Official UK procurement notice
Operation of RIDC Melton · UK public procurement notice
Authority: NETWORK RAIL INFRASTRUCTURE LIMITED (Central government)
What is being bought
Published requirement descriptionNetwork Rail is seeking a supplier to operate Test Track Melton, including the management of train movements, rail haulage , site and workshop support, operational facilities services, provision of locomotives and associated equipment, incident response and stakeholder coordination. Rail Infrastructure and structural building maintenance are excluded.
The contract is expected to commence on 1st April, 2028 for an initial four year term, with options to extend by a further two years plus two years, giving a maximum term of eight years.
- The authority expects to re-tender this requirement around 2 Jan 2035, 23:59 GMT.
- How the procedure runs: Following completion of the PSQ stage, successful Suppliers will be invited to attend a site visit to gain an understanding of the Site, its facilities and operational environment.
CPV: Railway transport services
How this framework works
From the published notice- Framework period
- 4 yrs · up to 8 yrs from 1 Apr 2028
The lotProcurement structure
single lot · value publishedLot #1RenewalPublished value£29,386,811
- Economic & financial standing
Refer to ITP and PSQ documents
- Technical & professional ability
Refer to ITP and PSQ documents
- Condition of participationshortlisting
The highest- scoring candidates that have successfully met all mandatory pass/fail requirements and achieved the heighest technical evaluation scores will be invited to tender.
What it takes to wini
How this buyer will score bids.
The evaluation criteria and weights exactly as published on the notice, grouped by family (price, quality, social value and so on).
Evaluation split and conditions of participation as published; the tender pack may add morei
How this buyer will score bids.
The evaluation criteria and weights exactly as published on the notice, grouped by family (price, quality, social value and so on).
Published sub-criteria (2)
- Technical Criteria: 50%
- Commercial Criteria: 50%
Published award criteria (2)
- Technical Criteria: This comprises the Technical Submission and Methodology, Outline Mobilisation programme, Contract Organisation, Key Personnel and CVs, Sub- Contractorsand Suppliers, People Security , Social Value and Data Protection.
- Commercial Criteria: It's made up of a basket of annual cost.
- Economic & financial standing
Refer to ITP and PSQ documents
- Technical & professional ability
Refer to ITP and PSQ documents
- Condition of participationshortlisting
The highest- scoring candidates that have successfully met all mandatory pass/fail requirements and achieved the heighest technical evaluation scores will be invited to tender.
- Price carries 50 of 100 points: a 10% discount moves about 5 points. This one is won on the number: sharpen the price before polishing the prose.
- “Operation of RIDC Melton” is a framework: the contest is a place on its panel, not a single contract.
Price arithmetic assumes straight proportional scoring; the tender pack may use another formula.
Competition analysis · published record, not a forecast of who will bid
How NETWORK RAIL INFRASTRUCTURE LIMITED buys Railway transport services (CPV 6020), and who usually turns up
NETWORK RAIL INFRASTRUCTURE LIMITED’s published record next to the market for the same work. Compared with other frameworks and DPS only. Whole-market view: Railway transport services (CPV 6020) →
How the contest usually goes
Winner shares use published awards; bid and price charts use contested lots.
i
How often small and medium firms win.
Share of awards where the winner’s size is known.
The counts under this question show how many awards have a known supplier size.
Small firms have won here. Neither number says whether you qualify; it describes who has been winning. 1,313 known-size awards sit across 136 procurements, so one procurement can dominate this percentage.
i
How often local firms win similar work.
Winners with a registered address in the delivery region, out of awards with a known address.
Local means the winner is registered in the region where that award was delivered.
A local branch does not count if the registered address is elsewhere.
Most of this buyer’s recorded winners were registered outside the region where that award was delivered. 1,296 known-location awards sit across 136 procurements, so one procurement can dominate this percentage.
i
How long buyers here take to decide after bids close.
Middle value in days from the bid deadline to the award date, on competitions that published both.
Only decided tenders count, so slow ones still waiting are not in.
Half of these awards have an award date within 250 days of the bid deadline.
i
How often work is awarded with no recorded rival.
Direct awards and tenders where every published lot count shows one bid.
Both shares are minimums: some awards have no bid count.
Thin markets produce this too; it is not proof of a tailored specification.
Direct awards or one recorded bid are common here. Check the route before spending time on a bid.
How many bids did past lots attract?
i
How many bids past lots received.
Each colour is a bid-count range. Only competed lots with a published count are included.
Past bids do not predict this tender.
1 bid8% / 5%
2–334% / 22%
4–648% / 19%
7+10% / 54%
How did awards compare with estimates?
i
Where winning prices landed against estimates.
Each colour shows awards below, close to or above the published estimate, one lot at a time.
On a framework or DPS, prices are agreed when work is called off.
Past prices are a guide, not a bid price.
Not comparable on a framework or DPS: the price is set later, on each call-off.
Assess each lot i
What past awards tell you about each lot.
See the forecast, this buyer’s earlier suppliers and firms with relevant wins.
No supplier is confirmed as a bidder.
i
What past awards tell you about each lot.
See the forecast, this buyer’s earlier suppliers and firms with relevant wins.
No supplier is confirmed as a bidder.
Open a lot for its forecast, this buyer’s previous supplier and possible competitors, from published award history, not a bid list
Lot #1CPV 6020Published estimate£29m
i
How many bids this lot may attract.
The forecast uses similar past competitions. The bar shows either that forecast or past bid counts; the line below says which.
Each lot shows its own forecast based on its own category; forecasts for different lots of the same notice are not comparative.
A forecast, not a list of bidders.
1 bid5%
2–317%
4–658%
7+20%
i
Where the award price may land.
The forecast uses similar awards and the buyer’s estimate. The band covers the middle half of likely prices.
No comparable awards for this lot yet.
A statistical guide from past awards, not a price to bid.
Who has supplied this buyer on similar work? i
Who has done similar work for this buyer.
Past contracts are matched by buyer, title and type of work.
A past supplier may not bid again.
i
Who has done similar work for this buyer.
Past contracts are matched by buyer, title and type of work.
A past supplier may not bid again.
| Supplier | This buyer’s earlier contract | Lot | Award value | Why listed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EASTERN RAIL SERVICES LIMITEDWorked for this buyer | Carriage Hire Agreement for 5 No. Mk2e BUO Coachesruns to Mar 2028 | — | £2.2m | Similar wording and category |
Who could compete for this lot? i
Who could compete for this lot?
Firms with relevant past wins. On a framework, we show firms on that agreement.
None is confirmed as a bidder.
i
Who could compete for this lot?
Firms with relevant past wins. On a framework, we show firms on that agreement.
None is confirmed as a bidder.
| Supplier | Won in this category | Live contracts | Award vs estimate |
|---|---|---|---|
GB Railfreight LtdLarge | £1.5m4 awards in 36m · last 16 months ago | None on file | no comparable pairs |
| £3.1bn49 awards in 36m · last 1 month ago | 20 live · £6.0bn iPublic contracts this supplier still holds. Its awards whose published end date is still in the future, with their values. Many contracts publish no end date, so this is a floor, not the whole book. Unexpired says nothing about spare capacity. | at estimate n=14 | |
Mott MacDonaldLarge | £72m86 awards in 36m · last this month | 15 live · £40m iPublic contracts this supplier still holds. Its awards whose published end date is still in the future, with their values. Many contracts publish no end date, so this is a floor, not the whole book. Unexpired says nothing about spare capacity. | 11% below n=19 |
| £4.0m8 awards in 36m · last 3 months ago | 1 live · £3.0m iPublic contracts this supplier still holds. Its awards whose published end date is still in the future, with their values. Many contracts publish no end date, so this is a floor, not the whole book. Unexpired says nothing about spare capacity. | 26% below n=2 | |
| £2.2m1 award in 36m · last 4 months ago | 1 live · £2.2m iPublic contracts this supplier still holds. Its awards whose published end date is still in the future, with their values. Many contracts publish no end date, so this is a floor, not the whole book. Unexpired says nothing about spare capacity. | no comparable pairs |
About this data
- Source. Official UK public procurement notices (Find a Tender), reused under the Open Government Licence v3.0. New notices arrive through the day; the figures are rebuilt nightly.
- Two views, kept apart. The authority’s own track record and the wider market for the same kind of work sit side by side and are never mixed. Where the local picture is too thin, a figure widens to a broader market and says which one it used.
- Forecasts are labelled. The price forecast and its range, possible competitors and the earlier-work matches are our estimates from past awards: not published facts, not win chances and not price advice. Official notices do not say who is bidding.
- Every figure shows what it rests on. Not every notice publishes a bid count, a value or a delivery region, so each figure carries the number of records behind it, and one built on few records is marked as such. The on a figure explains it; the counting rules are in the methodology. Spotted something wrong? Tell us.
Procedure terms & legal framework
From the official record- Procedure method
- Competitive flexible procedure
- Legal basis
- UKPGA · 2023/54 Procurement Act 2023
- Procurement category
- Services
- Notice status
- Open admission
- Procurement threshold
- Above threshold (FTS publication)
- Regulatory regime
- Utilities
- Commercial structure
- Framework agreement
- Who may use this agreement
- Not stated in the notice; call-off rights may be limited to the establishing authority
- Competition type
- Competitive procedure
- GPA / WTO covered
- Yes (GPA, CPTPP)
- Recurring procurement
- Yes · next expected 2 Jan 2035
- First published
- 25 Nov 2025, 17:37 GMT
- Last source update
- 23 Oct 2026, 11:35 BST
- Award evaluation window
- Submission end – 19 Jul 2027
- Authority reference
SR39627- FTS notice number
2026/S 000-100378- Latest notice
- Tender notice (UK4)
- Classification (CPV)
- Delivery area
- Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-05e8beFind a Tender
- How it runs
Following completion of the PSQ stage, successful Suppliers will be invited to attend a site visit to gain an understanding of the Site, its facilities and operational environment.
How to participate & submission route
Official notice Apply via Jaggaer- Requests to participate (first stage)
- 25 Nov 2026, 12:00 GMT
- Appointment period ends
- 25 Nov 2026, 12:00 GMT
- Clarification deadline
- 16 Nov 2026, 12:00 GMT
- Submission channel
- Official e-sourcing portal
- Electronic submission
- Allowed
- Accepted languages
- en
Timeline
25 Nov 2025 → 1 Apr 2028 · 8 dates- Planning notice published336 days ago25 Nov 2025, 17:37 GMT
- Market engagement308 days ago23 Dec 2025, 23:59 GMT
A market questionnaire has been published alongside this notice within Bravo, Network Rail's tendering service. Parties interested in expressing interest are encouraged to access this via the details linked below and respond. Network Rail seeks to establish market interest and solicit feedback on our draft specification to understand how clear and deliverable our requirements are. A draft specification has been provided alongside this to assist in answering the questionnaire. Questionnaire responses are requested by 23/12/2025. Extension requests for responses may be submitted, but Network Rail cannot guarantee any can be granted. Any extensions made will be granted equally to all participating parties who have expressed interest via Bravo at the time of it being granted.
This requirement is currently not being tendered, this is market engagement activity only to assess interest and feasibility.
Unless there are issues accessing Bravo, all queries are to be directed to Network Rail using the messaging function within the service. If you are experiencing access issues, please notify Tom.Hedges@networkrail.co.uk in the first instance.
Access: networkrail.bravosolution.co.uk/esop/guest/go/opport… ↗
The required event to respond to the questionnaire is pqq_3826. Those who have not used Bravo before will need to create an account. The homepage for this can be found here: networkrail.bravosolution.co.uk/web/login.html ↗
- Next notice expected209 days ago1 Apr 2026, 23:59 BST
- Tender notice published4 days ago23 Oct 2026, 11:35 BST
- Today28 Oct 2026
- Clarification questions byin 19 days16 Nov 2026, 12:00 GMT
- Admission / appointment period endsin 28 days · period end, not a bid countdown25 Nov 2026, 12:00 GMT
- Award decision expected byin 264 days19 Jul 2027, 23:59 BST
- Contract starts1 Apr 2028, 00:00 BST
Notice history
6 events · 3 releases on Find a Tender · since 25 Nov 2025- Pipeline notice published25 Nov 2025, 17:37 GMTUK1
- Preliminary market engagement notice published26 Nov 2025, 14:09 GMTUK2
- Tender notice published23 Oct 2026, 11:35 BSTUK4
- Published value updated to £29,386,81123 Oct 2026, 11:35 BSTwas £26,600,000
- Status changed to active23 Oct 2026, 11:35 BST
- Procurement method changed23 Oct 2026, 11:35 BST
Commercial outcome & contract awards
Nothing awarded yet- Awards (0)
- No award published
- Contracts (0)
- No contract published
- Bid statistics
- No aggregate bid statistics published
Contracting authority & participating public bodies
Official documents & specifications (4)
Official links; attachments are not copiedTender pack and attachments
- Bidding documents and specificationsAccess: Additional documents will be issued to all shortlisted candidates during the ITT stage
Notices published for this procedure
- Tender notice Tender notice on Find a Tender
- Preliminary market engagement notice Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender
- Pipeline notice Pipeline notice on Find a Tender