Find a TenderPlanned procurementPreliminary market engagement notice
Published 1 Oct 2026, 11:53 BST

Official UK procurement notice

Security Services — UK public procurement notice

Authority: Northern Trains Limited (Central government)·Consortium: 2 public authorities

Framework agreementServicesAbove thresholdUtilities
Framework ceiling (notional)£19,000,000framework ceiling, not attributable revenue
Tender notice expected Date not publishedfrom the planned procurement notice
Framework period 2 yrsup to 4 yrs with extensions · starts 1 May 2027

What is being bought

Published requirement description

Northern Trains Limited (NTL) and TransPennine Express (TPE) intends to go to market for the procurement of Security Services across their respective estates.

The proposed procurement seeks to procure a single supplier to deliver an integrated rail security service across the NTL and TPE networks, combining Travel Safe Officer (TSO), Station Security and Counter Terrorism Patrol (CTP) services. The overarching objective is to enhance the safety and security of customers and colleagues, reduce crime and anti-social behaviour, support compliance with railway and government security requirements, and provide a visible, customer focused security presence across stations and onboard services.

The successful supplier will deliver a comprehensive security solution across a portfolio of managed stations and operational locations, providing proactive patrols, incident response, enforcement of Railway Byelaws, safeguarding support, and intelligence led security activity. The service will include dedicated Travel Safe Officers undertaking both station and train patrols, alongside specialist Counter Terrorism Patrol resources focused on protective security measures, threat deterrence and compliance with rail security obligations.

Read the full description (1,534 more characters)

A key requirement of the contract will be the ability to provide a flexible and responsive service model that can adapt to changing operational priorities across both operators. The supplier will be expected to support emerging security concerns, targeted interventions, seasonal demand changes, major incidents, rail disruption, special events and ad hoc operational requirements.

In addition to frontline delivery, the supplier will provide all associated management, supervision, training, vehicles, uniforms, equipment, body-worn video, reporting systems and operational support required to deliver the service. The supplier will work collaboratively with NTL, TPE, the British Transport Police and other stakeholders to develop deployment plans and ensure security activities remain aligned to evolving risks and business needs throughout the contract term.

Performance will be managed through a suite of key performance indicators covering operational delivery, resource availability, patrol completion, incident management, compliance, customer service and reporting. A strong emphasis will be placed on partnership working, continuous improvement, data-driven decision making and the ability to proactively identify and respond to emerging risks and opportunities for service enhancement.

The procurement aims to establish a security partnership that delivers a safe, secure and welcoming environment for customers and colleagues while supporting the wider safety, security and customer experience objectives of both NTL and TPE.

CPV: Public security, law and order services

How this framework works

From the published notice
Framework period
2 yrs · up to 4 yrs from 1 May 2027

The lotProcurement structure

single lot · no lot value published
Lot #1Lot 1PlannedRenewal 2 yrs
Contract period: 1 May 2027 — 30 Apr 2029 (2 yrs) · up to 4 yrs with extensionsDelivery: North East, North West, Yorkshire & Humber, East Midlands
Extensions
Extension options published
75240000 Public security, law and order services

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
Framework agreement
Competition type
Competitive procedure
GPA / WTO covered
Unspecified in notice
Recurring procurement
No (one-off requirement)
First published
1 Oct 2026, 11:53 BST
Last source update
1 Oct 2026, 11:53 BST
Latest notice
Preliminary market engagement notice (UK2)
Classification (CPV)
Public security, law and order services
Delivery area
North East (UKC)North West (UKD)Yorkshire & Humber (UKE)East Midlands (UKF)
Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-077e7f

How it was run

Appointment period ends
—

Timeline

3 published dates · Europe/London
  1. Planning notice publishedearlier today
    1 Oct 2026, 11:53 BST
  2. Market engagementin 13 days
    14 Oct 2026, 23:59 BST
    Northern Trains Limited (NTL) and TransPennine Express (TPE) are preparing to undertake a procurement for a single supplier security framework contract and are seeking early market engagement with interested suppliers. NTL and TPE are inviting market feedback to help shape the upcoming tender more…process. We welcome input on key considerations and any expectations or suggestions suppliers would like us to take into account. As a suggestion, this might cover the following: • The proposed specification including relevant accreditations • If suppliers hold RSAS accreditation or equivalent • Contract Terms • Pricing Structure • Commercial Terms • Key Performance Indicators / Service Level Agreements Your insights will help us ensure the final tender reflects best practice and delivers value for money. It is anticipated that the formal tender process will commence in November 2026. Market engagement will be conducted via email only, there will be no virtual or in-person sessions. To express your interest in this opportunity and provide any feedback, please complete the below form: https://forms.cloud.microsoft/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=wz69qNgiEkm1e8kyWF_pfu42FE2iHF1KhrnWtTYk-iJUM0ZOUVdBMVFSQjk0Q0RFM1lJTDdWT0lRVi4u Or contact: Sarah Blake-Dent ([email protected]) and Alison Bates ([email protected]). Participation in this preliminary market engagement exercise is entirely voluntary. Suppliers who do not take part will not be excluded from the subsequent procurement process.
  3. Contract startsin 211 days
    1 May 2027, 00:00 BST

Commercial outcome & contract awards

Pipeline notice
Awards (0)
No award published
Contracts (0)
No contract published
Bid statistics
No aggregate bid statistics published

Notice history

1 event · 1 release on Find a Tender
  1. Preliminary market engagement notice published
    1 Oct 2026, 11:53 BSTUK2

Contracting authority & participating public bodies

2 public bodies on the notice

Northern Trains Limited

Contracting authorityPublic authority - central government GB-PPON: PZCJ-2164-HJQZ George Stephenson House, Toft Green, York, Yorkshire & Humber, YO1 6JT [email protected] 000000000

Consortium members and other public bodies

  • TRANSPENNINE TRAINS LIMITEDContracting authorityPublic authority - central governmentGB-PPON: PXNX-1214-CQYL Manchester, North West 00000000000

Official documents & specifications (1)

Official links; attachments are not copied

Notices published for this procedure