››› Session 7

Procuring The Highways Agency National Traffic Control Centre Project for England

Steve Nicholson   Traffic Control Centres Project, Highways Agency

In 1998 the UK Government established an integrated transport policy that would give greater priority to making better use of the existing transport infrastructure. The Highways Agency (the Agency) was asked to bring forward investment programmes that would harness technology and bring about institutional and private sector partnerships to help tackle congestion on the inter-urban network. To deliver improvements the Agency was given a new role as network operator. Set against this new remit, the Agency investigated a business case for a national traffic monitoring and driver information service. The Traffic Control Centre (TCC) concept was born out of an appreciation of how delays could be reduced, and network reliability improved, by monitoring real-time network performance and by managing demand for road travel through relevant and reliable driver information services. The benefit from providing real-time advice on traffic conditions at the roadside, through variable message signs, was found to be robust but the aim was to extend the influence of information to a much wider catchment, beyond roadside signing, by harnessing modern communications, notably the emerging use of in-vehicle navigation and traffic information aids. The TCC initiative required a new professional service to be established across the national road network that would work with the existing police service, engaged in law enforcement and incident management, and create a seamless national traffic management service. A range of procurement options were evaluated before the Agency embarked on a public private partnership aimed at delivering TCC benefits at value for money. A Service Requirements specification was developed, defined where practicable in output terms, and designed so that in meeting the target service levels the TCC objectives would be achieved. Defining requirements in output terms also provided maximum scope for technical innovation. A competitive tendering process commenced with four consortia being invited to submit their initial bids. Offers were subject to negotiation leading to the selection of a preferred bidder in the middle of year 2000. In March 2001, procurement was close to completion and the Agency was expecting to award a contract that would last for ten years. The successful TCC Company would be responsible for designing, and constructing a real-time traffic monitoring network, supported by computer systems and communications to a wide range of existing monitoring and police control centres. The TCC system will be operated from a central control room building. The TCC Company will raise the finance required for the project and receive payments from the Agency linked to their actual level of performance against the Service Requirements. The TCC Company would also be able to exploit the information commercially so that the project supports the private sector in developing value added driver information services. These payment and the commercial revenue opportunities establish a strong incentive for the project to be successful.