Cambridgeshire County Council Net Zero Decarbonisation of Services

Cambridgeshire County Council (CCC) declared a Climate and Environment Emergency in 2019. Our Climate Change and Environment Strategy was updated in 2022 and includes the following targets:

• The organisation to reach Net Zero for scopes 1 and 2 by 2030,
• To reach a 50.4% reduction in scope three emissions for the organisation by 2030 (compared to 2018 baseline), and
• To deliver Net Zero across the county by 2045.

Most of the Council's greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions fall under scope 3 and our commitment to Net Zero means the Council must reduce its emissions along a 1.5 degree trajectory across scopes 1,2 and 3. Although Scope 3 emissions are indirect emissions from assets not under CCC control, such as those of our contractors and suppliers, it is the Council's specifications and contracting for these goods and services which drives the creation of these emissions.

The Council has a range of assets and statutory duties. Our carbon footprints have identified the services and assets with the largest carbon emissions under scope 1, 2 and 3. We are now seeking external advice, expertise, and experience on the best ways to reduce carbon emissions (or greenhouse gases) to deliver our Net Zero commitments for the following assets and services: Highways, Waste and Recycling, Rural Estates and Schools.

Although this work is being commissioned separately via different procurement Lots, suppliers are welcome to tender for all Lots. If tendering for all Lots, you must demonstrate how savings/efficiencies in operational costs have been factored into your costs.

The lot structure is as follows:

• Lot 1: Schools Decarbonisation (Education Capital)
• Lot 2: Highways Decarbonisation
• Lot 3: Waste and Recycling Decarbonisation
• Lot 4: Rural Estates Decarbonisation.

There will be cross over and synergies between lots. It is our intention to bring together the successful consultants in a workshop to draw out the links, interdependencies and opportunities from the work undertaken across all of the Lots. Please factor into your cost's preparation and attendance at this multi-stakeholder workshop.

The Highways Service requires to engage industry specific technical competence capability and capacity to develop an H&T service wide strategy to achieve net zero by 2030 for the Council’s own scope emissions and 50% reduction in carbon emissions from the Council’s scope 3 emissions (included procured goods and services). The following outcomes are required:

• An overarching Net Zero strategy for the management and maintenance, operation and administration and; extension and improvement of the highways network including Public Rights of Way, associated assets and direct user services. To include:
• Overarching principles under which all new highways and transportation infrastructure will be considered and delivered.
• Overarching principles under which all maintenance, management and operation will be carried out.
• Weather resilience adaptation.
• Green Infrastructure Management principles to support Nature Recovery, biodiversity net gain and carbon sequestration.
• Service wide standards for operations and maintenance to ensure Net Zero is fully embedded in the Highways Operational Standards, Asset Management Policy and strategy
• Review and alignment of current strategic level policies, standards and guidance used by all highways and transportation teams (Highway Maintenance, Project Delivery and Strategic Transport and Network Management).

The types of support the Council requires include:

• The consultant is to provide Climate Crisis and Nature Recovery technical expertise capacity and capability to support the H&T service in producing its Net Zero Strategy.
• Providing project management of the strategy production. Supporting the Council’s highways technical experts in developing the strategy by;
• Providing technical input where it is identified the council lacks capability, knowledge and experience.
• Work with the councils H&T service and Cambridgeshire Highways teams to support them in developing the Overarching and operational Strategies
• Providing technical capacity to support the council where extra resource is needed to progress the strategy development.
• Write and present the strategy in an easy to read easily understood style as a document, e-book and slide pack.
• Strategy to include a costed, prioritised implementation plan to support funding and business cases to enable future delivery.
• Support the team to socialise the strategy within the council and its supply chain partners and commence implementation.
• Provide resource to revise policy, strategy and operational documents and processes so they align with the Net Zero Strategy.
• Provide guidance to H&T teams on incorporating the strategy aims and objectives within team and group service plans.
• Propose outline training and development programme for H&T staff to develop the appropriate knowledge and skills to pursue and deliver decarbonisation.

The Council will lead the work through a Governance Board with the Assistant Director Highways Maintenance as project sponsor. The Consultant is required to lead and support the management of the project team through the provision of project management capabilities and capacity as well as provide and or source specific technical expertise. The Project team may consist of internal council staff from various departments and /or external partners.