Following the DOS/03385 contract, this contract concerns the continuation of the analysis (of developments) of investments in the operational safety of rail transport in Belgium (ETCS and others) and assistance in monitoring these investments. This will serve to pay attention:

• the quality of the design and execution of this type of project;

• compliance with deadlines and, where appropriate, adaptation of these deadlines;

• optimising the cost/benefit ratio in order to achieve the safety objectives pursued and advocated by the Special Committee on Rail Safety set up in the Chamber.

In this context, efficiency gains in execution should also be sought both in terms of turnaround times and costs and higher levels of security in the future. In addition, there will be a transfer of knowledge to the FPS Mobility and Transport for changes and improvements to the monitoring methodology, in order to ensure the proper monitoring of this type of investment in the future.

For this lot, the successful bidder will be responsible for carrying out follow-up audits on request, conducting comparative studies with similar countries, assessing the feasibility of technical scenarios, preparing opinions on necessary adjustments and proposing updates on (social) costs and benefits, in a context which, during the term of the contract, could be changeable. In this regard, opportunities for additional external technical expertise are also foreseen.

Every three months, the successful bidder will prepare a consolidated scoreboard showing the progress of the implementation of the safety investments, on the basis of the quarterly reports provided by Infrabel and SNCB, quarterly consultations with Infrabel and SNCB and the successful tenderer's own opinion. This includes an assessment in terms of planning (including milestones), budget (annual and multi-year), scope, risks, mitigation measures and changes in the overall context.