Official UK procurement notice
E&P, SPS and OLE Framework for Southern Region
Authority: NETWORK RAIL INFRASTRUCTURE LIMITED (Central government)
What is being bought
Published requirement descriptionNetwork Rail intends to establish a framework for the delivery of Electrical & Plant (E&P) Minor and Reactive Works, Signalling Power Supply (SPS) Minor Works and Renewals, and Overhead Line Equipment (OLE) Maintenance support services across the Southern Region.
The framework will provide access to suitably qualified suppliers to undertake planned, reactive, emergency and renewal activities associated with the maintenance, renewal and operational support of rail infrastructure assets.
The E&P scope encompasses maintenance, minor works and reactive interventions relating to E&P assets and systems across the Southern Region, including but not limited to:
-Traction power distribution systems.
-Non-traction power distribution systems.
-Points heating and conductor rail heating systems.
-Low Voltage (LV) systems, including Distribution Network Operator (DNO) supplies.
-Lighting and domestic electrical systems, including station, lineside, outdoor and level crossing lighting.
-Signalling Power Supply (SPS) Minor Works and Renewals
The SPS scope comprises planned and unplanned renewal, replacement, modification and maintenance activities associated with signalling power supply infrastructure, including but not limited to:
-SPS cables (230V to 650V) and associated cable routes.
-Functional Supply Points (FSPs) and other structures housing SPS equipment.
-SPS cable and fault monitoring systems and associated equipment.
-Power supply schematic design amendments and modifications.
-SPS sub-fusing works.
-SPS network splitting and modification works using Distribution Interface Transformer Assemblies (DITAs).
-OLE Maintenance Support Services
The OLE scope comprises the provision of specialist labour and plant resources to support maintenance and operational activities on Overhead Line Equipment infrastructure, including but not limited to:
-OLE isolation teams and nominated persons.
-Engineering Supervisors.
-Points Operators.
-Barrier Persons.
-DET Communications support.
The framework is expected to support the safe and efficient delivery of maintenance, renewal and reactive works across the Southern Region rail network and may be utilised for both planned programmes and emergent operational requirements.
Please note: The scope detailed within this notice is draft and is being shared for the purposes of preliminary market engagement. Network Rail reserves the right to amend, expand, reduce or otherwise modify the scope and procurement strategy following review of market feedback and business requirements.
CPV: Railway construction works
How this framework works
From the published notice- Framework period
- 8 yrs from 1 Oct 2027
The lotProcurement structure
single lot · no lot value publishedWhat 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).
- “E&P, SPS and OLE Framework for Southern Region” 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 NETWORK RAIL INFRASTRUCTURE LIMITED buys Construction work for pipelines, communication and power lines, for highways, roads, airfields and railways; flatwork (CPV 4523), 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: 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.
Small firms have won here. Neither number says whether you qualify; it describes who has been winning.
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 in 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.
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 bid9% / 3%
2–336% / 21%
4–627% / 38%
7+27% / 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 4523Published estimate£28m
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 185 past lots.
A forecast, not a list of bidders.
1 bid3%
2–321%
4–638%
7+38%
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
- Works
- 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
- 20 Aug 2026, 14:50 BST
- Last source update
- 20 Aug 2026, 14:50 BST
- FTS notice number
2026/S 000-079517- Latest notice
- Preliminary market engagement notice (UK2)
- Classification (CPV)
- Delivery area
- Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-06e8beFind a Tender
How it was run
Official notice- Appointment period ends
- —
Timeline
20 Aug 2026 → 1 Oct 2027 · 4 dates- Planning notice published66 days ago20 Aug 2026, 14:50 BST
- Market engagement51 days ago3 Sept 2026, 23:59 BST
Network Rail is conducting Preliminary Market Engagement (PME) in advance of a proposed procurement for the provision of an Electrical & Plant (E&P) Minor Works and Reactive Maintenance, Signalling Power Supply (SPS) Minor Works and Renewals, and Overhead Line Equipment (OLE) Maintenance Framework for the Southern Region.
The purpose of this engagement is to:
Inform the market of the forthcoming opportunity.
Obtain supplier feedback on the proposed scope and framework structure.
Understand current market capacity, capability and interest.
Identify opportunities to maximise competition and innovation.
Help shape the procurement strategy and tender documentation prior to commencing the formal procurement process.
Interested suppliers are invited to participate by completing the following market engagement survey :
E&P, SPS & OLE Framework for Southern Region Pre-Market Engagement Survey
(estimated completion time 10 minutes)
forms.cloud.microsoft/e/031dhDB4iB ↗
Response Deadline: 12:00 noon (BST) on 03 September 2026.
Suppliers are encouraged to provide detailed and constructive feedback. Responses received will be reviewed and may be used to inform the procurement approach, framework design, lotting structure, duration, evaluation methodology and delivery requirements.
Participation in this market engagement exercise is voluntary and will not form part of any future evaluation process. Completion of the survey will not confer any advantage or disadvantage in any subsequent procurement exercise, nor does it constitute a commitment by Network Rail to undertake any procurement or award any contract.
Network Rail reserves the right to amend the proposed scope, procurement strategy and timetable following consideration of the feedback received. Any future procurement opportunity will be advertised separately through the appropriate procurement channels.
- Today25 Oct 2026
- Tender notice expectedin 16 days9 Nov 2026, 23:59 GMT
- Contract startsin 341 days1 Oct 2027, 00:00 BST
Notice history
1 event · 1 release on Find a Tender- Preliminary market engagement notice published20 Aug 2026, 14:50 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