The Local Council Roads Innovation Group (LCRIG) is delighted to announce the launch of the second Innovation Procurement System (IPS) category, continuing its commitment to facilitating seamless innovation procurement for local authorities and suppliers in the highways sector.
Working in collaboration with Crown Commercial Service (CCS), LCRIG developed the IPS, a first-of-its-kind platform for Local Authorities to buy innovative products and services. Supported by the Department for Transport (DfT), the LCRIG IPS was created to remove barriers to innovation and provide a flexible and fully compliant procurement route for Local Authorities.
Following the successful launch of the Road Surface Solutions category in 2023, the second category to go live is Traffic Signals-Sensing-Controls.
The new category covers a range of technology products and solutions for traffic signals, traffic control, traffic sensing, monitoring and interventions. Products and solutions may range from signals, sensors and smart infrastructure through to intelligent traffic management and AI based solutions.
Designed to provide Local Authorities with access to the latest market leading traffic management technology, it does this by guiding and supporting buyers to solutions through two different procurement routes:
- Transport Technology & Associated Services (TTAS) – A commercial framework agreement with catalogue functionality.
- SPARK DPS – A dynamic procurement system, enabling innovation to be procured at speed.
Susanne Ingham, Relationships Director at LCRIG said “At LCRIG, we are committed to fostering innovation and collaboration within the highways and transportation sector. The introduction of the Traffic Signals-Sensing-Controls category represents another step forward in our mission to support our Council Members in accessing innovation and to providing opportunities for our Associate Members to connect and engage with Local Authorities actively seeking innovations.”
Local Authorities are invited to find out more by registering on the LCRIG website here.
Suppliers with an innovative product or solution for traffic signals, traffic control, traffic sensing, monitoring and interventions are invited to register for more information here.
Intelligent Traffic Management Fund Process
The launch follows last week’s announcement regarding a new £20m Intelligent Traffic Management Fund (ITMF) process that has opened.
Local Authorities are invited to form consortia to apply for a share of £20 million of funding to deploy advanced technology for traffic control, using emerging technologies such as machine learning and artificial intelligence to optimise traffic flow and balance traffic across wider areas.
As ITMF is aimed at showcasing and promoting a wide range of new and emerging solutions to area-wide traffic management, it is anticipated that bid submissions will detail the use of new and innovative technology. The LCRIG IPS provides local authorities with a route to procure those innovative products or solutions that may be included in bid submissions.
Find out more about the ITMF fund process here.