Official UK procurement notice
EMR HVAC Maintenance, Overhaul & Spares Support for Class 158 & Field Engineering & Technical Support for Class 158 & Class 170
Authority: ABELLIO EAST MIDLANDS LIMITED
What is being bought2 lots · detail below
Published requirement descriptionEast Midlands Railway (EMR) operates passenger rail services across the East Midlands and relies on the continued performance of HVAC systems on its Class 158 and 170 fleet to support safe operation, passenger comfort, demisting and overall service reliability.
The Supplier is required to provide an integrated HVAC support solution covering maintenance, overhaul and spares support across both fleets. EMR's preference is for a model that gives a clear point of accountability, well-defined operational interfaces and strong performance visibility across the full support package.
Schedule Lot 1: HVAC Overhaul and Repair (Class 158),
Schedule Lot 2: Field Engineering and Technical Support (Class 158 & Class 170)
- The authority expects to re-tender this requirement around 2 Jan 2029, 23:59 GMT.
- How the procedure runs: The procurement process will be conducted as a two-stage procedure, designed to evaluate bidders' capability, quality of submission and commercial offering before progressing to a negotiation phase. During Stage 1, Tenderers will be required to submit an initial Tender comprising responses to the quality requirements and a completed pricing schedule. In addition, all Tenderers must satisfy the mandatory requirements of the Pre-Selection Questionnaire (PSQ), which will be assessed on a pass/fail basis. Initial Tenders will be evaluated in accordance with the scoring criteria detailed in this document. Tenderers that do not fail any mandatory PSQ requirements and achieve an overall evaluation score of 65% or above will be invited to participate in Stage 2. Stage 2 will consist of a structured negotiation phase with shortlisted Tenderers. Initial Tenders will form the basis of negotiations, which may include discussions and refinements relating to technical, commercial and delivery aspects of the proposed solution. Following the conclusion of negotiations, Tenderers will be invited to submit a final revised tender. Revised Tenders will be evaluated in accordance with the scoring criteria detailed in this document. EMR reserves the right to undertake a further interview and/or clarification stage following receipt of the final revised Tenders. The Contract will be awarded to the Tenderer submitting the most advantageous Tender, based on the scores achieved following the evaluation of the final revised Tender. Please note: Where a suitable solution is offered at the initial Tender stage, EMR reserves the right to award the Contract on the basis of the initial Tender without entering into negotiations.
CPV: Repair, maintenance and associated services related to railways and other equipment
Lots and requirements (2)Procurement structure
2 lots · all with a published value (£1,876,000 together) · same evaluation weights on every lotLot #1HVAC Overhaul and Repair (Class 158)RenewalPublished value£1,076,000
The Supplier shall deliver a comprehensive HVAC overhaul, repair, and refurbishment service for the Class 158 fleet. This shall include planned overhaul programmes, corrective repair activity, and associated engineering support required to maintain reliability and performance.
The Supplier shall operate a structured and controlled overhaul model aligned to EMR requirements, ensuring quality, traceability, and efficient turnaround.
Lot #2Field Engineering and Technical Support (Class 158 & Class 170)RenewalPublished value£800,000
The Supplier shall deliver an integrated field engineering and technical support service that maintains HVAC system performance, supports fleet availability and enables safe, reliable operation of the Class 158 and Class 170 fleets.
The required output is a responsive support model that provides planned maintenance, corrective maintenance, fault diagnosis, technical advice, defect rectification and depot coordination in accordance with agreed service levels and EMR operational priorities. The Supplier shall provide clear evidence that field engineering activity is controlled, traceable, technically assured and aligned to agreed return-to-service requirements.
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 award criteria (2)
- Quality: Quality 60%
- Price: Price 40% Refer to Appendix J Pricing Schedule
- Price carries 40 of 100 points: a 10% discount moves about 4 points. The method statement decides this lot, not 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
- Services
- Notice status
- Closed
- Procurement threshold
- Above threshold (FTS publication)
- Regulatory regime
- Utilities
- Commercial structure
- Stand-alone contract (no framework)
- Competition type
- Competitive procedure
- GPA / WTO covered
- Unspecified in notice
- Recurring procurement
- Yes · next expected 2 Jan 2029
- First published
- 15 May 2026, 16:44 BST
- Last source update
- 4 Aug 2026, 15:09 BST
- Award evaluation window
- Submission end – 9 Nov 2026
- Authority reference
PS0023- FTS notice number
2026/S 000-073795- Latest notice
- Tender notice (UK4)
- Classification (CPV)
- Delivery area
- Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-069a62Find a Tender
- How it runs
The procurement process will be conducted as a two-stage procedure, designed to evaluate bidders' capability, quality of submission and commercial offering before progressing to a negotiation phase.
During Stage 1, Tenderers will be required to submit an initial Tender comprising responses to the quality requirements and a completed pricing schedule. In addition, all Tenderers must satisfy the mandatory requirements of the Pre-Selection Questionnaire (PSQ), which will be assessed on a pass/fail basis.
Initial Tenders will be evaluated in accordance with the scoring criteria detailed in this document. Tenderers that do not fail any mandatory PSQ requirements and achieve an overall evaluation score of 65% or above will be invited to participate in Stage 2.
Stage 2 will consist of a structured negotiation phase with shortlisted Tenderers. Initial Tenders will form the basis of negotiations, which may include discussions and refinements relating to technical, commercial and delivery aspects of the proposed solution.
Following the conclusion of negotiations, Tenderers will be invited to submit a final revised tender. Revised Tenders will be evaluated in accordance with the scoring criteria detailed in this document. EMR reserves the right to undertake a further interview and/or clarification stage following receipt of the final revised Tenders.
The Contract will be awarded to the Tenderer submitting the most advantageous Tender, based on the scores achieved following the evaluation of the final revised Tender.
Please note: Where a suitable solution is offered at the initial Tender stage, EMR reserves the right to award the Contract on the basis of the initial Tender without entering into negotiations.
- Risks
Whilst the broad scope of the requirement is known at the commencement of this procurement, the precise nature, timing, volume and sequencing of some activities cannot be fully determined at this stage.
EMR therefore reserves the right to modify the Contract, in accordance with the Procurement Act.
How it was run
Official notice- Submission deadline
- 4 Sept 2026, 11:00 BST
- Clarification deadline
- 14 Aug 2026, 23:59 BST
- Submission channel
- Official e-sourcing portal
- Electronic submission
- Allowed
- Accepted languages
- en
Timeline
15 May 2026 → 9 Nov 2026 · 7 dates- Planning notice published159 days ago15 May 2026, 16:44 BST
- Market engagement140 days ago2 Jun 2026, 23:59 BST
This PME exercise is being conducted to inform the development of a future ITT for the overhaul, maintenance, and technical support of HVAC systems, which are critical to passenger comfort, operational reliability, and compliance with safety and environmental standards.
The PME seeks to:
- Understand supplier capability and technical competence, including experience with rail-specific HVAC systems, overhaul programmes, fault diagnostics, and lifecycle asset management
- Assess supplier capacity and resilience, including the ability to support planned and reactive maintenance, manage obsolescence, and respond to operational failures within required timescales
- Explore supply chain resilience, including spare parts availability, OEM approvals, accreditation, and contingency arrangements
- Identify opportunities for SME participation, either as principal suppliers, framework participants, or specialist subcontractors
- Understand available monitoring and condition-based maintenance solutions, including remote diagnostics, performance reporting, and energy-efficiency monitoring
- Explore sustainability and decarbonisation opportunities, including energy-efficient HVAC solutions, refrigerant management, environmental compliance, waste reduction, and alignment with railway sustainability objectives
- Gather insight into commercial and pricing models, including fixed-price maintenance, overhaul schedules, call-off arrangements, whole-life costing approaches, and indexation mechanisms
Suppliers will be invited to review PME documentation and submit responses to a series of structured questions. EMR will review all feedback received and use the information gathered to refine the service specification, commercial model, and evaluation methodology for the future procurement.
Participation in this PME does not guarantee involvement in the subsequent procurement and is not a mandatory requirement for bidding.
Feedback gathered during the PME will be analysed and used to inform the final ITT documentation. Once finalised, the procurement opportunity will be formally advertised and competed via Find a Tender, in accordance with the Procurement Act 2023 and applicable transparency requirements.
Expressions of Interest in the PME will be managed through EMR's WAX procurement portal. Interested parties will need to be registered on WAX to access the PME documentation and submit their responses. eastmidlandsrailway.medius-s2c.com/S2C/DisplayModules/T… ↗
- Tender notice published78 days ago4 Aug 2026, 15:09 BST
- Clarification questions by67 days ago14 Aug 2026, 23:59 BST
- Submission deadline47 days ago4 Sept 2026, 11:00 BST
- Today21 Oct 2026
- Contract startsin 19 days9 Nov 2026
- Award decision expected byin 20 days9 Nov 2026, 23:59 GMT
Notice history
6 events · 2 releases on Find a Tender · since 15 May 2026- Preliminary market engagement notice published15 May 2026, 16:44 BSTUK2
- Tender notice published4 Aug 2026, 15:09 BSTUK4
- Published value published: £1,876,0004 Aug 2026, 15:09 BST
- Status changed to active4 Aug 2026, 15:09 BST
- Procurement method changed4 Aug 2026, 15:09 BST
- Deadline published: 4 Sept 2026, 11:00 BST4 Aug 2026, 15:09 BST
Contracting authority & participating public bodies
Official documents & specifications (3)
Official links; attachments are not copiedTender pack and attachments
Notices published for this procedure
- Tender notice Tender notice on Find a Tender
- Preliminary market engagement notice Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender