The Fjord Link Frederikssund infrastructure project in northern Denmark, connects Marbaekvej, Frederikssund, to the east with Torslev on the west side of the fjord with 8.2 km of dual-lane highway and a 1.4 km-long tolled high bridge.

To make the crossing even more travel-friendly, the Danish Road Directorate chose to implement Denmark’s first free-flow tolling project. Arup was appointed as the Technical Advisor to the Fjord Link Frederikssund Tolling Scheme.  

We brought to the toll project our expertise in road-user charging, combined with an in-depth knowledge of the infrastructure project itself, for which we provided design, procurement and site-supervision services. We provided support to the Directorate throughout the procurement process, from initial market soundings through to tender evaluation.   

Arup was appointed as the Technical Advisor to the Danish Road Directorate for the tolling operation, bringing added value through the combination of our road user charging expertise and our existing in-depth knowledge of the infrastructure project. The client objectives for procurement and operation of an efficient, highly economical and user-friendly toll scheme served as our benchmark throughout the process. As Technical Advisor, we provided partnership and support throughout the procurement process, from initial market soundings through to tender evaluation. 

New procurement philosophy of “Tolling as a Service” 

We supported the client in the investigation of several procurement models for this project, and a new procurement philosophy of “Tolling as a Service” was chosen as the way forward.  Tolling as a Service focuses on defining the services to be delivered and performance levels to be achieved, rather than detailing the technical requirements. This model is a step change in how tolling operations have been traditionally procured.  

Arup was a key player on our team successfully developing the first free flow tolling system in Denmark. We were able to leverage Arup’s vast international experience and knowledge in tolling systems as well as dialogue based procurement procedures to the benefit of the project.

Henrik Vincentsen

Project Director, Danish Road Directorate

As part of the procurement process, we were involved in extensive market consultations which provided valuable insight to the project team. 

We were deeply involved in not only the procurement process but in helping decide how that process might unfold. The partnership decided to work under a philosophy of ‘tolling as a service’ – putting user-friendly services and performance ahead of technical requirements – offering an important change in the way that tolling operations have traditionally been procured.  

Procuring a complex scheme to a tight programme

We assisted the client in the facilitation and management of a competitive dialogue process for the procurement of the tolling contract. This enabled the development of bespoke tender documents tailored to the local geographical, market and legislative requirements, while ensuring the client’s objectives remained the core focus. In addition, we were an integral part of the dialogue team, supporting the client by acting as the technical expert for both rounds of competitive dialogue.  

This complex scheme was to be delivered under a tight schedule to coincide with the opening of the infrastructure project in late 2019. This meant that the successful achievement of the procurement milestones was of highest priority from project commencement to the identification of the successful tenderer. The project and programme management tools employed by Arup allowed all milestones to be met while maintaining high levels of quality for each of the deliverables.