Public procurement notice: Prior Information Notice Without Call For Competition
Published: 2018-05-08
Buyer: Group Commercial Directorate, Department for Transport
Country: UK
Contract type: Works
CPV classification: 45000000: Construction work | 45110000 | 45111000 | 45111100 | 45111200

Technical requirements: The Southern Rail Link to Heathrow (SRLtH) is a proposed new rail link from the south connecting into Heathrow Airport, for which the Department for Transport (DfT) is seeking to develop a market-led proposals process.
SRLtH forms part of the government’s long term aspiration for the railway network. It is envisaged that it will serve Waterloo and Surrey/Hampshire from Heathrow. However it's at a conceptual stage in its development and the strategic aims, output specification, routes and infrastructure solutions are not yet defined.
The SRLtH Market Sounding will explore the market appetite for developing proposals for SRLtH and the appetite for sharing the risk of the development process. This does not represent the start of a procurement process, but instead could shape a potential future procurement process.
Estimated total value is 700 000 GBP to 1 400 000 000 GBP from a pre-feasibility study undertaken by Network Rail which indicated a range of options in 1Q15 prices, for capital works only.
— Explore the market appetite for developing proposals for the design, planning and preparation of their own Strategic Outline Business Case (SOBC) for a Southern Rail Link to Heathrow.
— Explore proposals which include non-railway benefits which could provide additional funding for the rail project, reducing the burden on taxpayers and farepayers.
— Understand the expectations of market participants, the factors impacting their level of interest and the further actions which the Department for Transport can undertake to get the best out of a future procurement and garner support for market-led proposals.
— Develop and test the value criteria for the next stage of proposal development and inform a further potential procurement process and any future evaluation.
Two of the key stakeholders in the project include DfT and Network Rail. DfT works with agencies and parties to support the transport network that helps the UK’s business and gets people and goods travelling around the country. Network Rail owns, operates and develops Britain’s railway — track, bridges, tunnels and viaducts, signals, level crossings and stations. Network Rail’s role is to deliver a safe and reliable railway every day for the four and half million people and businesses that rely upon it. Network Rail is a public company, answerable to Government via the DfT, that runs the day-to-day railway through nine devolved, geographically based businesses, called routes.
Parties are invited to register their interest in participating in the Market Sounding process by email to heathrowrailsouthern@dft.gov.uk
Please include your contact details and provide us with some key information in relation to your company and areas of particular interest or specialisms.
Parties are invited to attend the Southern Access to Heathrow Industry Event. This will be a specific event launching the Market Sounding for the Southern Access to Heathrow project, to be held on 24.5.2018 at One Great George Street. To register interest, please visit https://ipfa-portal.smartmembership.net/Events/eventdetail.aspx?si_ec=000493. Access to the event is strictly by invitation only and capacity is limited.
If a decision is taken to proceed, the specific procurements for both SRLtH and WRLtH will be launched by the publication of further PIN's and/or contract notices by the appropriate contracting authority. General guidance on the preparation of a Strategic Outline Business Case is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/transport-business-case.
The estimated date of publication of a contract notice in Section II.3), is indicative only and does not constitute a commitment for DfT to proceed with a SRLtH scheme.
This Prior Information Notice (PIN) is not a call for competition and is not published to reduce time limits for the receipt of tenders. Non-participation in this market sounding process shall not prevent any supplier from participating in any of the procurements or any future event.