Public procurement notice: Voluntary Ex Ante Transparency Notice
Published: 2020-02-11
Buyer: Network Rail Infrastructure Ltd
Country: UK
Contract type: Supplies
Procedure: Negotiated without a prior call for competition
CPV classification: 48140000
Estimated value: 50000000 GBP

Technical requirements: Extension of IECC Scalable on Anglia Route and Enhancement of IECC Scaleable and Luminate on Western Route
Network Rail intends to award a contract for an enhancement of the IECC Scalable to deliver increased functionality in the management of train traffic on the Anglia Route, at the following locations London Liverpool Street to Marks Tey; London Liverpool Street to Stansted/Elsenham; and London Liverpool Street to Shenfield] and on the Western Route between Paddington and Bristol. This is supplementary software which is an extension to an existing signalling control platform (IECC Scalable) installed at the London Liverpool Street IECC and all locations on the Anglia Route managed from the Liverpool Street Signalling Control Centre and at Didcot and Thames Valley Signalling Control Centre on the Western Route. The contract will be for a period of 10 years.
The contract is for an enhancement of the IECC Scalable signalling control platform to deliver increased functionality in the management of train traffic. The contract is to be performed across 2 routes (Anglia and Western), with differing service requirements across each route based on the nature of IECC Scalable systems already installed at locations on those routes. In regard to the Western route, reference is made to Voluntary ex-ante transparency notice with reference 2017/S 129-264459 published in the Official Journal of the European Union on 8.3.2017. Network Rail has, since publication of that notice, installed the Luminate System referred to at the locations specified in the notice.
In regard to the Anglia Route, Network Rail intends to install the Luminate System at all locations managed from the Liverpool Street Signalling Control Centre. The Anglia contract will therefore involve the supply and installation of the Luminate System at those locations.
Network Rail then intends, on both Anglia and Western routes, to secure enhanced functionality in the IECC Scalable system through the installation of supplementary software. The enhancements will comprise:
(i) improvements in the replanning capability to address the user interface, speed and rippling functionality and to extend the planning horizon beyond 8 hours;
(ii) increasing the access and relevance to front line staff, initially focused on station management at key locations;
(iii) introducing infrastructure and train based restrictions to facilitate operational use, including the ability to apply restrictions over large areas of the network, ease of inputting speed restrictions, greater flexibility in identifying the start and end points of restrictions;
(v) providing training and/or briefing material related to the enhancements delivered through this arrangement;
(vi) data updates to Luminate and updates to the Luminous environment, related to the enhancements; and
(vii) data and operational analysis to support changes to process, system, policy or to support analysis into benefit realisation.
The contract will be for a period of 10 years and will include ongoing support and maintenance services and licensing costs.
Network Rail intends to award the contract to Resonate Group Ltd, which is the original supplier of the Luminate product.
Competition absent for technical reasons due to unique characteristics/technical capabilities of Luminate to integrate with existing IECC Scalable system in Anglia. No reasonable alternative or substitute exists. Luminate, is uniquely suited to meeting the contract objectives.
To achieve (enhanced traffic management functionality) NR requires compatibility with the IECC Scalable signalling system as interface management is critical for safety and performance. To obtain software and associated application programme for regulating algorithms from a supplier other than Resonate would result in NR purchasing supplies with different technical characteristics. and mean that the IECC platform would need to operate within a different traffic management system requiring modifications to the IECC Scalable platform, generating system integration and/or compatibility risks in terms of safety and performance and cost and timescale risks.Further,, if a different traffic management system was deployed, maintenance and support would be carried out by different parties making it difficult to support and maintain the IECC Scalable platform as a whole, including interface responsibility and a single point of accountability. A change in supplier for the software to deliver the enhanced functionality would oblige NR to purchase supplies with different technical characteristics causing disproportionate technical difficulties in operation and maintenance of the IECC Scalable platform.


Winner: The High Court of England and Wales
Award value: 50000000