Official UK procurement notice
Provision of FOC driver and PIC services
Authority: FIRST GREATER WESTERN LIMITED (Public body)
What is being bought
Published requirement descriptionAn immediate requirement has been identified for the provision of cl80x including Automatic Train Protection (ATP) competent Freight Operating Company (FOC) Drivers who are trained to Great Western Railway (GWR) standards. The FOC Drivers are required over 17 days to provide driving services to GWR for the management and servicing of its rolling stock to/from off network locations as mitigations to planned perturbation. In addition to driving services, there is also a requirement for Person in Charge (PICs) to work with the Drivers and operate off network facilities/locations on behalf of GWR. To ensure GWR can deliver for its customers, the route learning for the FOC Drivers must commence no later than August 2025. A tender will be published shortly for future requirements.
The lotProcurement structure
single lot · no lot value publishedLot #1Awarded
Procedure terms & legal framework
From the official record- Procedure method
- Direct award
- Legal basis
- UKPGA · 2023/54 Procurement Act 2023
- Notice status
- Awarded without competition
- Procurement threshold
- Unspecified in notice
- Regulatory regime
- Utilities
- Commercial structure
- Stand-alone contract (no framework)
- Competition type
- Direct award (no call for competition)
- GPA / WTO covered
- Unspecified in notice
- Recurring procurement
- Unspecified in notice
- First published
- 26 Jun 2025, 15:49 BST
- Last source update
- 26 Jun 2025, 15:49 BST
- FTS notice number
2025/S 000-035497- Latest notice
- Transparency notice (UK5)
- Delivery area
- Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-055465Find a Tender
- Why no open competition
- Urgency
- Published justification
Due to substantial scope changes in GWR requirements GWR intends to re-tender the entire requirement to ensure compliance with procurement legislation and to uphold the principles of fairness, transparency, and equal opportunity for all potential bidders.
However, due to time constraints preventing the completion of a full procurement process at this stage, a short-term direct award has been made to meet urgent operational requirements.
A full tender process will be launched in due course.
Notice history
2 events · 1 release on Find a Tender · since 26 Jun 2025- Transparency notice published26 Jun 2025, 15:49 BSTUK5
- Contract signature expected29 Aug 2025, 23:59 BSTscheduled
Commercial outcome & contract awards
Published awards, contracts and bid statistics, not a forecast| Awarded to | Value | Date | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| GB Railfreight Ltd1 Sept 2025 – 31 Mar 2026 · up to 30 Sept 2026Extensions: Extensions may be applied in circumstances where the main tender process requires additional time to complete. This could arise due to factors such as the complexity of submissions, the need for clarifications, or delays in evaluation or approvals. | £1,500,000 | — | Standstill |
Contracting authority & participating public bodies
Bidders & participating suppliers
1 commercial party on the notice- GB RAILFREIGHT LIMITEDAwarded supplier
Official documents & specifications (1)
Official links; attachments are not copiedNotices published for this procedure
- Transparency notice Transparency notice on Find a Tender