RSSB2616 - Identifying best practices in how public procurement can support the uptake of innovation in risk averse industries-

The objective of this project is to investigate how government and buyers in the railway sector abroad and in other industries in the UK utilise public procurement as a tool to support the uptake of innovation in a risk averse environment. Furthermore, the project aims at identifying, among these, good practices and assess their replicability in the GB rail sector, by providing a set of recommendations for the Department for Transport and other buyers to support them in implementing them.

5 Scope In scope Out of scope • Analyse how public procurement supports innovation in the rail sector in other countries (specified below) • Assess how public procurement supports innovation in the rail sector in other industries in the UK (specified below) • Identify and analyse good practices • Draft recommendations on their applicability in the GB rail sector • Funding programmes using grants and competitions

6 Methodology It is recognised that suppliers may well be better placed to define the approach taken to deliver this work than RSSB, so RSSB does not wish to mandate a given approach. The following approach is therefore only a suggestion and for the suppliers' consideration.

WP1: Collating a wide range of best practices from rail and other risk averse industries across countries BPs to be collated from a range of industries including (but not limited): • Rail (from other countries, see below) • Water • Automotive / Highways • Defence • Aerospace • Healthcare • Energy The contractor will identify and collate BPs from the rail sector in the following countries: • France • Germany • Italy • Spain • Austria • USA • Japan

BPs are expected to cover the full range of aspects that contribute to Innovation Capability at an Industry Level, as detailed in the table below.

Competitive Environment Government regulatory regime Government funding and support programmes Recognizing and valuing innovation as an integral part of the tender process for major contracts Contractual mechanisms for major contracts to provide incentives and rewards to innovate during the full life of the contract Strategic Alignment Clear, common vision for innovation in the industry that connects near-term actions to long-term goals Stability of common vision over time for innovation, with clear parameters in place indicating when/how it might change Extent that industry leaders share their technology roadmaps to align investment and obsolescence decisions Regulator consultation with industry stakeholders on major cross value chain investment and obsolescence decisions Clear leadership and progress for the innovation agenda in the industry Coherence of industry's innovation approach coherent with wider national, EU and International business agendas Internal Innovation Activities Extent of suitable technology and safety specifications and standards in place to focus innovation across the value chain