Official UK procurement notice
Wales and Western Region Research & Development Engagement Event
Authority: NETWORK RAIL INFRASTRUCTURE LIMITED (Central government)
What is being bought
Published requirement descriptionNetwork Rail is exploring future research and development (R&D) opportunities in collaboration with the supply chain to address key operational and safety challenges across our infrastructure. This early engagement aims to identify suppliers, technology providers, and innovators who are capable of supporting the development of innovative solutions in a range of priority areas.
The scope of this potential procurement includes, but is not limited to, the following areas of interest:
Track – Development of solutions for the detection of pre-1979 rail types to identify defects or high-risk sections that may pose performance or safety concerns.
Track – Innovative techniques for cutting and grinding back edge lipping to reduce the need for ultrasonic testing and milling interventions.
Freight Operations – Systems or technologies to ensure scrap wagons are loaded safely and correctly, minimising the risk of operational incidents during transit.
Infrastructure Maintenance – Automated cleaning systems to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of debris catchment management across the network.
Energy Systems – Enhanced secondary cell battery technologies that improve asset reliability, reduce maintenance burdens, and ease manual handling for railway operatives.
Safety and Security – New or improved solutions to detect, prevent, and manage trespass incidents on the rail network.
Points and Switching – Continuous monitoring technologies that can measure the residual switch opening against the stock rail on RT60 points assets, supporting early fault detection and preventative maintenance.
Network Rail seeks to understand the level of market interest and capability in each of these areas to inform potential future procurement strategies and innovation funding routes.
CPV: Computer control system · Computer equipment and supplies · Construction machinery and equipment · Cranes · Drainage equipment · Heavy-duty motor vehicles · Industrial robots · Ironmongery · Machine tools · Miscellaneous evaluation or testing instruments · Miscellaneous general and special-purpose machinery · Railway maintenance or service vehicles · +7 more
The lotProcurement structure
single lot · no lot value publishedProcedure terms & legal framework
From the official record- Legal basis
- UKPGA · 2023/54 Procurement Act 2023
- Procurement category
- Goods
- Notice status
- Past planning notice
- Procurement threshold
- Below threshold
- Regulatory regime
- Utilities
- Commercial structure
- Stand-alone contract (no framework)
- Competition type
- Competitive procedure
- GPA / WTO covered
- Unspecified in notice
- Recurring procurement
- Unspecified in notice
- First published
- 23 Jul 2025, 14:30 BST
- Last source update
- 23 Jul 2025, 14:30 BST
- Authority reference
Project_43760- FTS notice number
2025/S 000-042408- Latest notice
- Preliminary market engagement notice (UK2)
- Classification (CPV)
- Delivery area
- Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-0564acFind a Tender
How it was run
Official notice- Submission deadline
- —
Timeline
23 Jul 2025 → 1 Apr 2026 · 3 dates- Planning notice published23 Jul 2025, 14:30 BST
- Market engagement358 days ago31 Oct 2025, 23:59 GMT
Supplier Engagement – R&D Innovation Programme
Network Rail Wales & Western Region is pleased to invite you to participate in an upcoming Supplier Engagement Event as part of our Research and Development (R&D) programme. This initiative is designed to foster collaboration with the supply chain on key innovation challenges that support the delivery of a safer, more efficient, and more sustainable railway.
Following regional engagement and operational insights, we have identified several priority areas where we are actively seeking innovative solutions. These challenges are detailed in the accompanying document to this notice and span various parts of our infrastructure and operations, including track, freight, infrastructure maintenance, asset management, and safety systems.
To ensure meaningful and focused discussions, we will be hosting a series of thematic in-person engagement sessions during September and October 2025, at locations within the Wales and Western region — such as our Bristol or Cardiff offices.
Next Steps – Express Your Interest
To help us shape the sessions and allocate places appropriately, please complete the following short form to indicate:
The challenge areas your organisation is interested in
Your capacity or interest in contributing to the development of innovative solutions
Your preferred location (if applicable)
forms.office.com/e/GHPzHCBDJA ↗
Please submit your response by Wednesday 7th August 2025.
Important Notes
Due to space limitations, we may need to restrict the number of attendees per supplier organisation.
Additional details, including session dates, times, and exact locations, will be shared shortly after the response deadline.
If you have any questions in the meantime, please contact:
Lily-May Roberts – [email protected]
Olivia Jones – [email protected]
We look forward to your participation and to exploring opportunities to collaborate on innovative solutions that will shape the future of our railway.
- Contract starts207 days ago1 Apr 2026, 00:00 BST
Notice history
1 event · 1 release on Find a Tender- Preliminary market engagement notice published23 Jul 2025, 14:30 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