2.16 The Authority should agree a detailed timetable with the Project Company at a nearly stage, whether the contract dictates this or not. It is essential that this work be properly timetabled, both to ensure that contractual provisions are complied with and to avoid any rushed work. Any timetable included in the contract should be reviewed to determine whether it is practical.
2.17 The timetable should include deadlines by which the Project Company is to provide benchmark data and for responses by the Authority. Additional time may be needed if the contract specifies market testing as a fall back to benchmarking. Sufficient time should be allowed for a number of iterations of the data, for negotiation, and for meetings of decision-making bodies. The timetable should also have sufficient flexibility to ensure that, if necessary, deadlines can be renegotiated by agreement. In the event of a market test, the timetable needs to include sufficient time for prospective bidders to visit the project site, review the documentation and seek clarity or additional information. The Authority and bid evaluators may also wish to visit sites where prospective bidders are providing similar services. The Authority should consult other authorities that have undertaken market testing, or its Private Finance Unit, to establish the feasibility of the timetable in the light of their experience.