Official UK procurement notice
Supplier funded renewables for Traction (DC DPPA framework)
Authority: NETWORK RAIL INFRASTRUCTURE LIMITED (Central government)
What is being bought
Published requirement descriptionBackground
Network Rail owns, operates and maintains Great Britain’s railway infrastructure, including track, signalling, electrification systems, bridges and stations. As one of the largest electricity consumers in the UK, Network Rail uses approximately 4.5 TWh per annum (c.4.1 TWh traction and 0.45 TWh non-traction).
In support of the UK Government’s Net Zero by 2050 commitment, Network Rail is seeking to transition its electricity supply towards renewable sources.
Scope of Opportunity
Network Rail’s electrified network includes:
- 25 kV AC overhead line systems
- 750 V DC third rail systems (Southern Region and Merseyrail)
This procurement relates exclusively to the 750 V DC third rail network.
The Southern Region DC traction power system comprises:
- ~40 grid connection points supplied by Distribution Network Operators (DNOs)
- A 33 kV (predominantly) three-phase distribution network, with limited 11 kV sections
- Around 300 substations with transformer rectifier units converting AC to 750 V DC
- A highly variable load profile driven by train operations
- Network control via SCADA systems from electrical control rooms
Opportunity Description
Network Rail is exploring opportunities to integrate renewable energy generation “behind the meter”, directly connected to its 33 kV distribution network to supplement existing DNO supplies. An export limitation scheme will be implemented to prevent excess energy being exported to the grid.
The intent is to procure energy through a Direct Power Purchase Agreement (DPPA) under a supplier-funded model.
Supplier Requirements
Network Rail is seeking expressions of interest from organisations that can demonstrate:
- Proven capability in renewable generation development covering various technologies (e.g. solar, wind, storage, or hybrid solutions)
- Experience with private wire / behind-the-meter connections and Power Purchase Agreements
- Strong technical expertise in high-voltage integration (33 kV or similar)
- Sufficient financial capacity to deliver a pilot scheme and support potential wider rollout
- Ability to work within operational railway constraints
Programme
- Pilot project to be developed as an initial phase
- Subject to success, potential rollout across the wider DC traction network of up to 40GWh p.a
- Procurement launch anticipated: August 2026
- This will be a single supplier Framework.
Next Steps
Interested parties should submit an expression of interest via email to:
CPV: Electricity, heating, solar and nuclear energy
How this framework works
From the published notice- Framework period
- 8 yrs from 1 Jul 2027
The lotProcurement structure
single lot · no lot value publishedWhat 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).
- “Supplier funded renewables for Traction (DC DPPA framework)” is a framework: the contest is a place on its panel, not a single contract.
Pipeline intelligence · planning stage: how this market runs before the tender is published
How NETWORK RAIL INFRASTRUCTURE LIMITED buys Electricity, heating, solar and nuclear energy (CPV 0930), and who usually turns up
NETWORK RAIL INFRASTRUCTURE LIMITED’s published record next to the market for the same work. Compared with other frameworks and DPS only. Whole-market view: Electricity, heating, solar and nuclear energy (CPV 0930) →
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.
Local means the winner is registered in the region where that award was delivered.
A local branch does not count if the registered address is elsewhere.
Most of this buyer’s recorded winners were registered outside the region where that award was delivered.
i
How long buyers here take to decide after bids close.
Middle value in days from the bid deadline to the award date, on competitions that published both.
Only decided tenders count, so slow ones still waiting are not in.
Half of these awards have an award date within 250 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.
Direct awards or one recorded bid are common here. Check the route before spending time on a bid.
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 bid8% / 27%
2–334% / 26%
4–648% / 27%
7+10% / 19%
How did awards compare with estimates?
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Where winning prices landed against estimates.
Each colour shows awards below, close to or above the published estimate, one lot at a time.
On a framework or DPS, prices are agreed when work is called off.
Past prices are a guide, not a bid price.
Not comparable on a framework or DPS: the price is set later, on each call-off.
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 0930Published estimate£125m
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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 136 past lots.
A forecast, not a list of bidders.
1 bid27%
2–326%
4–627%
7+19%
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
- Goods
- Notice status
- Planned procurement
- Procurement threshold
- Above threshold (FTS publication)
- Regulatory regime
- Utilities
- Commercial structure
- Framework agreement
- Who may use this agreement
- Not stated in the notice; call-off rights may be limited to the establishing authority
- Competition type
- Competitive procedure
- GPA / WTO covered
- Unspecified in notice
- Recurring procurement
- Unspecified in notice
- First published
- 26 May 2026, 10:01 BST
- Last source update
- 5 Jun 2026, 09:29 BST
- FTS notice number
2026/S 000-053133- Latest notice
- Preliminary market engagement notice (UK2)
- Classification (CPV)
- Delivery area
- Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-06a2c1Find a Tender
How it was run
Official notice- Appointment period ends
- —
Timeline
26 May 2026 → 1 Jul 2027 · 5 dates- Planning notice published152 days ago26 May 2026, 10:01 BST
- Latest notice published142 days ago5 Jun 2026, 09:29 BST
- Market engagement114 days ago3 Jul 2026, 23:59 BST
Suppliers should express an interest to [email protected] by 03/07/2026. Supplier engagement on contract conditions and scope will take place w/c 06/07/2026 via correspondance.
- Tender notice expected76 days ago10 Aug 2026, 23:59 BST
- Today25 Oct 2026
- Contract startsin 248 days1 Jul 2027, 00:00 BST
Notice history
2 events · 2 releases on Find a Tender · since 26 May 2026- Preliminary market engagement notice published26 May 2026, 10:01 BSTUK2
- Preliminary market engagement notice published5 Jun 2026, 09:29 BSTUK2
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 (2)
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