Find a TenderOpen for expressions of interest Tender notice
Published 23 Sept 2026, 13:42 BST

Official UK procurement notice

Chiltern Rail - Train Planning & Rostering System Replacement

Authority: CHILTERN RAIL LIMITED (Public body)·On behalf of: SYSTRA LIMITED

Two-stage2 lotsServicesCompetitive flexible procedureAbove thresholdSME suitable
Sectors: Software Packages & ERP (48)IT Services & Software (72) Delivery: Delivery location not published
Published estimate£6,500,000envelope for 2 lots · £7,800,000 inc. VAT
Submission deadline 19 Oct 202614:00 BST · 25d 17h left
Candidates invited to tender up to 5published shortlist size
Contract term 5 yrsup to 7 yrs with extensions · starts 14 Jun 2027
Bids per lot · the market 4CPV 7222 · n=27 · competition analysis ↓

What is being bought2 lots · detail below

Published requirement description

Chiltern Rail is seeking to procure supplier-hosted software solutions and associated services to replace its existing Train Planning and Rostering systems.

The procurement is divided into two Lots:

Lot 1 - Train Planning System; and

Lot 2 - Rostering System.

Lot 1 is for the provision, implementation, hosting, support and maintenance of a Train Planning System. The solution is required to support train planning and diagramming activities, including the creation, import, editing, validation, management and publication of timetables, schedules, rolling stock diagrams and traincrew diagrams. The solution must support planning data management, timetable change management, scenario modelling, auditability, version control, reporting, user permissions and secure data exchange with relevant operational and business systems.

Lot 2 is for the provision, implementation, hosting, support and maintenance of a Rostering System. The solution is required to support base, weekly and daily rostering for relevant staff groups, including traincrew, station staff and fleet/engineering staff. The solution must support roster creation, validation, publication and management, allocation of staff to duties, management of leave, overtime, shift swaps, fatigue and risk assessment, identification of uncovered turns and roster coverage gaps, employee self-service, reporting, auditability, user permissions and secure data exchange with relevant operational and business systems.

Read the full description (1,839 more characters)

For each Lot, the successful supplier will be required to provide a fully managed, vendor-hosted solution. This includes the software, hosting, configuration, implementation, data migration, integration, testing, training, change management, documentation, support, maintenance, updates, service management, information security, business continuity, disaster recovery, contract management and exit assistance required to deliver and operate the relevant solution.

Bidders may participate in respect of Lot 1, Lot 2, or both Lots.

Chiltern Rail may award Lot 1 and Lot 2 to different suppliers or may award both Lots to the same supplier in accordance with the procurement documents and award methodology.

The estimated value of Lot 1 is £140,000 to £430,000 per annum and £1,000,000 to £3,000,000 over the full contract term, including any optional extension period.

The estimated value of Lot 2 is £210,000 to £500,000 per annum and £1,500,000 to £3,500,000 over the full contract term, including any optional extension period.

The estimated combined value of Lot 1 and Lot 2 is £2,500,000 to £6,500,000 excluding VAT over the full contract term, including any optional extension period.

The estimated contract start date is 26 July 2027. The indicative operational go-live date is 1 March 2028, being the date from which the system is expected to start being rolled out and used by Chiltern Rail staff.

The indicative implementation complete date is 30 June 2028, being the date by which the system is expected to be fully implemented, tested, accepted where applicable, ready for and/or used in live operational production, and to have completed dual running with the incumbent tools.

The initial contract term is expected to be 60 months, with an option for Chiltern Rail to extend for a further period or periods of up to 24 months in total.

  • Two-stage procedure: up to 5 candidates will be invited to tender.
  • How the procedure runs: Chiltern Rail Limited will conduct the procurement using the Competitive Flexible Procedure. The process will comprise: an Invitation to Participate and assessment of Conditions of Participation; shortlisting of suppliers for ITT stage; submission and evaluation of Initial Tenders; a Demonstration Stage for selected suppliers; a more…Dialogue Stage with suppliers progressing from the Demonstration Stage; submission and evaluation of Final Tenders; and a Preferred Bidder Stage prior to contract award. Initial Tenders will be used to select suppliers to progress through subsequent stages. Chiltern Rail Limited may engage in dialogue and clarification with remaining suppliers and may refine the procurement requirements, contractual position and draft award criteria where permitted and as set out in the procurement documents. Final Tenders will supersede Initial Tenders for final evaluation purposes, with applicable Demonstration scores carried forward. Suppliers may be reduced between stages in accordance with the published selection and evaluation methodology.
  • No preliminary market engagement: This preliminary market engagement notice was submitted via "The Chiltern Railways Limited"

CPV: Software package and information systems · Software-related services · System and support services · Systems and technical consultancy services

Lots and requirements (2)Procurement structure

2 lots · all with a published value (£6,500,000 together) · same evaluation weights on every lot
Lot #1Train PlanningRenewal 5 yrsSMEPublished value£3,000,000
Lot 1 is for the provision, implementation, hosting, support and maintenance of a Train Planning System for Chiltern Rail. The solution is required to support Chiltern Railways' train planning and diagramming activities, including the creation, import, editing, validation, management and publication of timetables, schedules, rolling stock diagrams and traincrew diagrams. The solution must also support planning data management across relevant timetable periods, short-term and long-term planning, service changes, cancellations, scenario modelling, auditability, version control, reporting, config…
Contract period: 14 Jun 2027 — 14 Jun 2032 (5 yrs) · up to 7 yrs with extensionsEligibility: SME eligibleTurnover guideline: ~£1,198,031/yr≈ 2× annual value
Value
£3,000,000 exc. VAT · £3,600,000 inc. VAT
Extensions
The initial contract term will be 60 months. Chiltern Rail may extend the contract for a further period or periods of up to 24 months in total. The extension may be used where Chiltern Rail considers that continued provision of the relevant Train Planning System and/or Rostering System is required to support operational continuity, system stability, value for money, ongoing support and maintenance, completion of more…lifecycle activities, or transition planning. The optional extension may be taken as one 24-month extension or as shorter extension periods, provided that the total extension period does not exceed 24 months.
Second stage
up to 5 candidates invited to tender
48000000 Software package and information systems72220000 Systems and technical consultancy services72250000 System and support services72260000 Software-related services
Pre-qualification & selection criteria (PQQ)1
  • Condition of participation
    Suppliers will be selected to tender for Lot 1 on the basis of their PSQ response. Suppliers must first pass all applicable pass/fail PSQ requirements, including exclusions and debarment checks, Core Supplier Information, Associated Persons, intended more…sub-contractors, economic and financial standing, insurance, data protection and other compliance requirements. Suppliers that pass the applicable pass/fail requirements will then have their Lot 1 scored technical capability responses evaluated. The scored Lot 1 questions cover relevant experience and contract examples, delivery capability, implementation, transition and delivery capability, and support capability. Chiltern Rail intends to invite up to the top five scoring suppliers for Lot 1 to the Invitation to Tender stage, subject to receiving sufficient suitable and compliant responses.
    shortlisting

Who is likely to bid for this lot ↓

Lot #2RosteringRenewal 5 yrsSMEPublished value£3,500,000
Lot 2 is for the provision, implementation, hosting, support and maintenance of a Rostering System for Chiltern Rail. The solution is required to support base, weekly and daily rostering for relevant staff groups, including traincrew, station staff and fleet/engineering staff. The solution must support roster creation, validation, publication and management, allocation of staff to duties, leave, overtime, shift swaps, fatigue and risk assessment, identification of uncovered turns and coverage gaps, reporting, auditability, user permissions and secure data exchange with relevant operational and…
Contract period: 14 Jun 2027 — 14 Jun 2032 (5 yrs) · up to 7 yrs with extensionsEligibility: SME eligibleTurnover guideline: ~£1,397,702/yr≈ 2× annual value
Value
£3,500,000 exc. VAT · £4,200,000 inc. VAT
Extensions
The initial contract term will be 60 months. Chiltern Rail may extend the contract for a further period or periods of up to 24 months in total. The extension may be used where Chiltern Rail considers that continued provision of the relevant Train Planning System and/or Rostering System is required to support operational continuity, system stability, value for money, ongoing support and maintenance, completion of more…lifecycle activities, or transition planning. The optional extension may be taken as one 24-month extension or as shorter extension periods, provided that the total extension period does not exceed 24 months.
Second stage
up to 5 candidates invited to tender
48000000 Software package and information systems72220000 Systems and technical consultancy services72250000 System and support services72260000 Software-related services
Pre-qualification & selection criteria (PQQ)1
  • Condition of participation
    Suppliers will be selected to tender for Lot 2 on the basis of their PSQ response. Suppliers must first pass all applicable pass/fail PSQ requirements, including exclusions and debarment checks, Core Supplier Information, Associated Persons, intended more…sub-contractors, economic and financial standing, insurance, data protection and other compliance requirements. Suppliers that pass the applicable pass/fail requirements will then have their Lot 2 scored technical capability responses evaluated. The scored Lot 2 questions cover relevant experience and contract examples, delivery capability, implementation, transition and delivery capability, and support capability. Chiltern Railways intends to invite up to the top five scoring suppliers for Lot 2 to the Invitation to Tender stage, subject to receiving sufficient suitable and compliant responses.
    shortlisting

Who is likely to bid for this lot ↓

What it takes to win
i

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 more
How bids are scored · same split on all 2 lots
Quality: 70%Price: 20%Social value: 10%
Published sub-criteria (4)
  • Technical Response55%
  • Demonstration15%
  • Commercial20%
  • Social Value10%

No conditions of participation were published on the notice; check the tender documents.

Competition analysis · published record, not a forecast of who will bid

Systems and technical consultancy services (CPV 7222) in Greater London — and who usually turns up

CHILTERN RAIL LIMITED has too little published record in this market to describe on its own; the Greater London market stands beside whatever it has. Frameworks and DPS are kept out: they attract a different number of bids. Whole-market view: Systems and technical consultancy services (CPV 7222)

1

How the contest usually goes

Left: this authority. Right: the market where the work is delivered. Bids and award-vs-estimate pairs are per lot, from contested contracts only — direct awards (including PA 2023 transparency notices) report one bid by definition and are left out. On Procurement Act 2023 notices the count is the tenders assessed at the final stage, not every submission received; pairs compare like with like (VAT-exclusive, or VAT-inclusive on both sides). Empty means nothing was published, not filled in from elsewhere.

This authority

CHILTERN RAIL LIMITED

no contract notices in Systems and technical consultancy services (CPV 7222) in 36 months

CHILTERN RAIL LIMITED has published no bid reports, no comparable estimate → award pairs and no award dates that this analysis can use — in Systems and technical consultancy services (CPV 7222) (36 months) or across all categories (24 months).

The market · authority’s region

Greater London · Systems and technical consultancy services (CPV 7222)

contract notices delivered in Greater London in 36 months: 123 in CPV 7222 (65 competed, 37 route not published) · 713 in division 72 (314 competed, 191 route not published) · the notice publishes no delivery location, so the authority’s registered region is used

Bids per lot
i

How many companies usually bid for work like this.

Middle value of published bid counts, one per lot, for this buyer or this region in the same sector.

Based on this region’s tenders in this sector (CPV 7222), last 36 months: 27 lots. 15 lots are from Procurement Act 2023 notices (bids assessed, middle 3) and 12 from older notices (bids received, middle 4).

Nothing is filled in from UK-wide numbers. An empty tile means nothing usable was published.

4CPV 7222 · 36m · n=27 lots
Single-bid lots
i

How often only one company bid.

Share of lots that received exactly one bid, on the same competitions as the bids figure.

Based on this region’s tenders in this sector (CPV 7222), last 36 months: 27 lots.

High means a thin market or an incumbent that is hard to beat.

4%CPV 7222 · 36m · n=27 lots
Award vs estimate
i

Do awards for work like this land above or below the estimate.

Estimate against award per lot, for this buyer or this region in the same sector.

Based on this region’s tenders in this sector (CPV 7222), last 36 months: 20 pairs.

A past pattern, not a price to bid.

at estimateCPV 7222 · 36m · n=20 pairs
Deadline → award date
i

How long buyers here take to decide after bids close.

Middle value in days from the deadline to the first award notice, on competitions that published both dates.

Based on this region’s tenders in this sector (CPV 7222), last 36 months: 15 notices.

Only decided tenders count, so slow ones still waiting are not in.

Last 36 months.

70dCPV 7222 · 36m · n=15 notices
SME bidders
i

How much of this market goes to small and medium firms.

SME bidders where buyers published the split, otherwise SME winners.

Based on this region’s tenders in this sector (CPV 7222), last 36 months: 19 lots.

Last 36 months.

68%CPV 7222 · 36m · n=19 lots
Winners based in the region
i

How much work like this goes to companies based in the delivery region.

Awards in this category delivered here where the winner’s registered address is in the region.

Based on this region’s tenders in this sector (CPV 7222), last 36 months: 49 awards.

Registered address, so a national firm with a local branch counts as outside.

Last 36 months.

78%CPV 7222 · 36m · n=49 awards
Bids per lot · history, not this notice’s lots robust · n=27
i

How the number of bidders is spread across lots.

Each lot with a published bid count is put in a band: one bid, two to three, four to six, seven or more. Real competitions only.

Based on 27 lots on 26 contested notices · CPV 7222, last 36 months.

  • 1 bid 4%
  • 2–3 44%
  • 4–6 26%
  • 7+ 26%

Median 4 · 27 lots on 26 contested notices · CPV 7222.

Winning award vs estimate robust · n=20
i

How often winners come in below, near or above the estimate.

Each lot with both an estimate and an award is placed by how far the award sat from the estimate.

Based on 20 lot pairs · CPV 7222, last 36 months.

A past pattern, not a price to bid.

  • Below estimate 35%
  • Within ±2% 35%
  • Above estimate 30%

20 lot pairs · CPV 7222.

robust · n=20
i

Where this tender’s estimate would land if the usual pattern repeats.

We apply the buyer’s usual movement between estimate and award (or the region’s) to the estimate on this notice.

This notice gives one total for several lots, so we show the percentage but do not turn it into pounds.

A benchmark, not a price to bid.

Awards in Greater London (CPV 7222, n=20 pairs) land a median at estimate. Applied to each lot’s own published value in the lot table below — the notice total (£6,500,000) is an envelope for 2 lots and is not converted.
Coverage and what to read with care
  • Each tile explains itself. The on a figure says what it is, how it is counted and which scope this notice’s own record came from (class, division, all categories, or the authority’s 24-month row). The two columns are never blended and nothing is filled from a UK-wide figure; an empty tile means the source published nothing usable. Long form: Methodology.
  • Coverage. Roughly 40 % of notices publish a bid count; about half publish an ITL1 delivery location, so the market column reads the authority’s registered region when the notice has none (labelled). About 30 % of award-vs-estimate pairs are exact matches — the buyer published the award at the estimate. n is on every figure; a thin sample is muted, never hidden.
  • “Match” and “relevance” are model scores from the nightly matcher, not published facts. Find a Tender does not publish who is bidding. Never shown: contact details, payment behaviour, or a recommended price.

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 for expressions of interest
Procurement threshold
Above threshold (FTS publication)
Regulatory regime
Standard
Commercial structure
Stand-alone contract (no framework)
Competition type
Competitive procedure
GPA / WTO covered
Unspecified in notice
Recurring procurement
No (one-off requirement)
First published
23 Sept 2026, 13:42 BST
Last source update
23 Sept 2026, 13:42 BST
Award evaluation window
Submission end — 14 Jun 2027, 23:59 BST
Latest notice
Tender notice (UK4)
Classification (CPV)
Software package and information systemsSoftware-related servicesSystem and support servicesSystems and technical consultancy services
Delivery area
Not published
Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-07789e Find a Tender
How it runs
Chiltern Rail Limited will conduct the procurement using the Competitive Flexible Procedure. The process will comprise: an Invitation to Participate and assessment of Conditions of Participation; shortlisting of suppliers for ITT stage; submission and evaluation of Initial Tenders; a Demonstration Stage for selected suppliers; a Dialogue Stage with suppliers progressing from the Demonstration Stage; submission and more…evaluation of Final Tenders; and a Preferred Bidder Stage prior to contract award. Initial Tenders will be used to select suppliers to progress through subsequent stages. Chiltern Rail Limited may engage in dialogue and clarification with remaining suppliers and may refine the procurement requirements, contractual position and draft award criteria where permitted and as set out in the procurement documents. Final Tenders will supersede Initial Tenders for final evaluation purposes, with applicable Demonstration scores carried forward. Suppliers may be reduced between stages in accordance with the published selection and evaluation methodology.

How to participate & submission route

Official notice Submit via portal
Submission portal named on this notice: portal not identified
Electronic submission allowedLanguage: EN
Expression of interest (EOI)
19 Oct 2026, 14:00 BST
Tender submission deadline
19 Oct 2026, 14:00 BST
Clarification deadline
Submission channel
Official e-sourcing portal
Electronic submission
Allowed
Accepted languages
en
Shortlist
up to 5 candidates invited to tender
Detailed submission instructions & authority contactsFrom official release
marketdojo.com Chiltern use Market Dojo e-sourcing portal for the purposes of this Procurement. Invitation Code: 3728FE57EF

Timeline

5 published dates · Europe/London
  1. Tender notice publishedearlier today
    23 Sept 2026, 13:42 BST
  2. Expressions of interest byin 26 days
    19 Oct 2026, 14:00 BST
  3. Submission deadlinein 26 days
    19 Oct 2026, 14:00 BST
  4. Contract startsin 263 days
    14 Jun 2027, 00:00 BST
  5. Award decision expected byin 264 days
    14 Jun 2027, 23:59 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

Notice history

1 event · 1 release on Find a Tender
  1. Tender notice published
    23 Sept 2026, 13:42 BSTUK4

Contracting authority & participating public bodies

2 public bodies on the notice

CHILTERN RAIL LIMITED

Contracting authorityPublic undertaking GB-COH: 12544800 · GB-PPON: PVZY-1382-PCNY Waterloo General Office 2nd Floor, Waterloo General Office, London, London, SE1 8SW [email protected]

Other public bodies

  • SYSTRA LIMITEDProcuring entityBusiness AnalystGB-COH: 03383212GB-PPON: PDCT-9245-NWYG London, London

Official documents & specifications (2)

Official links; attachments are not copied

Tender pack and attachments

  • Conflict of interest declarationtenderConflict of interest declarationNot published

Notices published for this procedure

  • Tender notice tenderTender noticeUK4Tender notice on Find a Tender