Official UK procurement notice
Provision of Contingent Labour Services for Transport for Wales Infrastructure Maintenance Activities (Future Operating Model)
Authority: Transport for Wales (TFW) Ltd (Public body)
What is being bought
Published requirement descriptionTransport for Wales (TfW) is developing a new multi-lot Framework agreement for the provision of Contingent Labour to support Transport for Wales (TfW) in fulfilling their Infrastructure Maintenance (IM) obligations on the Core Valley Lines (CVL).
To support in fulfilling the Infrastructure Maintenance (IM) obligations, TfW require a compliant and efficient route to market to secure Contingent Labour to supplement its directly employed workforce to support the delivery of routine, planned maintenance activity for safety critical and off-track requirements across the CVL network with occasion reactive and emergency maintenance activity.
Transport for Wales (TfW) is scheduled to assume the role of Infrastructure Manager (IM) in February 2028. This Framework will commence in September 2027 to support TfW's mobilisation activities and ensure operational readiness from Day One (February 2028) of the Infrastructure Manager (IM) transition.
The Framework is intended to provide TfW with access to approved and compliant, temporary maintenance labour providers who can provide reliable, competent and appropriately assured labour in line with the volumes and response times required to meet maintenance demands, including short-notice and out-of-hours labour requirements.
The multi-lot Framework will be structured to reflect requirements for Contingent Labour specialisms utilising on-track (safety critical) and off-track labour requirements to reflect market specialisms, delivery capability, and the range of requirements required to support the TfW Infrastructure Maintenance (IM) programme.
The Framework is expected to comprise of a multi-lot structure, potentially including:
Lot 1 – On-Track Operatives & Protection Staff
Lot 2 – On-Track Plant (OTP) Operators & Machine / Crane Controllers
Lot 3 – Electrification (OLE/OHLE) Operatives & Isolation Staff
Lot 4 – Civils, Construction & General Trade Operatives
Lot 5 – Plant Operators (Labour only)
Lot 6 – Vegetation Management & Lineside Clearance Operatives
Lot structure is subject to change following market engagement.
The proposed framework structure, scope, and lotting structure is currently under development and will be presented to the market through a supply-chain engagement workshop to support the finalisation of the scope and procurement strategy to ensure it aligns to industry knowledge and capability, emerging trends, and customer needs.
Transport for Wales intends to undertake a formal procurement exercise following completion of its supply chain market engagement activities.
CPV: Building completion work · Building construction work · Building installation work · Construction work for pipelines, communication and power lines, for highways, roads, airfields and railways; flatwork · Engineering works and construction works · Hire of construction and civil engineering machinery and equipment with operator · Railway-track maintenance services · Site preparation work · Tree-cutting services · Tree-maintenance services
How this framework works
From the published notice- Framework period
- 3 yrs · up to 4 yrs from 1 Sept 2027
The lotProcurement structure
single lot · no lot value publishedLot #1PlannedRenewal
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).
- “Provision of Contingent Labour Services for Transport for Wales…” is a framework: the contest is a place on its panel, not a single contract.
Pipeline intelligence · planning stage: how this market runs before the tender is published
How Transport for Wales (TFW) Ltd buys Construction work for pipelines, communication and power lines, for highways, roads, airfields and railways; flatwork (CPV 4523), and who usually turns up
Transport for Wales (TFW) Ltd has little published record in this market. Compared with other frameworks and DPS only. Whole-market view: Construction work for pipelines, communication and power lines, for highways, roads, airfields and railways; flatwork (CPV 4523) →
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.
No small-firm winners recorded among this authority’s published awards in this sample.
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.
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 74 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.
The market share is a minimum: 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 bid3%
2–321%
4–638%
7+38%
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 7721Published estimate£4.6m
This lot is listed as CPV 7721. The table above uses the notice category.
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. The bar shows 97 past lots.
A forecast, not a list of bidders.
1 bid2%
2–312%
4–624%
7+62%
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.
No earlier contract of this buyer matches this lot on the published record.
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.
Candidate suppliers for this notice have not been worked out yet, so this is not a verdict that nobody fits.
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- Legal basis
- UKPGA · 2023/54 Procurement Act 2023
- Procurement category
- Services
- Notice status
- Planned procurement
- 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
- Unspecified in notice
- Recurring procurement
- Unspecified in notice
- First published
- 22 Sept 2026, 17:02 BST
- Last source update
- 22 Sept 2026, 17:02 BST
- FTS notice number
2026/S 000-089839- Latest notice
- Preliminary market engagement notice (UK2)
- Classification (CPV)
- Delivery area
- Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-0777f7Find a Tender
How it was run
Official notice- Appointment period ends
- —
Timeline
22 Sept 2026 → 1 Sept 2027 · 4 dates- Planning notice published36 days ago22 Sept 2026, 17:02 BST
- Market engagement27 days ago1 Oct 2026, 23:59 BST
The Authority is inviting the market to participate in a pre-procurement supply chain engagement event to support the development of a new Framework agreement for the provision of Contingent Labour to support Transport for Wales (TfW) in fulfilling its Infrastructure Maintenance (IM) obligations on the Core Valley Lines (CVL).
The engagement will provide an opportunity for Transport for Wales (TfW) to present its draft Framework strategy and seek feedback on the proposed scope, lot structure and procurement approach. Through this process, Transport for Wales (TfW) aims to ensure the Framework is attractive to the market, supports operational requirements, is commercially viable and capable of meeting the future needs of the transport sector.
Transport for Wales (TfW) is particularly interested in understanding market appetite, anticipated participation across the proposed lots, and any factors that may influence supplier involvement in the future procurement.
Feedback received during the engagement may be used to inform the final Framework design, including its scope, lot structure and procurement documentation. Participation in this engagement will not confer any advantage or disadvantage in any subsequent procurement process.
Event Objectives
Transport for Wales (TfW) will use this engagement event to:
- Present its draft Framework strategy and procurement approach.
- Explain the proposed Framework lotting model and structure.
- Test the level of market interest and supplier appetite.
- Present the proposed procurement programme and timescales.
- Gather market intelligence to refine the final procurement strategy.
- Ensure the Framework is structured to maximise competition, innovation, value for money, and operational effectiveness across the rail transport sector.
This engagement forms an important part of Transport for Wales (TfW) procurement planning process and will help ensure the framework is designed to meet both customer requirements and market capability over its intended term.
Transport for Wales (TfW) will be hosting a market engagement event on the morning of Monday 5th October 2026 in TfW’s Head Office in Pontypridd.
Organisations wishing to attend are invited to register their interest by emailing Procurement@tfw.wales. Registrations should include the name and contact email address of each attendee and the name of their organisation. Please note, there will be a maximum of 2 attendees per organisation. Further information on the event will follow via email to registered suppliers.
- Today29 Oct 2026
- Tender notice expectedin 93 days30 Jan 2027, 23:59 GMT
- Contract startsin 306 days1 Sept 2027, 00:00 BST
Notice history
1 event · 1 release on Find a Tender- Preliminary market engagement notice published22 Sept 2026, 17:02 BSTUK2
Commercial outcome & contract awards
Pipeline notice- 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 (1)
Official links; attachments are not copiedNotices published for this procedure
- Preliminary market engagement notice Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender