Arup and AECOM have been appointed to provide specialist engineering, carbon and cost benchmarking advice to the UK government’s Department for Transport.

The appointment – which runs for 12 months with the potential to extend for a further six months – will cover agendas including environment and sustainability.

The companies may advise on projects across the department, from one-off technical questions to larger, more long-term advisory or project sponsor roles, having been appointed through the STARTwo Framework.

Specific areas the companies will focus on include carbon reduction, business case support, transport operations advice, risk management, feasibility advice, procurement advice and technical due diligence.

Tim Chapman, director of infrastructure design at Arup, said: “Investment in transport has the potential to play an enormously important role in reshaping the UK economy – both to reduce inequality and contribute towards its long-term decarbonisation targets. We look forward to working closely with AECOM to advise the UK government on some of the country’s most crucial projects and investments.”

Simon O’Connor, rail director for AECOM said: “The UK became the first major economy to adopt a binding commitment to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. An ambitious target and we look forward to working with ARUP and the DfT to drive climate mitigation efforts that are needed to move the UK transportation sustainability agenda forward. Our companies will be working collaboratively to provide expert advice to DfT, supporting teams as they navigate these challenges and making sure that once new transport projects are completed, they bring maximum benefit to the community."