The Act Assessment of proposed franchising framework – inserted section 13E
193.Section 13E requires local transport authorities to prepare a detailed assessment of the proposed franchising framework. As noted in the introduction to this chapter, this assessment is adopted in place of the tests that exist for Quality Contract schemes in section 13(1) of the 2001 Act.
194.The assessment provides a basis for an independent audit of the financial implications of the framework and the overall approval of the framework (after consultation) by a panel convened by the traffic commissioner. A report on the assessment is also to be made available as part of the consultation on the proposed framework that the local transport authority is required to carry out.
195.In preparing the assessment, the local transport authority must have regard to the guidance issued by the Scottish Ministers in relation to such assessments (subsection (5)). It is anticipated that the guidance will be similar in many respects to existing best practice guidance around producing business cases in the public sector.
196.The local transport authority must also engage with operators in their area to obtain their views on the proposal. While this is short of formal consultation, it provides an opportunity to engage at an early stage in the process and test the viability of the proposed framework.
197.There are several mandatory elements to the assessment. To deal with each in turn:
	The local transport authority must believe that, at least to some extent, the proposed framework will contribute to the implementation of their relevant general policies. The exact way and extent to which it contributes to these policies then has to be set out in the assessment;
	The local transport authority will have to consider the other available options and set out in the assessment why they consider franchising to be suitable;
	There must be consideration of the impact of the framework on areas adjacent to the proposed framework. This sits with the duty of the local transport authority under section 47 of the 2001 Act (as amended by paragraph 3(4) of the schedule) to have regard to the desirability of making the framework jointly with the local transport authority of another area;
	The assessment requires the local transport authority to set out their proposals for operating the framework and to seek to identify if there are concerns around finding operators for all of the local services to be provided under the framework. This practical element is of importance to the determination of whether, in practice, the framework is likely to be viable;
	The financial implications have to be considered and set out. This key element is the primary basis of the independent audit and it is expected that the guidance from the Scottish Ministers will have a particular emphasis on this aspect;
	The final mandatory element of the assessment is the local transport authority’s proposal in relation to how they will review the effectiveness of the framework. As each framework will be tailored to local circumstances, it is expected that the local transport authority will need to identify relevant data in order to enable them to benchmark progress.
198.Additionally, subsection (3) confirms that a local transport authority may include such other elements in their assessment as they think fit. For example, this could relate to particular local circumstances which have a bearing on why the local transport authority consider it desirable to pursue a franchising framework.