means of a one or two-envelope competition, dependent upon the cost of the works. Under the one-envelope system, quality and financial bids are assessed together.
Under the two-envelope system, quality is first assessed and then the financial bids are considered. The quality envelope contains the consultant's proposals for handling and staffing the commission and details of the firm's relevant experience. A panel gives an overall quality marking to each tender. Tenders which receive unacceptable quality markings are not considered further. The second envelope is then opened in which the consultants provide details of their financial bids. The contract is awarded to the consultant who tenders the best balance of quality and price.
§ Ms. WalleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport what criteria outside consultants are required to meet when appointed by him to carry out an environmental assessment.
§ Mr. Chope[holding answer 20 November 1991]: The consultants who are appointed to undertake the preparation and supervision of trunk road schemes are generally large multi-disciplinary civil engineering firms which have significant resources and well-proven skills. They are responsible for the full range of duties associated with each commission, including an environmental assessment where appropriate.
Many large firms have a separate specialist division dealing with environmental matters. Where a consultant does not have, or needs to supplement, in-house environmental expertise, he will appoint a sub-consultant. Such appointments require the Department's approval. The Department considers proposed appointments on the basis of relevant expertise, capacity to undertake work and a proven track record.
§ Ms. WalleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects to publish the findings of the standing advisory committee on trunk road assessment report; and240W what timetable he envisages to incorporate the recommendations of that report into his Department's environmental assessment procedures.