Rail Tenders

The rail industry in the UK is currently undergoing some major changes, we are in the middle of the rail operating company franchise renewal. Listed Below are a number of present and upcoming rail tenders. Rail tenders currently are a source of great opportunity for SMEs. With numerous projects coming up and the Governments commitment to granting 33% of business to SMEs, now is a great time to develop your rail tenders. Listed below are some of the upcoming projects:

CP6

Network Rail is starting Control Period 6 (CP6). In 2017 a Statement of Funds Available for CP6 was published that detailed that £48 billion was available for its implementation. His period will span from 2019-2024. The main focus of the project will be running the railway better, more reliably and efficiently. A major project will be the introduction of the Digital Railway with numerous measures such as traffic management and connected driver advisory systems replacing the current signalling systems. There is also an increased focus on improving safety and reducing accident risk. CP6 is also committed to reducing the public performance measure deficit by 15%. There is also a plan to improve diversity, particularly women, which may be particularly noteworthy for recruitment companies within the industry. This control period represents a good opportunity for SMEs to win potential rail tenders to help carry out these plans.

HS2

High Speed 2 Ltd are currently in the process of delivering Phase 1 of HS2. Civil works for the line began in June 2019. This aspect of the construction phase is worth an estimated £6.6 billion. There is also a need for the construction of stations and facility improvements in Birmingham and London for phase 1, and Manchester and Leeds for phase 2. The total construction costs have been adjusted for 2019 and now total £81-88 billion. Thee will be further requirements for the running of the system once HS2 is fully operational. Rail tenders for construction of the line and stations as well as other potential rail tenders will be available.

Crossrail

The Crossrail project to complete works that are outstanding on the Elizabeth line is currently taking place. They are currently working on final fit-out and testing at many stations and are on track to complete fit-out and testing of the tunnels by January 2020. Crossrail Ltd plan to run trial operations and hope to launch the project between October 2020 and March 2021. As such potential rail tenders may be available to help carry out these tests.

Transport for London

Transport for London currently has some major rail contract renewal opportunities available. Regularly, TfL will publish rail tenders on the tender electronic daily (TED) and so it is important to keep up to date with TED and to set up rail tender notice alerts o ensure that your SME does not miss out on applicable opportunities. TfL look for a range of services meaning there are rail tenders that will suit your SME.

ail industry in the UK is currently undergoing some major changes, we are in the middle of the rail operating company franchise renewal. Listed Below are a number of present and upcoming rail tenders. Rail tenders currently are a source of great opportunity for SMEs. With numerous projects coming up and the Governments commitment to granting 33% of business to SMEs, now is a great time to develop your rail tenders. Listed below are some of the upcoming projects:

CP6

Network Rail is starting Control Period 6 (CP6). In 2017 a Statement of Funds Available for CP6 was published that detailed that £48 billion was available for its implementation. His period will span from 2019-2024. The main focus of the project will be running the railway better, more reliably and efficiently. A major project will be the introduction of the Digital Railway with numerous measures such as traffic management and connected driver advisory systems replacing the current signalling systems. There is also an increased focus on improving safety and reducing accident risk. CP6 is also committed to reducing the public performance measure deficit by 15%. There is also a plan to improve diversity, particularly women, which may be particularly noteworthy for recruitment companies within the industry. This control period represents a good opportunity for SMEs to win potential rail tenders to help carry out these plans.

HS2

High Speed 2 Ltd are currently in the process of delivering Phase 1 of HS2. Civil works for the line began in June 2019. This aspect of the construction phase is worth an estimated £6.6 billion. There is also a need for the construction of stations and facility improvements in Birmingham and London for phase 1, and Manchester and Leeds for phase 2. The total construction costs have been adjusted for 2019 and now total £81-88 billion. Thee will be further requirements for the running of the system once HS2 is fully operational. Rail tenders for construction of the line and stations as well as other potential rail tenders will be available.

Crossrail

The Crossrail project to complete works that are outstanding on the Elizabeth line is currently taking place. They are currently working on final fit-out and testing at many stations and are on track to complete fit-out and testing of the tunnels by January 2020. Crossrail Ltd plan to run trial operations and hope to launch the project between October 2020 and March 2021. As such potential rail tenders may be available to help carry out these tests.

Transport for London

Transport for London currently has some major rail contract renewal opportunities available. Regularly, TfL will publish rail tenders on the tender electronic daily (TED) and so it is important to keep up to date with TED and to set up rail tender notice alerts o ensure that your SME does not miss out on applicable opportunities. TfL look for a range of services meaning there are rail tenders that will suit your SME.

Crown Commercial Services

The Government themselves also have their own frameworks relating to rail tenders. The Government’s pledge to give 1/3 of work to SMEs makes their frameworks good opportunities for SMEs for rail tenders. Listed below are some potential government frameworks for which rail tenders can be submitted:

Framework IDNameLotsSuppliersRenewal Date
RM6016Public Sector Travel and Venue Solutions5728/02/2021
RM3756Rail Legal Services2831/05/2020

  • Public Sector Travel and Venue Solutions: This is an agreement that includes online and offline service, specialist services and zero and low-cost booking fee models. It is designed to allow you to specify rail, air and accommodation requirements in a user-friendly way.
  • Rail Legal Services: This framework provides specific legal advice for rail services, particularly rail franchising, for the Department of Transport.

The Process

Public interest in the rail industry has never been higher. With the intense scrutiny that HS2 has come under as well as the increased frustration with delays, it is important to take care when applying for rail tenders. All rail bids need to be cognisant of this and be produced to facilitate public scrutiny. Complex bids such as these need to be supported by graphical representation, language needs to be targeted at the audience and public engagement needs to be part of the tender. If you are looking to bid into this sector, then The Bid Team can help.

The Bid Team

If you are looking to submit a rail tender into this sector, then The Bid Team can help. We worked closely with Shorterm on seven different bids. A significant rail tender we supported them with was in 2013 when Network Rail a new framework for the provision of contingent labour. We helped Shorterm compete against a much larger incumbent supplier. Shorterm qualified on all submitted PQQ lots and went through to the ITT stage. At the ITT stage Shorterm came first in 33 of the 39 lots bid and were awarded the maximum of 18 lots including core lots. Our bid process is defined and well suited for construction tenders and overview of our process can be found here. In addition we have produced a series of “How to” guides to further assist our clients win work through construction tenders for example “How to position a bid“, “How to qualify a bid” and “How to write a bid answer“. These guides incorporate our approach with easy to use forms and templates. We also provide news on construction tenders on our news page.

If you are looking to bid to this sector, then The Bid Team can help provide bid management, bid writing, bid reviews as well as other services to help your organisation win construction tenders. Please use the form below to contact us for a discussion on your bid.

Related Case Studies

The Bid Team has provided bidding services that have resulted in over £11.3 billion of revenue for clients. The case studies below are some of the more significant wins that clients have achieved.

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