TfW FOI Request - Mark Barry

I am writing in response to your Freedom of Information request on work carried out by Professor Mark Barry.

Your request has been considered in accordance with the requirements of the Freedom of Information Act and our information access policy. I can confirm that we hold the information you require. You asked for:

• details about work commissioned by the Welsh Government and delivered by Transport for Wales; and

• full details of the scope of work, bid proposals, processes used to appoint, and the costs involved with the appointment of Professor Mark Barry to undertake two studies titled The Case for Rail Investment.

On 1 March 2018, the Welsh Government gave instruction to Transport for Wales to provide a Programme Strategic Outline Case for North and South Wales Main Lines and a Strategic Outline Case for Wrexham to Merseyside.

The scope of the work was to provide advice to Transport for Wales on the scoping of potential opportunities for improvements to journey times between Swansea and Cardiff on the South Wales mainline and improvements to journey times and capacity on the North Wales main line.

The work was to support discussions with the Department for Transport (DfT) to gain funding to develop these plans further. This scope included:

1. preparing draft vision, objectives and outputs for each Strategic Outline Case;

2. overseeing appraisal of potential interventions;

3. preparation for Department of Transport meeting and securing agreement on approach; and

4. lead, support and contribute to any public/media engagement and stakeholder activities and secure; stakeholder intellectual property (where appropriate).

Using our Engineering Consultancy Services framework, Mott MacDonald were requested to provide Task Orders for preparing the studies. The scope of the two studies included an element of specialist strategic advice and in order to provide this element of work, Mott MacDonald employed Mark Barry as a sub-consultant, which is permitted under the terms of the framework.

The rates for the specialist work provided by Mark Barry were compared with other similar specialist work provided under other frameworks used by Transport for Wales and were found to be competitive.

The Task Orders were signed-off by Transport for Wales and the work was carried out for the Welsh Government under the terms of Transport for Wales’ remit letter.

The cost of the specialist element of the work carried out was £137,539 (made up of three packages £50,319, £36,901, and £50,319).

If you have any queries, please do not hesitate to contact Transport for Wales.

Yours sincerely

Transport for Wales