Official UK procurement notice
CPU8222 Rail Gantry & Associated Pipework
Authority: Nottingham City Council (Local council)·On behalf of: Pick Everard
What is being bought
Published requirement descriptionNottingham City Council is seeking to appoint a suitably qualified and experienced contractor for a scheme covering the following elements:
- RIBA Stage 4 design of a new rail gantry and associated pipework.
- Construction of a new rail gantry and associated pipework.
- Commissioning of new pipework and associated electrical connections.
- Demolition and removal of the existing rail gantry.
Nottingham City Council operates a district heating system from its London Road Heat Station. The system serves c5,000 households and commercial customers with heat and hot water, alongside a private wire with c200 domestic and business users. The main energy supply to the heat station is from a high-pressure steam feed from the nearby Eastcroft Incinerator.
The steam is fed through a pipe which crosses the railway by a gantry to the east of Nottingham Station and west of London Road. The Authority has been asked to move the existing gantry to align closer to London Road to allow a proposed development to take place on the site shown to the north of the railway.
A RIBA Stage Three design has been undertaken and planning permission for the scheme is being sought.
The contractor, or a member of their consortium for group bids, will need to be a Network Rail approved contractor and have experience in the construction and commissioning of high-pressure steam and other ancillary pipes and electrical connections.
The commissioning of the new pipes is targeted to take place during the summer shutdown in July 2027.
- Not divided into lots: The nature of the scheme (design & construction of a gantry over Network Rail land carrying high-pressure steam pipes and high-voltage cables) is considered to carry multiple very high risks, and in mitigation of these risks the Council is seeking to appoint a single entity or consortium that will take responsibility for both phases of the project rather than engaging a separate design team and contractor.
- How the procedure runs: The intention is to award the contract at the first time of asking and Tenderers should prepare and submit their Tenders accordingly. In the event that no tenders are considered satisfactory in all respects and the contract cannot be awarded, the Authority will invite all tenderers which have submitted an otherwise compliant tender to participate in a second stage aimed at improving the content of their tenders. Following the conclusion of this stage tenders will be invited for a second time, and the contract awarded.
CPV: Architectural design services · Construction work for electricity power lines · District-heating mains construction work · Engineering services · Pipeline-carrying bridge construction work
The lotProcurement structure
single lot · value publishedLot #1Published value£3,000,000
- Economic & financial standing
The contractor will be required to hold the following levels of insurance:
- Employer's Liability: £5,000,000 (where required by law)
- Public Liability: £20,000,000
- Professional Indemnity: £5,000,000
- All Works Insurance at the contract value
Tenderers must either confirm they hold these already, or commit to having them in place if awarded the contract.
- Technical & professional ability
The contract requires consent to be obtained from Network Rail to carry out works above and around a railway line, and so the contractor (or a member of their consortium / group or subcontractor) must be a Network Rail approved contractor.
The contractor (or members of their consortium / group or subcontractors) must be able to demonstrate they are capable of designing and building the high-pressure steam pipework and high-voltage electrical connections required by the project.
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 (6)
- Delivery Team: 18%
- Approach to Design & Build: 18%
- Programme: 9%
- Price: Stage 1: 20%
- Price: Stage 2: 25%
- Sustainability & Social Value: 10%
Published award criteria (6)
- Price: Stage 1: Price for stage 1, comprising design, pre-construction activities, advanced ordering, early works, etc.
- Price: Stage 2: Price for stage 2, comprising decommissioning demolition & removal of existing gantry and construction of new gantry, pipework and cabling, commissioning and handover of same to the Employer.
- Delivery Team: Details of proposed delivery team including named key individuals
- Approach to Design & Build: Details of proposed approach to deliver the scheme, including design, construction, commissioning, stakeholder engagement, risk management
- Programme: Details of proposed programme to deliver the scheme, including design and construction phases
- Sustainability & Social Value: Details of proposals to improve sustainability and increase social value through delivery of the scheme
- Economic & financial standing
The contractor will be required to hold the following levels of insurance:
- Employer's Liability: £5,000,000 (where required by law)
- Public Liability: £20,000,000
- Professional Indemnity: £5,000,000
- All Works Insurance at the contract value
Tenderers must either confirm they hold these already, or commit to having them in place if awarded the contract.
- Technical & professional ability
The contract requires consent to be obtained from Network Rail to carry out works above and around a railway line, and so the contractor (or a member of their consortium / group or subcontractor) must be a Network Rail approved contractor.
The contractor (or members of their consortium / group or subcontractors) must be able to demonstrate they are capable of designing and building the high-pressure steam pipework and high-voltage electrical connections required by the project.
- Price carries 45 of 100 points: a 10% discount moves about 4.5 points. Quality carries 45 of 100: the paper moves it further than the discount.
Price arithmetic assumes straight proportional scoring; the tender pack may use another formula.
Procedure terms & legal framework
From the official record- Procedure method
- Competitive flexible procedure
- Legal basis
- UKPGA · 2023/54 Procurement Act 2023
- Procurement category
- Works
- Notice status
- Closed
- Procurement threshold
- Above threshold (FTS publication)
- Regulatory regime
- Standard
- Commercial structure
- Stand-alone contract (no framework)
- Competition type
- Competitive procedure
- GPA / WTO covered
- Yes (GPA)
- Recurring procurement
- Unspecified in notice
- First published
- 26 May 2026, 13:55 BST
- Last source update
- 15 Jul 2026, 19:22 BST
- Award evaluation window
- Submission end – 9 Oct 2026
- Authority reference
CPU8222- FTS notice number
2026/S 000-066991- Latest notice
- Tender notice (UK4)
- Classification (CPV)
- Delivery area
- Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-06a3abFind a Tender
- How it runs
The intention is to award the contract at the first time of asking and Tenderers should prepare and submit their Tenders accordingly.
In the event that no tenders are considered satisfactory in all respects and the contract cannot be awarded, the Authority will invite all tenderers which have submitted an otherwise compliant tender to participate in a second stage aimed at improving the content of their tenders. Following the conclusion of this stage tenders will be invited for a second time, and the contract awarded.
- Risks
- Local Government Reorganisation: During the anticipated contract period, Nottingham and Nottinghamshire may be subject to Local Government Reorganisation (LGR), a national programme led by central government to restructure two-tier authorities into single unitary councils. This process involves Nottingham City Council, Nottinghamshire County Council, the district/borough councils, and the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government, and may lead to changes in governance, boundaries and service delivery arrangements that could affect this contract. Tenderers should therefore note that organisational and contractual arrangements may need to adapt in line with any LGR implementation.
- Design: the design has to satisfy a number of stakeholders, most notably Network Rail, Zurich Engineering and the operators of the heat network. Failure to deliver a satisfactory design may result in delay and revision, which will have to be undertaken at the contractor's cost.
- Planning: in the event that planning consent is not granted and the design needs to be realigned, the Authority may amend the contract, in accordance with the contract, to allow for the Contractor to partake in any new design activity required.
- Time: the windows for undertaking the new connection and commissioning it are small, due to the operational nature of the asset. Missing this window may result in extended delay to the project and additional cost before the next suitable window is available.
- Third Party interactions - design and operational sign off will be required from third parties such as Network Rail and the Heat Station / its insurers - Zurich Engineering. Failure to achieve these consents in a timely manner could lead to delay and additional cost to the contractor.
- Working on and around operational sites and systems - both the nature (high pressure steam and electricity) and location (spanning significant railway infrastructure) of the asset create risks, which will require the contractor to have robust method statements in place for the safe delivery of the work alongside the agreement of asset owners that work can proceed.
How it was run
Official notice- Submission deadline
- 16 Sept 2026, 12:00 BST
- Clarification deadline
- 16 Sept 2026, 12:00 BST
- Submission channel
- Official e-sourcing portal
- Electronic submission
- Allowed
- Accepted languages
- en
All tenders must be submitted via the Council's eProcurement portal:
Timeline
26 May 2026 → 26 Oct 2026 · 7 dates- Planning notice published154 days ago26 May 2026, 13:55 BST
- Next notice expected147 days ago1 Jun 2026, 23:59 BST
- Tender notice published104 days ago15 Jul 2026, 19:14 BST
- Clarification questions by41 days ago16 Sept 2026, 12:00 BST
- Submission deadline41 days ago16 Sept 2026, 12:00 BST
- Award decision expected by17 days ago9 Oct 2026, 23:59 BST
- Contract starts42h ago26 Oct 2026
Notice history
7 events · 3 releases on Find a Tender · since 26 May 2026- Pipeline notice published26 May 2026, 13:55 BSTUK1
- Tender notice published15 Jul 2026, 19:14 BSTUK4
- Published value published: £3,000,00015 Jul 2026, 19:14 BST
- Status changed to active15 Jul 2026, 19:14 BST
- Procurement method changed15 Jul 2026, 19:14 BST
- Deadline published: 16 Sept 2026, 12:00 BST15 Jul 2026, 19:14 BST
- Tender notice published15 Jul 2026, 19:22 BSTUK4
Published amendments (1)
Correcting links to eTender portal: https://procontract.due-north.com/Advert?advertId=abb827bb-6e80-f111-813c-005056b64545
Contracting authority & participating public bodies
2 public bodies on the noticeOther public bodies
- Pick EverardProcuring entityTechnical consultants
Official documents & specifications (4)
Official links; attachments are not copiedTender pack and attachments
- Bidding documents and specifications Link to the opportunity on the Council's eProcurement portal. Tender documents are available to download from the portal, and tender responses and all other communications regarding the tender must be conducted via the portal.
Notices published for this procedure
- Tender notice Tender notice on Find a Tender
- Tender notice Tender notice on Find a Tender
- Pipeline notice Pipeline notice on Find a Tender