Official UK procurement notice
Economic analysis of access applications
Authority: Office of Rail and Road (Central government)
What is being bought
Published requirement descriptionThis invitation to tender sets out ORR's requirement for consultants to carry out economic analysis in support of ORR's assessment of track access rights decisions for four access applications.
ORR is responsible for regulating access to the national rail network. A train operator seeking rights to operate services on Network Rail infrastructure must enter into a track access contract, which requires ORR approval under the Railways Act 1993. ORR is required to approve contracts where the parties have reached agreement. Where the parties are unable to agree, an operator may apply to ORR for a determination.
In reaching track access decisions, ORR weighs all its relevant duties under the Railways Act 1993. This is done by exploring a range of considerations, such as availability of capacity, impact on performance and safety, competition and the impact on Secretary of State's funds.
ORR is assessing four applications on which we are seeking consultancy support for economic analysis
CPV: Research and development services and related consultancy services
The lotProcurement structure
single lot · value publishedLot #1Published value£95,000
- Condition of participation
This is open to all UK suppliers only.
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).
Lot awarding rule: Methodology - 25% Delivery 25% Experience 25% Cost / Value for Money 25%
- Condition of participation
This is open to all UK suppliers only.
- Turnover usually expected at this size: about £190,000 (twice the annual value).
Turnover is an indicative market norm (≈2× annual value), not a published condition.
Competition analysis · published record, not a forecast of who will bid
How Office of Rail and Road buys Research and development services (CPV 73), and who usually turns up
Office of Rail and Road’s own published record, next to the published market for the same work. Frameworks and DPS are kept out: they attract a different number of bids. Whole-market view: Research and development services (CPV 73) →
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.
A local branch does not count if the registered address is elsewhere.
Most of this buyer’s recorded winners are registered in the delivery region.
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.
Only decided tenders count, so slow ones still waiting are not in.
No decision dates published to compare.
i
How often work is awarded with no recorded rival.
Direct awards and tenders where every published lot count shows one bid.
The buyer’s share is a minimum: some awards have no bid count.
Thin markets produce this too; it is not proof of a tailored specification.
Missing bid counts may hide more single-bid awards. This share is a minimum.
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.
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.
Past prices are a guide, not a bid price.
Below estimate68%
Within ±2%23%
Above estimate9%
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 #1Published estimate£95k
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.
A forecast, not a list of bidders.
1 bid7%
2–319%
4–634%
7+40%
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.
Based on 125 comparable awards. Each lot reflects its own category; forecasts for different lots of the same notice are not comparative.
A statistical guide from past awards, not a price to bid.
Middle 50%£79k–£89k
Estimate£95k
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.
| Supplier | This buyer’s earlier contract | Lot | Award value | Why listed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FURRER + FREY GB LIMITEDWorked for this buyer | Best Practice Review of On-Track Machine and Plant Strategies Across European Railway'snotice published Sept 2025 | — | — | Similar wording and category |
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.
| Supplier | Won in this category | Live contracts | Award vs estimate |
|---|---|---|---|
| £60m132 awards in 36m · last this month | 31 live · £19m iPublic contracts this supplier still holds. Its awards whose published end date is still in the future, with their values. Many contracts publish no end date, so this is a floor, not the whole book. Unexpired says nothing about spare capacity. | at estimate n=27 | |
| £15m25 awards in 36m · last this month | 15 live · £7.3m iPublic contracts this supplier still holds. Its awards whose published end date is still in the future, with their values. Many contracts publish no end date, so this is a floor, not the whole book. Unexpired says nothing about spare capacity. | at estimate n=5 | |
Ricardo AEA LtdLarge | £59m60 awards in 36m · last 4 months ago | 19 live · £48m iPublic contracts this supplier still holds. Its awards whose published end date is still in the future, with their values. Many contracts publish no end date, so this is a floor, not the whole book. Unexpired says nothing about spare capacity. | 7% below n=17 |
| £2.2m15 awards in 36m · last 2 months ago | 3 live · £501k iPublic contracts this supplier still holds. Its awards whose published end date is still in the future, with their values. Many contracts publish no end date, so this is a floor, not the whole book. Unexpired says nothing about spare capacity. | 37% below n=4 | |
| £1.1m9 awards in 36m · last 2 months ago | 1 live · £78k iPublic contracts this supplier still holds. Its awards whose published end date is still in the future, with their values. Many contracts publish no end date, so this is a floor, not the whole book. Unexpired says nothing about spare capacity. | 5% below n=1 |
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- Procedure method
- Below threshold - open competition
- Legal basis
- UKPGA · 2023/54 Procurement Act 2023
- Procurement category
- Services
- Notice status
- Open for tender
- Procurement threshold
- Below threshold
- Regulatory regime
- Standard
- Commercial structure
- Stand-alone contract (no framework)
- Competition type
- Competitive procedure
- GPA / WTO covered
- Unspecified in notice
- Recurring procurement
- Unspecified in notice
- First published
- 21 Oct 2026, 16:42 BST
- Last source update
- 21 Oct 2026, 16:42 BST
- Authority reference
ORR/CT/26-42- FTS notice number
2026/S 000-099679- Latest notice
- Tender notice (UK4)
- Classification (CPV)
- Delivery area
- Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-078d4aFind a Tender
- Reserved participation area
- K02000001
How to participate & submission route
Official notice Submit via portal- Requests to participate (first stage)
- —
- Tender submission deadline
- 4 Nov 2026, 17:00 GMT
- Clarification deadline
- 3 Nov 2026, 17:00 GMT
- Submission channel
- Official e-sourcing portal
- Electronic submission
- Allowed
E-portal - You must register on the e-tendering portal to access the ITT and submit a tender by visiting and registering via this link;
www.orr.gov.uk/about/procuring-good… ↗
The ITT can be accessed via this link, if you have registered to the e-portal;
Timeline
21 Oct 2026 → 9 Nov 2026 · 4 dates- Tender notice published1 day ago21 Oct 2026, 16:42 BST
- Today22 Oct 2026
- Clarification questions byin 13 days3 Nov 2026, 17:00 GMT
- Submission deadlinein 14 days4 Nov 2026, 17:00 GMT
- Contract startsin 18 days9 Nov 2026
Notice history
1 event · 1 release on Find a Tender- Tender notice published21 Oct 2026, 16:42 BSTUK4
Commercial outcome & contract awards
Nothing awarded yet- 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 (5)
Official links; attachments are not copiedTender pack and attachments
- Technical specifications E-portal - You must register on the e-tendering portal to access the ITT and submit a tender by visiting and registering via this link
- Technical specifications ITT can be accessed via this link, if you have registered to the e-portal.
- Bidding documents and specifications Template Contract
- Bidding documents and specifications ITT Document
Notices published for this procedure
- Tender notice Tender notice on Find a Tender