We currently have two live tenders on this page
(1) Strategic Planning 2023 tender
This Invitation to Tender has been prepared by The Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) to invite proposals for research on the current situation of strategic planning in England as a whole, with a likely focus on recent efforts in the North of England.
We are interested in the costs resulting from the absence of strategic planning today, the barriers to effective strategic planning, and examples of best practice approaches to strategic planning within current policy frameworks. We want to better understand the demand and potential demand for more effective strategic planning, and how strategic planning could contribute to solving wider societal challenges. Bidders are required to propose research collecting and analysing evidence on the likely impact of recent and possible policy interventions/reforms on the realisation of effective strategic planning. We expect that the published research will help to influence policy discussion laying the groundwork for effective strategic planning within the current devolution agenda and related policy developments.
The RTPI last published research on strategic planning in 2015, Strategic Planning: Effective Cooperation for Planning Across Boundaries – a report on the obstacles and opportunities facing local authorities in the then-present policy environment, consulting a range of case studies. The aim of the new research paper is to build on the 2015 results and provide timely analysis that will further the understanding of the possibilities of strategic planning in 2023 and future years. Also of relevance is the research published in 2022 on Planning Agencies: Empowering Public Sector Planning and in 2021 on Green Growth Boards. This advocated for a voluntary, shared services model that local planning authorities can use to do more with less.
Three RTPI regions, representing members in different parts of England, have each contributed equally to funding this research: North-West, Yorkshire and North-East. The tendering and research management process is being managed by London-based RTPI officers.
How to submit for this Invitation to Tender:
For further information on how to submit your proposal please view the Invitation to Tender in full.
Tender applications should be submitted electronically to: [email protected]
The deadline for applications is 23:59 (UTC+1) Sunday 8th October 2023.
We intend to interview a shortlist of bidders during w/c 16 October 2023 and to appoint the successful research team soon after.
(2) BALANCE consultant
For many years the RTPI has undertaken outreach careers work, but inevitably the educational establishments tend to be either places that are known to RTPI staff and volunteers, and places that RTPI staff and volunteers have studied at or have a connection to. The reason for taking a more targeted approach is to ensure that new locations and establishments are brought into the programme to support the objectives of CHANGE, the RTPI’s equality, diversity and inclusivity action plan. The overarching aim of this project it to support the RTPI’s careers outreach work by expanding the number of schools and colleges that RTPI volunteers are able to visit to include locations and educational establishments not previously or regularly visited. This should be in areas where high demand for houses exists, or new large-scale development is likely to be earmarked, and where a range of communities live. By bringing a more diverse cohort into the profession it is hoped to not only lead to better outcomes but to a more inclusive sector.
We intend to work with a consultant on Phase 2 of our corporate project BALANCE: Build A Legacy And New Community Equality. The project seeks to ‘target [intelligently] schools of greatest educational need and diversity, including areas of socio-economic deprivation in areas of high planning demand. Attract talented young people who can then serve their communities from a position of strength, signposting accessible routes’.
We are looking to develop a new ‘Future Planners’ Strategy and implementation plan.
The consultant will review all the RTPI careers promotion activity including its outreach strategy, current volunteer projects and existing programmes. This will be with a view to recommending options and benchmarking cost-effective interventions to meet the aims of BALANCE and our corporate strategy aim that a broader range of students from different subjects / under-represented areas are made aware of planning education.
The consultant, using their curriculum knowledge and school teacher contacts, will design new engaging and on-brand ‘introducing planning as a career’ materials (online and/or print) and test out with pupils. The consultant will train up volunteers to make this happen, supplying RTPI staff with resources to support RTPI members to embark on a targeted outreach campaign.
The submission deadline for this work has recently closed.
However if you wish to express an interest in this work area, please contact [email protected]