Public procurement notice: Voluntary Ex Ante Transparency Notice
Published: 2019-03-25
Buyer: Network Rail Infrastructure Ltd
Country: UK
Contract type: Works
Procedure: Negotiated without a prior call for competition
CPV classification: 45234115
Estimated value: 20000000 GBP

Technical requirements: Network Rail Infrastructure Ltd (“NR”) intends to place a series of contracts with Resonate Group Ltd for design, supply, test, install, and commissioning works of railway signalling infrastructure connected with a series of future works taking place to our Signalling Integrated Electronic Control Centres (IECC) where the signalling data is of a proprietary nature and only supplied, installed and commissioned by one particular supplier. Works for High Speed 2 Old Oak Common, West Ealing sidings, Paddington to Reading route section works, Crossrail residual works, Western Rail Link to Heathrow amongst others yet to be fully defined.
These individual contracts relates to a series of future works taking place to our Signalling Electronic Integrated Control Centres (IECC) where the signalling data is of a proprietary nature and only supplied, tested, installed and commissioned by one particular supplier. Works for HS2 Old Oak Common, West Ealing sidings, Paddington to Reading route section works, Crossrail residual works, Western Rail Link to Heathrow amongst others yet to be fully defined.
It is envisaged the total of the individual contract awards associated with the works mentioned above will not exceed 20 000 000 GBP in the aggregate.
Network Rail Infrastructure Ltd (“NR”) intends to place contracts with Resonate Group Ltd for various design, supply, test, install, and commissioning works to Integrated Electronic Control Centres (IECC) connected with various projects and schemes.
Competition is absent for technical reasons due to the proprietary nature of the signalling data at associated IECCs which were previously undertaken by Resonate Group Ltd who have exclusive rights over the software and hold expert and intimate knowledge of the signalling data which already operates within Network Rail's IECCs.
To obtain the software and associated application programme for regulating algorithms from a supplier other than the owner of the IECC software platform that originally supplied, installed and configured the platform would result in Network Rail purchasing supplies and works with different technical characteristics. Purchasing alternative software would mean that the control centre platform would then need to operate within that different system requiring modifications to the control centre platform, generating system integration and/or compatibility risks in terms of safety and performance as well as cost and timescale risks. In addition, if a different system was deployed, the maintenance and support for each of these systems would be carried out by different parties which would create difficulties in effectively supporting and maintaining the control centre platform as a whole, including interface responsibility and a single point of accountability and liability. Network Rail therefore considers that a change in supplier in relation to this software would oblige Network Rail to purchase systems with different technical characteristics which would result in incompatibility and/or disproportionate technical difficulties in the operation and maintenance of the IECCs.
It is considered that various contracts can be placed using the Negotiated Procedure Without Prior Publication pursuant to Article 50 (c) (ii) of Directive 2014/25/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council (Regulation 50 (1) (c) (ii) of the UK Utilities Contracts Regulations 2016) on the basis that the contract may be awarded only to Resonate Group Ltd for technical reasons.


Winner: Resonate Group Ltd
Award value: 20000000