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Market Engagement Questionnaire for T1418 How can batteries make the DC network safer and more cost effective?

Buyer: RSSB →

BuyerRSSB
Statusplanning
DeadlineNot published
Value£180,000
Published8 Jun 2026

What is being bought

DC electrification is a system used to provide electric traction power to trains via an exposed conductor rail, commonly described as the ‘3rd rail’. The 3rd rail system is predominantly used in the south of England but is also used by the Merseyside commuter rail network in the North-West. Because of its accessible position on the ground next to the running rails, 3rd rail systems pose an electrical safety risk to the public and railway staff. To address these concerns in a cost-effective way, small retrofittable batteries could be used to allow trains to run between modest gaps in 3rd rail. This would allow removal of live 3rd rail at higher risk location such as stations, level crossing, and junctions. Elimination of certain sections of the DC network, such as at switch and crossing junctions, could also result in maintenance productivity gains. RSSB project T1272 ‘Compatibility and optimisation considerations for rolling stock traction batteries and battery charging’ (T1272 Phase 1b Report FINAL – Page 64) indicated that a modest sized battery of 100 kWh could potentially remove larger parts of the DC network and allow a train to move through up to two kilometres of traction power disruptions. The introduction of batteries for these aims must consider capital and operational costs, the engineering and operational controls that would be needed, and the transition strategy for both rolling stock and infrastructure. For more information about this opportunity, please visit the eSourcing portal at: https://www.delta-esourcing.com/tenders/UK-UK-London:-Research-services./F3ZBDSMB6C To respond to this opportunity, please click here: https://www.delta-esourcing.com/respond/F3ZBDSMB6C

Categories

Research services 73110000

Lot details

Lot 1

No lot description published.

Statusplanning
Contract periodFrom 1 Sept 2026 to 1 Jun 2027

What is included

ItemCategoryQuantity
1Research servicesNot published

Comparable-procurement analytics

Benchmarked against retained Find a Tender procedures with CPV division 73. The category anchor is Research services (73110000); this is a deliberately broad market comparator. The comparison is shown at several levels rather than pretending one company or region is always the best benchmark.

Comparison setProceduresReported bids per procedureNamed award suppliersPrice evidence
Market: CPV division 739262 median · 41.5 average (171 of 926 with a bid count)3 average (184 of 926 with named award suppliers)Not published
Same buyer41Not publishedNot publishedNot published
Similar published value (0.5×–2×)1506 median · 5.7 average (6 of 150 with a bid count)1 average (6 of 150 with named award suppliers)Not published

“Reported bids” is an official aggregate, sometimes reported per lot; it is the closest available competition measure. “Named award suppliers” are winners, not all applicants.

Price-outcome signal

Not enough comparable procedures currently publish both a GBP tender value and a usable lowest-valid-bid value to calculate a responsible price-reduction benchmark. Tenderline deliberately does not infer a saving from named award suppliers or from missing award values.

Procurement strategy & market signals

Framework agreementNot published
Dynamic purchasing systemNot published
Competitive procurementNot published
Recurring requirementNot published
Procurement method rationaleNot published
Rationale classificationsNot published
Special regimeNot published
Covered byNot published
Submission policyNot published
Selection criteriaNot published
Risk detailsNot published

Planning & early market engagement

BudgetValue not published
No-engagement rationaleNot published
Planning documents1
Planning milestones1
MilestoneTypeDueStatus
24/06/2026engagement24 Jun 2026scheduled

Related procurements

No linked framework, prior procurement or reprocurement published.

Documents & submission route

Source data inventory

Diagnostic view. “Not published” means this current release does not provide a value.

OCIDocds-h6vhtk-06b002
Latest release ID053890-2026
Latest release timestampMon Jun 08 2026 14:23:12 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)
Sourcefind-a-tender
Official notice URLNot published
Tender statusplanning
Procurement methodNot published
Procurement method detailsNot published
Main procurement categoryservices
Above thresholdNo
Legal basis2023/54
Tender period: startNot published
Tender period: endNot published
Expression of interest deadlineNot published
Enquiry deadlineNot published
Award period: startNot published
Award period: endNot published
Submission method detailsNot published
Submission languagesNot published
Electronic catalogue policyNot published
Total tender value£180,000
Tender lots in source1
Tender items in source1
Tender documents in source0
Awards in latest release0
Contracts in latest release0
Parties in latest release1

Notice history

DateEventReference
8 Jun 2026planning053890-2026

All source data

Unmodified official OCDS data retained by Tenderline for this procurement process.

Complete current OCDS release JSON
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    "description": "DC electrification is a system used to provide electric traction power to trains via an exposed conductor rail, commonly described as the ‘3rd rail’. The 3rd rail system is predominantly used in the south of England but is also used by the Merseyside commuter rail network in the North-West. Because of its accessible position on the ground next to the running rails, 3rd rail systems pose an electrical safety risk to the public and railway staff.\nTo address these concerns in a cost-effective way, small retrofittable batteries could be used to allow trains to run between modest gaps in 3rd rail. This would allow removal of live 3rd rail at higher risk location such as stations, level crossing, and junctions. Elimination of certain sections of the DC network, such as at switch and crossing junctions, could also result in maintenance productivity gains. RSSB project T1272 ‘Compatibility and optimisation considerations for rolling stock traction batteries and battery charging’ (T1272 Phase 1b Report FINAL – Page 64) indicated that a modest sized battery of 100 kWh could potentially remove larger parts of the DC network and allow a train to move through up to two kilometres of traction power disruptions.\nThe introduction of batteries for these aims must consider capital and operational costs, the engineering and operational controls that would be needed, and the transition strategy for both rolling stock and infrastructure.\nFor more information about this opportunity, please visit the eSourcing portal at: \nhttps://www.delta-esourcing.com/tenders/UK-UK-London:-Research-services./F3ZBDSMB6C\nTo respond to this opportunity, please click here: \nhttps://www.delta-esourcing.com/respond/F3ZBDSMB6C",
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Complete JSON history (1 releases)
8 Jun 2026 · 053890-2026 · planning
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