Public procurement notice: Voluntary Ex Ante Transparency Notice
Published: 2018-11-09
Buyer: Network Rail Infrastructure Ltd
Country: UK
Contract type: Works
Procedure: Contract award without prior publication
CPV classification: 32570000 | 32571000 | 34632300 | 44000000 | 45000000: Construction work
Estimated value: 2000000000 GBP
EU fund: EU Fund

Technical requirements: Network Rail (NR) procured a multi-disciplinary programme of works and ancillary services and supplies relating to the West of Leeds element of the Transpennine Route Upgrade (TRU).
The West of Leeds element relates to the upgrade of the route between Leeds and Stalybridge with further interventions between Manchester and Stalybridge. The contract was awarded in April 2017 to an alliance comprising BAM Nuttall, Amey Rail Limited, Amey OWR Limited and Ove Arup and Partners, known as Transpire.
— and enhancing or maintaining the reliability of the railway asset within the Transpennine Rail Corridor.
NR procured a multi-disciplinary programme of design and works, comprising buildings, civils, track, signalling and communication railway construction works on a design and execution basis. Economic operators or groups of economic operators were required to have capability to undertake these key disciplines. Consistent with alliance contracting arrangements and in addition to its role as project “owner” NR highlighted that it would provide certain works and/or services as a participant in the alliance. The contractor(s) and NR each as an ‘alliance participant’ forming the “alliance” are required to work as an integrated team providing resources on a best for project basis and sharing risk and reward.
Trans European Transport Network (TEN-T). This contract may be subject to European funding in the future.
The value stated in Section II.1.7 and Section V.2.4 is the estimated total value of the contract. The contract value may be in the region of 800 000 000 and 2 000 000 000 GBP.
As part of the works, the Alliance is required to deliver a signalling solution across the West of Leeds route. On the section between Stalybridge and Cottingley, NR intends to instruct the Alliance to design a signalling solution that is European Train Control System (ETCS) ready and produce the output requirements specification to enable a future ETCS contractor to integrate seamlessly with the Alliance works, as it is now intended that ETCS will be deployed concurrently to the delivery of the Alliance works. The ETCS contractor will be the subject of a separate procurement exercise to be carried out by NR. In addition to the planning / design work above, the Alliance’s instructions are also intended to include integration activities between the Alliance and the future ETCS contractor to enable the seamless interface and it is currently intended that the Alliance may be instructed to construct and deploy some of the track side digital equipment such as ETCS marker boards and balises to support delivery of ETCS by the ETCS contractor.
There is no intention to reduce the advertised or intended conventional signalling scope as part of the Alliance works and the above instructions. The intended planning/design work is also consistent with the contract requirements published as part of the original Alliance procurement which required the successful alliance to design and deliver signalling cognisant of ETCS and compliant with any future ETCS migration. This is now reflected in NR’s Digital Railway ready signalling standard (NR/L2/SIG/11711) which all contractors, including the Alliance, are required to comply with from 31.5.2018.
NR’s intention to separately source an ETCS contractor was highlighted as part of the original Alliance procurement and the need for the Alliance to integrate with other schemes and interfaces was made clear, all of which is consistent with an alliance form of contracting and the Alliance tendered requirement to optimise the design and delivery of the railway and a necessary part of delivering, as per the contract requirements, a signalling solution cognisant of ETCS and compliant with any future ETCS migration. The additional track side equipment which the Alliance may be instructed to construct and deploy are standard catalogue products.
NR considers that it is entitled to instruct the Alliance as set out above in compliance with the Utilities Contracts Regulations 2016; this does not amount to a substantial change in scope to the original Alliance procurement. No amendments are being made to the terms of the Alliance agreement. The overall estimated costs associated with the intended planning/design and integration work and construction/deployment of track side equipment is not yet certain but is envisaged to be in the range of 15 000 000 GBP to 40 000 000 GBP. There is no impact on the value as stated in Section II.1.7 and Section V.2.4.
The Alliance agreement was awarded to a consortium formed of the economic operators in Section V and known as Transpire.


Winner: BAM Nuttall
Award value: 2000000000