In August 2020 VA Rail was engaged by DfT to lead the development of the new National Rail Contracts that were needed urgently to end the existing franchise agreements.
The first version to share with operators was required by December 2020 with the first contracts to be let in the spring of 2021. This required a collaborative approach with colleagues in the DfT, train operators and owning groups and HMT.
The contract was created on time, with a continuous improvement approach to versions 2 & 3 again based on industry feedback, the first contracts were let in Spring 2020 and the project handed to business-as-usual teams by summer 2020.
This task required detailed knowledge of contracts, the operating railway, and a leadership approach to bring together DfT, HMT and the industry. This was achieved rapidly to a high level of quality.
