Mott MacDonald focussed on the future after Department for Transport re-appointment

Mott MacDonald has been re-appointed by the UK’s Department for Transport (DfT) as its Futures and Foresight Support Advisor.

Mott MacDonald will continue helping the DfT embed ‘futures thinking’ into its decision-making processes. ‘Futures thinking’ is an approach that supports decision making at the strategic planning stage of projects. Projects commissioned will make use of the GO-Science Futures Toolkit that helps organisations like the DfT make sense of possible future change or uncertainty, including how people will use transport in the years ahead. This helps inform the future of transport debate, resulting in strategies and policies that could provide tangible benefits to the UK’s transport system.

The appointment, made under the DfT’s Specialist Technical and commercial Advice for Rail and other transport systems Framework (STARTwo), will see Mott MacDonald supporting the DfT until May 2025.

Mott MacDonald was first appointed to advise on DfT’s futures thinking processes in 2019 helping shape a number of major DfT reviews and reports since. These have spanned multiple transport policy areas covering rail, aviation, maritime and road, and included DfT’s Transport Decarbonisation Plan, Decarbonising UK Transport: Technology Roadmaps.

Mott MacDonald will continue to be supported by a range of partners including City Science, Reed Mobility, School of International Futures, SYSTRA and University of the West of England. Professor Vincent Marchau from the Netherlands will provide international knowledge and expertise.

Annette Smith, Mott MacDonald’s project principal, said: “Whilst the future continues to remain uncertain, this is a pivotal time to work for positive change in the transport sector. New technologies and business models are not only disrupting the way people and freight travel, but also the ways in which our communities and economies interact and perform. The future-focussed team at Mott MacDonald is constantly seeking new ideas and fresh thinking to adapt to these challenges and deliver positive social outcomes. We’re delighted to be partnering again with the DfT to help shape the future of UK’s transport system.”