Award

Merseytravel Train Connectivity and Information System (TCIS) Project

MERSEYTRAVEL

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

Award

01 May 2024 at 12:54

Summary of the contracting process

The Merseytravel organisation awarded the Merseytravel Train Connectivity and Information System (TCIS) Project contract to Panasonic Marketing Europe GmbH, involving telecommunications equipment and supplies. The contract stage involves installing, testing, and commissioning the physical system infrastructure, with partial infrastructure already in place. The procurement method was a limited award procedure without prior publication of a call for competition. The contract was signed on 26th April 2024 with a value of £20,030,000.

This tender presents an opportunity for businesses in the telecommunications, data communications, and railway industries. Companies with expertise in telecommunications networks, wireless systems, data communications equipment, and railway locomotives and rolling stock could find this tender suitable for their operations. The active status of the contract and the involvement of multiple parties, including Merseytravel and Alan Dick Communications Limited, indicate a collaborative procurement process with potential for business expansion.

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Notice Title

Merseytravel Train Connectivity and Information System (TCIS) Project

Notice Description

Please see description of the procurement section for details.

Lot Information

Lot 1

On 18 September 2018, Merseytravel awarded an agreement to Panasonic Marketing Europe GmbH (Panasonic) for the provision of turnkey train connectivity and information system design, installation, testing, commissioning, integration and support in connection with the Merseyrail electrics railway network (TCIS Agreement). This TCIS Agreement concerns a communications network for the provision of a telecommunications service for Merseytravel's newest fleet of passenger trains, and for the provision of connectivity and train information services using such network. This contract award was made at the conclusion of a procurement process carried out using the competitive dialogue procedure under the Utilities Contracts Regulations 2016 (UCR), which was advertised in the Official Journal of the EU on 5 October 2017 by contract notice 2017/S 191-391970. The contract is at the stage of installing, testing and commissioning the physical system infrastructure, with an amount of that infrastructure already in place. The performance of the TCIS Agreement has at all material times been subcontracted by Panasonic to Alan Dick Communications Limited, trading as AD Comms (ADC). Throughout the procurement process and at contract award, it was made known to Merseytravel by Panasonic that ADC would be performing the TCIS Agreement. Panasonic ultimately became party to the TCIS Agreement because ADC on its own did not satisfy the relevant financial standing criteria. Contractually, ADC has been delivering all relevant activities (including provision of supplies and performance of services) under a subcontract with Panasonic relating to the TCIS Agreement dated 17 October 2018. At the time of award of the TCIS Agreement and the subcontract, ADC was a wholly-owned subsidiary of Panasonic. Apart from providing relevant financial standing all material obligations for the delivery of the TCIS Agreement were taken by ADC through its subcontract with Panasonic. The ownership in ADC has since transferred from Panasonic to Mutares Holding-25 GmbH (Mutares) by way of a share transfer that completed in May 2021. ADC and Mutares are now in a position to acquire the business associated with the performance of the TCIS Agreement (comprising that agreement only) from Panasonic. This will be effected by a novation of the TCIS Agreement (and all rights, obligations and liabilities under it) from Panasonic to ADC, with related financial support provided by Mutares. ADC's subcontract with Panasonic as sub-contractor providing the services for main contract will also be terminated as it would otherwise be providing services to itself. Merseytravel considers that there is an arguable case that the novation falls outside the scope of application of the UCR, being a permissible modification to the TCIS Agreement under Regulation 88(1)(d)(ii). Under the novation, as regards primary contractual liability to Merseytravel, a new contractor (ADC) replaces the one to which Merseytravel had initially awarded the TCIS Agreement (Panasonic). The novation results from a succession into the position of Panasonic by ADC, following the acquisition of ADC by Mutares and the acquisition by ADC and Mutares of the business associated with the performance of the TCIS Agreement. While ADC continues not to satisfy the original financial standing criteria, in the circumstances of the TCIS Agreement, the performance to date and the remaining activity, Merseytravel is satisfied that ADC has sufficient financial standing to complete its performance, when the support provided by Mutares is taken into account (along with other relevant financial factors). The novation does not entail any other substantial modifications to the TCIS Agreement. Certain modifications have been made to the requirements, including refinements to aspects of the technical specification to reflect requirements for the Merseyrail trains and a change in delivery timings to accommodate route-by-route delivery. The modifications do not involve any material increase (or decrease) in price, and the ultimate purpose of the TCIS Agreement (and overarching obligation on ADC) is to deliver a fully functioning information system across the network, as originally envisaged. The novation is not aimed at circumventing the application of the UCR. Rather, it formalises the delivery relationship that was first proposed during the original procurement process, by ensuring that the entity that has always been responsible for the delivery of the system (ADC) is now primarily contractually responsible to Merseytravel under the terms of the TCIS Agreement, rather than sitting a tier below Panasonic.

Procurement Information

Please see description of the procurement section for details.

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-04568e
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/014067-2024
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
Award Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Goods
Procurement Method
Limited
Procurement Method Details
Award procedure without prior publication of a call for competition
Tender Suitability
Not specified
Awardee Scale
Large

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

32 - Radio, television, communication, telecommunication and related equipment

34 - Transport equipment and auxiliary products to transportation

64 - Postal and telecommunications services


CPV Codes

32412100 - Telecommunications network

32500000 - Telecommunications equipment and supplies

32510000 - Wireless telecommunications system

32581000 - Data-communications equipment

32582000 - Data carriers

32583000 - Data and voice media

34600000 - Railway and tramway locomotives and rolling stock and associated parts

64200000 - Telecommunications services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
Not specified
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
£20,030,000 £10M-£100M

Notice Dates

Publication Date
1 May 20241 years ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
25 Apr 20241 years ago
Contract Period
Not specified - Not specified
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

Tender Status
Complete
Lots Status
Not Specified
Awards Status
Active
Contracts Status
Active

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
MERSEYTRAVEL
Contact Name
Merseytravel Procurement
Contact Email
tender@liverpoolcityregion-ca.gov.uk
Contact Phone
Not specified

Buyer Location

Locality
LIVERPOOL
Postcode
L3 1BP
Post Town
Liverpool
Country
England

Major Region (ITL 1)
TLD North West (England)
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLD7 Merseyside
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLD72 Liverpool
Delivery Location
TLD7 Merseyside

Local Authority
Liverpool
Electoral Ward
Waterfront South
Westminster Constituency
Liverpool Riverside

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
1
Supplier Name

ALAN DICK COMMUNICATIONS

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

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The Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS) is a framework designed to increase transparency and access to public procurement data in the public sector. It is widely used by governments and organisations worldwide to report on procurement processes and contracts.

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