Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council (hereinafter referred to as the Council) is exploring market interest in undertaking a Housing and Economic Needs Assessment.

Scope of Services The scope of works is summarised as follows: 1) To undertake and report on a Housing and Economic Needs Assessment (HENA) for The Council in accordance with national policy and guidance.

2) The HENA will form part of the Council's evidence base for the Local Plan Review and will be used to inform planning policies.

Therefore, the findings of this work should be translatable into policy recommendations.

3) The assessment should be a robust piece of evidence that will withstand scrutiny at public examination and the interested consultant must be prepared to prepare written evidence and appear as the council's expert witness at Local Plan examination, or other planning inquiries, in relation to the assessment, its outputs and recommendations Soft market Engagement - process The council wishes to engage with organisations to discuss and seek views on proposals for the new contract.

This will include: 1) Exploring the benefits of a HENA over separate housing/economic needs assessments.

2) Exploring the number and type of scenarios considered necessary to inform economic forecasting (and the links to housing need).

3) Market capacity for the project to be undertaken by one organisation, or whether a joint working / sub-contracting approach may be required.

4) Suggestions around engagement with other parties.

5) Timescales for completing the HENA 6) Broad estimate of project value.

Soft Market Engagement - how to engage Meetings with interested organisations will take place on Wednesday 10th or Thursday 11th July.

The meetings will be held on Microsoft Teams and will last approximately 30 minutes.

To arrange a meeting, please contact us by email at: localplan@welhat.gov.uk