Official UK procurement notice
EMR Trackwork Maintenance & Signalling Support
Authority: ABELLIO EAST MIDLANDS LIMITED
What is being bought
Published requirement descriptionEast Midlands Railway requires a safety-critical depot trackwork maintenance service across Etches Park Depot (Derby), Eastcroft Depot (Nottingham) and Kettering Depot Sidings. The requirement covers routine inspections, light maintenance, planned and reactive repairs, emergency callout, quarterly signalling maintenance and supporting reporting/KPI management to protect safe depot operations and fleet readiness.
This procurement covers depot trackwork inspection, minor and planned repairs, emergency callout and signalling maintenance across EMR's depot estate. The service is business-critical and must be delivered to the relevant Network Rail standards, depot lease conditions, EMR safety requirements, agreed mobilisation arrangements, and contract KPIs/SLAs. The intended procurement approach is a single integrated scope to allow supplier innovation, transparent competition and value for money under the Procurement Act 2023.
- 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 negotiations/ dialogue 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 /dialogue phase with shortlisted Tenderers. Initial Tenders will form the basis of negotiations/ dialogue, which may include discussions and refinements relating to technical, commercial and delivery aspects of the proposed solution. Following the conclusion of negotiations/ dialogue, 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/ dialogue.
CPV: Railway-track maintenance services
The lotProcurement structure
single lot · value publishedLot #1RenewalPublished value£2,368,000
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)
- Price
- Quality
- Price carries 35 of 100 points: a 10% discount moves about 3.5 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, 16:48 BST
- Last source update
- 31 Jul 2026, 15:12 BST
- Award evaluation window
- Submission end – 27 Nov 2026
- Authority reference
PS0024- FTS notice number
2026/S 000-072817- Latest notice
- Tender notice (UK4)
- Classification (CPV)
- Delivery area
- Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-069a64Find 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 negotiations/ dialogue 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 /dialogue phase with shortlisted Tenderers. Initial Tenders will form the basis of negotiations/ dialogue, which may include discussions and refinements relating to technical, commercial and delivery aspects of the proposed solution.
Following the conclusion of negotiations/ dialogue, 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/ dialogue.
- 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
- 28 Aug 2026, 11:00 BST
- Clarification deadline
- 14 Aug 2026, 11:00 BST
- Submission channel
- Official e-sourcing portal
- Electronic submission
- Allowed
- Accepted languages
- en
Please submit via the Wax portal eastmidlandsrailway.medius-s2c.com/S2C/DisplayModules/T… ↗
Timeline
15 May 2026 → 30 Dec 2026 · 7 dates- Planning notice published159 days ago15 May 2026, 16:48 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 delivery of trackwork maintenance services, which are safety-critical and essential to ensuring compliance, operational performance, and network reliability across EMR depots.
The PME seeks to gain market insight in relation to:
- Supplier capability and technical competence, including experience delivering planned and reactive track maintenance, inspection regimes to NR/L2/TRK standards, fault rectification, and compliance with railway safety requirements
- Resource capacity and resilience, including access to suitably qualified and certified personnel, plant, vehicles, and specialist equipment, and the ability to respond to unplanned and emergency interventions
- Supply chain resilience, including subcontracting arrangements, availability of materials, and contingency planning for disruption, adverse weather, or access constraints
- Opportunities for SME participation, either as principal contractors, regional delivery partners, or specialist subcontractors supporting defined elements of the service
- Available digital and asset management solutions, including inspection technologies, condition monitoring tools, performance reporting, KPI and SLA management, and integration with asset management systems
- Sustainability and social value opportunities, including low-carbon working practices, efficient possession planning, waste reduction, reuse or recycling of materials, and support for local employment and skills development
- Commercial and pricing models, including schedule-of-rates, lump-sum or activity-based pricing, call-off arrangements, and mechanisms for managing cost certainty, productivity, and performance
Suppliers will be invited to review PME documentation and submit responses to a structured set of questions. EMR will review all feedback received and use the information gathered to refine the scope of services, technical specification, commercial structure, and evaluation criteria 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, governance, and assurance 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. Interested parties are requested to complete the questionnaire available on the portal eastmidlandsrailway.medius-s2c.com/S2C/DisplayModules/T… ↗
- Tender notice published82 days ago31 Jul 2026, 15:12 BST
- Clarification questions by68 days ago14 Aug 2026, 11:00 BST
- Submission deadline54 days ago28 Aug 2026, 11:00 BST
- Today21 Oct 2026
- Award decision expected byin 38 days27 Nov 2026, 23:59 GMT
- Contract startsin 70 days30 Dec 2026
Notice history
6 events · 2 releases on Find a Tender · since 15 May 2026- Preliminary market engagement notice published15 May 2026, 16:48 BSTUK2
- Tender notice published31 Jul 2026, 15:12 BSTUK4
- Published value published: £2,368,00031 Jul 2026, 15:12 BST
- Status changed to active31 Jul 2026, 15:12 BST
- Procurement method changed31 Jul 2026, 15:12 BST
- Deadline published: 28 Aug 2026, 11:00 BST31 Jul 2026, 15:12 BST
Contracting authority & participating public bodies
Official documents & specifications (4)
Official links; attachments are not copiedTender pack and attachments
- Technical specifications
- Bidding documents and specifications Please use the link above to access the documents.
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