The Provision of Temporary and Permanent Recruitment Services

NTL has extended the current arrangements we hold with Ford and Stanley Limited, Ganymede Solutions Limited and Practicus Limited for the provision of temporary and permanent recruitment services until 31st of March 2026.

Such extensions are required to allow NTL the time to undertake a comprehensive review of our long term recruitment requirements, conduct a re-procurement exercise and implement a new system if required.

With reference to the Procurement Act 2023, Regulation 41.1, a direct award is permitted in cases where:

'The public contract concerns the supply of goods, services or works by the existing supplier which are intended as an extension to, or partial replacement of, existing goods, services or works in circumstances where-

(a)a change in supplier would result in the contracting authority receiving goods, services or works that are different from, or incompatible with, the existing goods, services or works, and

(b)the difference or incompatibility would result in disproportionate technical difficulties in operation or maintenance.'

Railway operations are highly time-sensitive and safety-critical, requiring a workforce that can integrate seamlessly with existing teams, have key specialised skills, industry knowledge, and certifications . Due to how embedded current contractors are within NTL's operations, replacing this workforce would highly risk railway operations, as a change un supplier may result in a delays to supply workers with the same level of expertise, leading to potential gaps in service, increased training costs, and project delays as the current contractors are deeply embedded within the organisation, with NTL's internal workforce not having the capacity or capability within areas such as engineering to carry out work at the same level required to continue running rail services whilst a change of contractors are mobilising. Consequently, removing such contractors would cause disruption to rail services at the public's detriment.

Continuing our current provisions enables NTL to maintain workforce continuity to run the railway while finalizing a long-term strategy that meets regulatory and operational requirements. A forced transition to a new supplier before completing this process would introduce unnecessary risks, inefficiencies, and potential non-compliance issues as we would not have completed an appropriate tender exercise.

Extending these provisions to 31st of March 2026 allows adequate time for an in depth review of our long term requirements and a fully compliant procurement process to be undertaken whilst allowing flexibility for a mobilisation period if required.

NTL anticipate going to market for these services by September 2025.