Public procurement notice: Periodic Indicative Notice Without Call For Competition
Published: 2016-07-20
Buyer: Network Rail (Infrastructure) Limited
Country: UK
Contract type: Services
CPV classification: 48321000 | 48322000 | 48517000 | 48518000 | 72000000
Estimated value: 200000 GBP

Technical requirements: Network Rail is seeking ‘expressions of interest’ from potential vendors for the Design, Development and Supply of an Overhead Line Equipment Design Tool that will be able to provide a pictorial visualization of data and infrastructure, including industry standards data and algorithms concerned with the design of Overhead Line Equipment systems, imported automatically from a separate file.
The scope of a potential procurement, will cover the design, development and supply of the design tool itself.
However, in the first instance, Network Rail based on the responses received, will determine whether or not to embark on further OJEU actions to engage with the market in procuring such a solution.
There will be no payments ensuing for the information supplied by potential vendors. In addition, there will be no payments for any technology demonstration activities performed by potential vendors.
Network Rail as part of its drive to substantially improve the United Kingdom rail network and its concept of the digital railway, expects to provide electrification of all major routes over the next few years. In order to achieve this, we must first design and build the overhead electrification lines and equipment needed.
Our initial investigations have identified some potential contender solutions, but none that meet our overall requirement for a fully integrated system. For this reason we are seeking from the wider market contender solutions that are either ‘off the shelf’ fully developed systems, or systems that, with modification or development can meet our specific requirements.
1) To procure a tool that can be used by the Overhead Line Equipment (OLE) Engineers, to develop OLE design models and produce graphical images to support the actual installation and maintenance of the physical structure.
— offering the ability to work collaboratively with other rail disciplines/industries and their software.
Note: it should be noted that Network Rail currently utilise a number of products from Bentley Systems International.
We would welcome responses from potential vendors with mature technology products that are potentially capable of meeting our requirement, and who are willing to engage in exploratory discussions, and if required, are willing to allow Network Rail to have the use of a demonstration software package for up to 3 months and provide technical support and guidance to our design team.
The Request for Information period will open on the date of publication of this notice and will run for 2 weeks. At the end of this period submissions received will be reviewed. The potential vendors meeting the criteria described above will be invited to enter into a dialogue to demonstrate the performance of their product and/or how they are able to meet NR's requirements.
Prospective suppliers wishing to express interest in taking part in this process should register that interest in the first instance by providing a brief statement (no more than two pages of A4) outlining the company, its capability and the product(s) it believes will meet NR's requirements as outlined above via email to: Vincent.fitzsimmons@networkrail.co.uk
In the event, there are no ‘off the shelf’ solutions available matching our requirements, at NR's discretion, those potential vendors who have responded to this notice may still be invited to engage in exploratory discussions with regard to the mutual agreement of a design brief to be used in a subsequent procurement.