anal & River Trust Grant Review - Technical Asset Assessment

The Canal and River Trust was set up in 2012 to manage a 2000mile waterways network comprising a variety of assets including canals, embankments, reservoirs, bridges, culverts, aqueducts, pumping stations, weirs, sluices locks and flood gates. The Trust monitors these assets, grades their condition, assesses the risks associated with them and prioritises maintenance and repair in line with their findings. An annual grant from government is provided to support this work. A review will assess the Trust's stewardship of the waterways and consider whether government support should continue beyond 2026/27 (when the current arrangement ends). This technical assessment will support that review by enabling Defra to understand the Trust's performance in relation to its management of and expenditure on the physical infrastructure.

Defra is seeking a contractor to assess and assure: 1. Condition of the Trust's assets; 2. How spend is allocated to asset maintenance; 3. Safety; 4. Compliance with statutory requirements; 5. Water and flood management; and 6. Projections provided by the Trust for asset management through to 2036/37.

We would like to engage with a consultant who can provide independent assurance, in the unique heritage and environmental context of the Trust's 200-year old canal network (comprising listed properties, scheduled monuments, conservation areas and Sites of Special Scientific Interest). We would like to understand the extent to which contractors have the necessary skills and experiences to address all or a combination of some of these questions, identifying strengths and gaps, as appropriate. The assessment will be based on data and documentation provided by the Trust.