Content

The Assistant Director, Planning is asked to
use their delegated authority to authorise the procurement of AECOM
to undertake an Employment Land Assessment.

Reasons for the decision

The procurement of this evidence base document
is necessary to inform the update to the Local Plan. The update to
the Local Plan was agreed by full Council on 21 February 2024 with
a timetable set out on 27 February 2025.

Alternative options considered

The Council received tenders from two other
consultants in addition to AECOM. However, of the three consultants
who submitted tenders, AECOM achieved the highest overall score in
the evaluation, which was appropriately weighted for quality and
price. They submitted an excellent proposal that gave the
evaluation panel confidence as to their ability, expertise, skills
and resources to deliver the requirements of the project.