Overview of the paper

One of CIHT’s key priorities is to reduce carbon emissions from highways and transport sector 
activity. An area where there is considerable untapped opportunity is in the procurement of highways and transport infrastructure and services.

This policy review seeks to understand the existing policy, guidance, and contractual mechanisms to reduce carbon emissions from highways and transport activity, gauge current levels of awareness and use of existing processes, and identify areas of success and where further development is needed.

What you can find in the report

• An overview of current UK policy and legislation for carbon reduction
• Collation of public procurement notes and industry standards for managing carbon
• Best practice from other countries including the Netherlands, Sweden and Australia
• Insights from industry leaders;

Sarah Sharples (Department for Transport Chief Scientific Adviser)
Glenn Lyons (CIHT Vice President)
Rachel Skinner (ICE Past President)

CIHT recommendations 

Through this paper the project group examined: policy and legislation, contract mechanisms and supply chain, WLC assessment, and leadership, culture, behaviour, and education, with recommendations arising from each summarised as:

• Funding mechanism: Consideration by government is needed to provide longer-term funding, and mandating carbon reduction through procurement.
• Policy and legislation: Existing, strong policy needs to be consistently accepted and used across the sector. Stronger legislation is needed to support this.
• Cultural and behavioural changes are needed within the sector to create the environment that will allow for the necessary modal shift to speed up the pace of change.
• Leadership: Effective leadership at all levels – within government, within the sector, and within individual client organisations, suppliers, and contractors – is required to drive the changes and provide clarity of direction and vision.
• Contractual: The spirit of the NEC suite should be the bedrock of the sector’s culture.
• Whole-life carbon: Procurement should be positioned as strategic and given a voice at the 
  outset. Carbon requirements should be embedded within procurement, with a WLC management approach.
• Carbon measurement: Agreed common standards and methodologies are required for measuring carbon value and for carbon management in procurement.
• Knowledge and training: There is a need for provision and development of affordable and accessible training, for all sections and levels of the sector, to enable growth in awareness and knowledge and a standardised approach to carbon in procurement – developing consideration of carbon into decision making as the norm.

Acknowledgements 

The project group was chaired by Mike O’Dowd-Jones - Strategic Commissioner for Highways and Transport Services at Somerset Council, and David Ogden - Executive Director Asset & Maintenance Solutions at Colas Ltd.

The project group was made up of representatives from organisations in CIHT's Partnership Network. 

Daniel Pitcher, Amey

Michael Lindsay, Amey

Emily Collins, Arcadis

Mark Coates, Bentley Systems

Daniel Moore, Colas Ltd

Craig Hannam, Fosroc

Stuart Bradshaw, Lancashire County Council

Kalpini Dave, London Councils 

Dr Kim Yates, Mott Macdonald 

Pasha MacLachlan, Mott Macdonald 

David Purser, Project Centre Ltd

Carly Wright, Ringway

Rob Mcdonald, Stantec 

Simon Earl, Stantec 

Dr David Jackson, Sweco

Barbara Butler-Griggs, VINCI

David Clegg, WSP

Recognition is also due to CIHT staff members, including Anastasia Trofimova and Joan Roemmele.

The CIHT Partnerships Network is a collaborative hub for leaders and decision makers in the highways and transport sector.

The network provides organisations and companies with the opportunity work in collaboration with the Institution as a charity, learned society and membership body to promote excellence across the highways and transportation sector.

Event recording

A recording of the launch of CIHT’s report, Building Carbon Reduction into Procurement Processes.
This paper sought to understand the existing policy, guidance, culture and contractual mechanisms to reduce carbon emissions from highways and transport procurement activity to achieve the delivery of Net Zero

Presentations from members of the group, providing an overview and the structure of the paper plus some personal reflections from working on the paper.   Key messages, which readers of the paper will take away, are highlighted and encouragement given on what we collectively need to do next.

Session 1: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/recording/1417597478416076545

A lively discussion looking further into the ‘how’ on implementing the recommendations, drawing out specific examples and suggestions.

Q&A: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/recording/7568145677428038147

Presentation on the importance of whole life carbon management and assessments becoming industry norms and a detailed presentation on best practices demonstrated within the Dorset case study referenced within the paper, on reducing carbon through procurement.

Session 2: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/recording/4499892509485344514

A wide-ranging discussion on how to make use of procurement for decarbonisation from a strategic and political level to operational implementation and priorities.

Panel discussion: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/recording/3883857035166029572

Other CIHT reports published in 2023

Reducing emissions by 63% in a decade

CIHT's report 'Reducing emissions by 63% in a decade' shares real world experience from across the CIHT partnership network about how Highways Authorities and their supply chain partners have reduced transport related carbon emissions via a wide range of measures including low carbon materials, logistics planning, electrification of construction plant, transport planning, procurement, innovative design, multi-partner collaboration, and reforms to codes and standards.

Green and blue infrastructure: A transport sector perspective

It is widely recognised that green and blue infrastructure (GBI), which encompasses natural and semi-natural features, interventions, and structures, can bring many social, environmental, and economic benefits to a local area. However, a recent CIHT survey suggests that these benefits are not fully acknowledged by the transport sector, even though the UK’s great heritage of street trees was largely created by local authority highway departments.

On this basis, we have made several recommendations to our members, central government agencies, and local authorities, which broadly cover three main tasks we believe are necessary to help improve and encourage GBI on our roads.

The role of data and artificial intelligence in achieving transport decarbonisation

Artificial intelligence (AI) is a technology aimed at performing human-like tasks, such as perception, logic, and reasoning. AI is not a new phenomenon, but it is a topic that has recently been gaining greater attention and is becoming more common in our work and social lives than ever before. This report intends to serve as an introduction to AI for the highways and transportation sector. We hope you gain a better understanding of what AI is, the importance of data for creating successful AI outputs, where AI is already being used in the transport sector, where it is likely heading, and what needs to be done to accelerate successful AI adoption.

Help, Support and Media Enquiries 

If you have any questions please contact technical@ciht.org.uk  

For media enquires please contact the CIHT Communications Team at communications@ciht.org.uk or +44 (0)20 7336 1555 (Option 4)