HTMA is pleased to be working with the Department for Transport (DfT) as one of the contributors to its Highways Maintenance Efficiency Programme (HMEP).

Officially launched by Transport Minister Norman Baker at the HTMA biennial conference in April, the programme is funded to the tune of £6 million and brings together a number of key protagonists in the industry. Joining DfT staff, these come from both supplier and client arenas and include specialists in relevant fields, including pre/post contract work and procurement. Their aim is to identify best practice and facilitate the sharing of information to help achieve practical and adaptable cost efficiencies for local authorities.

"Representing the highways industry, HTMA has a wealth of practical knowledge and experience that we are keen to share," says HTMA Executive Director David Hutchinson. "When we first discussed HMEP with our members, the individual companies were immediately receptive to helping identify some "quick wins" through successful case studies and to contributing know-how in achieving targets across a number of business areas."

In recognition of the envied position of HTMA as an industry thought leader, David Hutchinson now sits on the DfT HMEP Programme Board, which will allow him to offer a private sector perspective and enable the programme to reflect a sector wide approach to efficiency.

HTMA is also represented by Executive Board members in each of the four Workstream Groups* which form the backbone of work produced by HMEP.

Workstream Group One, Operational Service Delivery - Bill Taylor, BEAR Scotland - looks at how maintenance services are procured and delivered by local highway authorities. It produces guidance on how to select the most appropriate type of service and best practice on how that service is delivered.

Workstream Group Two, Business Improvement - Phil Hoare, Atkins - develops practical tools and methodologies that will help ensure local authorities have access to the capability required to implement efficiency measures.

Workstream Group Three, Communications and Capability - Richard Chinn, Mott MacDonald - engages local authorities with statutory highway maintenance commitments to apply the products and services offered by HMEP and encourages their involvement in shaping the programme.

Workstream Group Four, Research and Data Management - Tony Gates, Carillion - brings together and consolidates much of the existing benchmarking and performance data that underpins the highway maintenance sector, but which does not currently provide a consistent and coherent picture of performance and improvement.

Each workstream has held several meetings to scope out the projects that they will aim to deliver. From the initial planning, the workstreams have identified specific tool kits, guidance for standardisation, sharing best practice, improved measurement and creating sustainable processes as some of the areas to focus their resources. Progress of the workstreams can be followed by checking the updates on their website, www/dft.gov.uk/hmep

*A further group is being established to monitor the quality of the output from HMEP and the representative from HTMA will be Phil Atkinson.