Official UK procurement notice
HS2 Partnering Programme · UK public procurement notice
Authority: High Speed Two (HS2) Limited (Public body)
What is being bought
Published requirement descriptionHigh Speed Two (HS2) is Britain’s new high-speed rail line. Once complete, it will almost halve the journey time between London Euston and Birmingham to just 49 minutes, with trains running north via the existing rail network to destinations such as Manchester, Liverpool and Glasgow.
As the programme resets and transitions from major civil engineering works towards railway systems installation, integration, testing and commissioning, HS2 Ltd is reviewing how partner capability may support the successful delivery of the remaining phases of the programme.
To support this, HS2 Ltd currently anticipates procuring partnering arrangements for the provision of professional services. The scope is expected to cover, but may not be limited to, the following capability areas:
- Project and Programme Management
- Technical and Engineering
- Commercial Delivery
The capability areas identified above are indicative only and may be refined, amended or expanded following engagement with the market and the continued development of HS2 Ltd's requirements.
For the purposes of completing this notice, please note:
- HS2 Ltd has indicated that a Framework Agreement will not be established. However, no decision has yet been made regarding HS2 Ltd's proposed contractual vehicle or procurement route. The final contractual vehicle and procurement route will be informed by the outcomes of market engagement activities, together with the continued development and refinement of HS2 Ltd's requirements. HS2 Ltd reserves the right to determine the most appropriate approach following completion of these activities. Accordingly, suppliers should not interpret any information contained elsewhere in this notice as confirmation that a Framework Agreement will not be established as part of HS2 Ltd's procurement strategy.
- The CPV codes included within this notice have been selected to reflect HS2 Ltd's current understanding of the services and capabilities that are envisaged to fall within the scope of the proposed partnering arrangements. These codes are indicative only and may be refined, amended, removed and/or expanded following market engagement activities and the continued development and refinement of HS2 Ltd's requirements. Accordingly, suppliers should not interpret the CPV codes included in this notice as a definitive statement of the final scope of any future procurement opportunity.
CPV: Archaeological services · Architectural design services · Architectural, construction, engineering and inspection services · Architectural, engineering and surveying services · Building surveying services · Calculation of costs, monitoring of costs · Civil engineering consultancy services · Civil engineering support services · Construction project management services · Consultative engineering and construction services · Design consultancy services · Engineering design services · +14 more
The lotProcurement structure
single lot · no lot value publishedLot #1Planned
Pipeline intelligence · planning stage: how this market runs before the tender is published
How High Speed Two (HS2) Limited buys Business and management consultancy services (CPV 7941), and who usually turns up
High Speed Two (HS2) Limited’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: Business and management consultancy services (CPV 7941) →
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.
Here, local means registered in West Midlands.
A local branch does not count if the registered address is elsewhere.
Most of this buyer’s recorded winners are registered outside West Midlands.
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.
Half of these awards were announced within 32 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.
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.
1 bid0% / 9%
2–30% / 17%
4–680% / 30%
7+20% / 43%
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 estimate31%
Within ±2%66%
Above estimate3%
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 7941Estimate not published
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 23 past lots.
A forecast, not a list of bidders.
1 bid9%
2–317%
4–630%
7+43%
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
- Services
- Notice status
- Planned procurement
- 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
- Unspecified in notice
- First published
- 11 Aug 2026, 15:41 BST
- Last source update
- 25 Sept 2026, 11:01 BST
- FTS notice number
2026/S 000-090888- Latest notice
- Preliminary market engagement notice (UK2)
- Classification (CPV)
- Delivery area
- Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-06e1acFind a Tender
How it was run
Official notice- Submission deadline
- —
Timeline
11 Aug 2026 → 1 Oct 2027 · 5 dates- Planning notice published71 days ago11 Aug 2026, 15:41 BST
- Latest notice published26 days ago25 Sept 2026, 11:01 BST
- Today21 Oct 2026
- Market engagementin 71 days31 Dec 2026, 23:59 GMT
Engagement objectives
Given the scale, complexity and critical importance of the remaining phases of the HS2 programme, HS2 Ltd is seeking to engage with the market at an early stage to help inform and shape its future procurement and commercial strategy for partner capability.
The objectives of the engagement are to gather market insight on a range of topics, including, but not limited to:
- Market capacity and capability to support HS2 Ltd’s remaining delivery phases
- Potential packaging and lotting approaches across project and programme management, commercial delivery, technical and engineering capabilities
- Potential contract duration and term options
- Risk allocation across HS2 Ltd and partners
- Incentivisation mechanisms, including financial, behavioural and programme-level approaches
- Any other matters that may assist HS2 Ltd in refining its requirements and procurement approach
HS2 Ltd reserves the right to amend, add to, remove or reprioritise areas of focus during the course of the engagement as its requirements, procurement and commercial strategy continue to develop.
Structure of Engagement
It is anticipated that preliminary market engagement will be undertaken through a phased approach, including a supplier broadcast, questionnaire and 121s. Further details of the preliminary market engagement activities are communicated below.
- In the initial Preliminary Notice released on 12th August 2026, interested parties were asked to register their interest to the preliminary market engagement. Parties who have met this deadline will receive a link to the Supplier Broadcast, which will outline priorities for this programme and market engagement.
- Parties who have not yet registered their interest in engaging in preliminary market engagement are able to do so by using the following link: www.smartsurvey.co.uk/s/HS2PPDL/ ↗. When registering your interest please ensure that you provide the organisation name and contact details for the individual(s) who will represent your organisation. Please register your interest by 5pm (UK time) on 1st October 2026. If you have any queries, please contact [email protected] using “HS2 Partnering Programme” as the subject header.
- We have temporarily postponed the Supplier Broadcast and subsequent preliminary market engagement activities. We will communicate updated information to the market imminently. We apologise for any inconvenience caused and look forward to engaging in the future.
Other Information regarding Participation
Organisations wishing to participate should note that engaging in this preliminary market engagement exercise is not a prerequisite to participating in any subsequent competitive process.
HS2 Ltd will review responses to this engagement process and may conduct further iterative engagement processes, as it may require. In any subsequent procurement HS2 Ltd will make all relevant market engagement documents available to potential suppliers.
Participation in this preliminary market engagement exercise will be wholly at each responding organisation's own cost. No expenses or costs incurred by any organisation responding to this notice and/or participating in this engagement process will be reimbursed by HS2 Ltd.
This market engagement exercise and any associated documents or communications should not be regarded as an investment recommendation or defined opportunity. No information contained in the documents or in any communication made between HS2 Ltd and any organisation in connection with any aspect of this market engagement exercise shall be relied upon as constituting a contract, agreement or representation that any contract shall be awarded. Whether or not HS2 Ltd subsequently commences a procurement and/or thereafter awards any contract related to this potential opportunity shall be solely at its discretion.
The information provided during this preliminary market engagement is indicative and subject to ongoing revision. High Speed Two (HS2) Limited reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to modify, update, or amend any timelines, scope, or content set out herein, based on the outcomes of this preliminary market engagement process.
- Tender notice expectedin 162 days1 Apr 2027, 23:59 BST
- Contract startsin 344 days1 Oct 2027, 00:00 BST
Notice history
4 events · 4 releases on Find a Tender · since 11 Aug 2026- Pipeline notice published11 Aug 2026, 15:41 BSTUK1
- Preliminary market engagement notice published12 Aug 2026, 13:40 BSTUK2
- Preliminary market engagement notice published18 Sept 2026, 16:58 BSTUK2
- Preliminary market engagement notice published25 Sept 2026, 11:01 BSTUK2
Routine re-releases (4)
- 2026-08: 1 release · 11 Aug 2026
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 (4)
Official links; attachments are not copiedNotices published for this procedure
- Preliminary market engagement notice Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender
- Preliminary market engagement notice Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender
- Preliminary market engagement notice Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender
- Pipeline notice Pipeline notice on Find a Tender