Official UK procurement notice
Train Movement Services Framework
Authority: CHILTERN RAIL LIMITED (Public body)
What is being bought
Published requirement descriptionChiltern Rail Limited intends to establish a multi-supplier framework agreement for the provision of train movement and associated rail operational services across the UK rail network.
The anticipated scope includes planned train movements and fleet transfers; emergency, contingency, recovery and rescue movements; rolling stock stabling and storage; and specialist rail operations support, including locomotive provision, test and commissioning movements and associated engineering support.
The purpose of this preliminary market engagement is to obtain feedback from suitably qualified suppliers on the proposed scope, framework structure, supplier capability and capacity, commercial arrangements and procurement approach before the subsequent competitive procurement is commenced.
CPV: Support services for railway transport
How this framework works
From the published notice- Framework period
- 4 yrs · up to 5 yrs from 1 May 2027
The lotProcurement structure
single lot · no lot value publishedLot #1PlannedRenewal
What 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).
- “Train Movement Services 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 CHILTERN RAIL LIMITED buys Support services for land transport (CPV 6371), and who usually turns up
CHILTERN RAIL LIMITED has little published record in this market. Compared with other frameworks and DPS only. Whole-market view: Support services for land transport (CPV 6371) →
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.
Across this market, small firms won 67% of awards with a known supplier size.
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.
Across this market, 62% of winners were registered in the delivery region.
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 67 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.
The market share is a minimum: some awards have no bid count.
Thin markets produce this too; it is not proof of a tailored specification.
Across this market, at least 25% of awarded procurements had no recorded rival.
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%
2–30%
4–618%
7+82%
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.
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 6371Estimate 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 11 past lots.
A forecast, not a list of bidders.
1 bid0%
2–30%
4–618%
7+82%
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
- 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
- 22 Oct 2026, 16:03 BST
- Last source update
- 22 Oct 2026, 16:03 BST
- FTS notice number
2026/S 000-100134- Latest notice
- Preliminary market engagement notice (UK2)
- Classification (CPV)
- Delivery area
- Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-078e3bFind a Tender
How it was run
Official notice- Appointment period ends
- —
Timeline
22 Oct 2026 → 1 May 2027 · 4 dates- Planning notice published3 days ago22 Oct 2026, 16:03 BST
- Today25 Oct 2026
- Market engagementin 13 days6 Nov 2026, 23:59 GMT
Chiltern Rail Limited is undertaking preliminary market engagement in relation to the proposed Train Movement Services Framework (2027–2031).
The purpose of this engagement is to obtain feedback from suitably qualified and experienced suppliers to help inform the scope, framework structure, supplier capability and capacity, commercial and call-off arrangements, mobilisation requirements and overall procurement approach.
Interested suppliers are invited to participate through Market Dojo and complete the Preliminary Market Engagement Questionnaire using the following link: Market Dojo –
chilternrailways.marketdojo.com/events/203966 ↗
Market Dojo – Train Movement Services Framework PME
The engagement will close at 15:00 noon on 6 November 2026. Clarification questions should be submitted through the Market Dojo messaging function by 15:00 noon on 2 November 2026. Where appropriate, responses may be shared with all participating suppliers to ensure equal access to relevant information.
For general enquiries regarding this preliminary market engagement, please contact :[email protected].
Clarification questions relating to the engagement should be submitted through Market Dojo.
Participation is voluntary and will not form part of the evaluation of any subsequent procurement. Participation or non-participation will not advantage or disadvantage any supplier in a future procurement process.
Information obtained through this exercise may be used to develop and refine the scope, procurement strategy and subsequent procurement documentation. The proposed scope, procurement approach and timescales are provisional and may change following preliminary market engagement.
Publication of this notice does not commit Chiltern Rail Limited to commencing a subsequent procurement process or awarding a framework agreement.
- Tender notice expectedin 83 days15 Jan 2027, 23:59 GMT
- Contract startsin 188 days1 May 2027
Notice history
1 event · 1 release on Find a Tender- Preliminary market engagement notice published22 Oct 2026, 16:03 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 (1)
Official links; attachments are not copiedNotices published for this procedure
- Preliminary market engagement notice Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender