Bird & Bird supporting Liverpool’s Net Zero 2030 Initiatives: A Highways Perspective

In line with these targets, Liverpool City Council (LCC) is implementing a comprehensive approach to reducing carbon emissions across all sectors, including the carbon-intensive highways infrastructure sector. The ambition is for Liverpool be a net zero-carbon city by 2030.

A crucial component of LCC’s strategy is its involvement in the ADEPT Live Labs 2: Decarbonising Local Roads in the UK programme, funded by the Department for Transport (DfT) and managed by the Association of Directors of Environment, Economy, Planning & Transport (ADEPT). ADEPT Live Labs 2 is a three-year, UK-wide £30 million programme funded by the DfT to decarbonise the local highway network. LCC’s Live Labs 2 project is one of seven projects awarded funding.

Optioneering

Optioneering is a critical component of LCC’s initiative. Optioneering involves a structured process of evaluating multiple options and strategies to determine the most effective solution for a given scheme. By integrating optioneering into LCC’s project, the initiative ensures that the decisions made are not only innovative but also sustainable, cost-effective, and tailored to meet the specific needs of local communities. This approach allows for a more dynamic and responsive development process, where various potential solutions are explored, tested, and refined before implementation.

LCC has partnered with other local authorities, public services, private businesses, academic institutions, and the local community to develop the “Carbon Hierarchy Lens toolkit”, which will simplify data collection, optimise communication and processes, and align strategic goals. To date, LCC is engaged with (among others):

• Bird & Bird LLP, to streamline and simplify deliverability across procurement, contracting and social value;
  
• Pell Frischmann Consultants Limited, Proving Services Limited, and Colas Ltd., to strengthen collaboration between contracting authorities and subcontractors across the design and build supply chain;
  
• Liverpool John Moores University, which will contribute to research on sustainability and low-carbon technologies;
  
• Aberdeen City Council, as Aberdeen shares similar coastal features and urban environments as Liverpool; and
  
• Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service to implement energy-efficient measures.

This highly collaborative approach led to LCC’s Live Labs 2 project being shortlisted for the Local Council Roads Innovation Group (LCRIG) Collaborative Partnership award.

Bird & Bird’s Role and Expertise

Bird & Bird, as the only legal firm involved in the core team of any Live Labs 2 project, is proud to support LCC on its transformative journey and is incredibly excited to participate in one of the UK’s most ambitious and collaborative decarbonisation projects.

As a part of LCC’s core project team, we combine our extensive experience in public procurement, subsidy control, public law, and contracts with a commitment to leveraging technology to evolve sustainable practices. More specifically, we act as lead in delivering expert advice on procurement strategies and contract management from an early stage in the project, assist with drafting and negotiating contracts that align with sustainability goals and regulatory requirements, and facilitate collaboration between public and private sectors to drive innovation and effective implementation.

Leading the Bird & Bird team is Stuart Cairns, who has designed, managed, and successfully implemented some of the most complex competitive procurement processes undertaken in the UK and internationally, many of which have been in the highways and infrastructure sector. He is known to work closely with clients to design a flexible approach that meets legal and regulatory compliance while always delivering the best possible outcome.

Stuart’s team includes Henna Malik, a local authority and public law (including public procurement and subsidy control) specialist who regularly advises on public sector commercialisation activities and implementation of sustainability and social value initiatives, Tom Ward, a public law (including public procurement and subsidy control) specialist who works closely with the public and private sectors to develop and manage effective procurement structures and strategies, and Sophia Hussain, a public law (including public procurement) specialist, who previously advised central government on complex IT procurements and regularly works with public and private sector clients on developing and implementing effective procurement processes. 

Most importantly, Bird and Bird has considerable experience navigating complex regulatory frameworks and can draw from a well-resourced and extremely flexible network to make Live Labs 2 a success and support LCC in its net zero goals.

To find out more about the Live Labs 2 initiative, or for more information about our procurement and projects work more generally, please get in touch with Stuart Cairns.

Please also visit ADEPT and Decarbonising Liverpool's roads - Liverpool City Council for more information.