§ Mr. JenkinTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions (1) what assessment was made by the consultants for the sSRA's recent rail freight competition of the viability of the mechanical engineering performance claims and their costs for the three projects that made the final of the competition; and if the consultants highlighted any limitations of use or cost-effectiveness of the winning products; [128373]
(2) which consultancy firm was retained by the shadow Strategic Rail Authority for its recent rail freight competition; and what were the headings of its remit. [128381]
§ Mr. HillThe consultants appointed to review the proposals for the sSRA's railfreight competition were Ove Amp and Partners. Their remit was to review the five shortlisted proposals submitted by applicants for the competition and to provide an independent assessment of each proposal using the criteria published by the sSRA.
The consultant's remit did not include any requirement to make an assessment of the viability of the mechanical engineering performance claims for the five shortlisted entries. There was a requirement to review the costs proposed and whether they were realistic and robust for each project. There was also a requirement to examine the applicability of the proposed project to other supply chains. The sSRA subsequently made its own assessment and judged the proposals on value for money criteria.