Award

Provision of On Train Wi-Fi maintenance and software support

NORTHERN TRAINS LIMITED

This public procurement record has 2 releases in its history.

Award

15 May 2025 at 14:07

Award

14 May 2025 at 16:56

Summary of the contracting process

The procurement process initiated by Northern Trains Limited, a public authority in central government, aims to provide ongoing maintenance and software support for on-train Wi-Fi systems across its fleet. This service is crucial not only for passenger connectivity but also for operational systems such as CCTV and electronic sales. The procurement was conducted through a direct award method, recognising the specialised nature of the technology involved. The contract, valued at £8.5 million, involves services provided by Icomera UK Limited, and extends across various regions of the United Kingdom. Key dates include the award notice published on 15 May 2025, with the contract period beginning on 30 May 2025 and set to end by 31 March 2027, with possible extensions up to 2030.

This tender provides significant business growth opportunities, particularly for enterprises involved in IT services like consulting, software development, and Internet support. Businesses adept at providing bespoke technical support in high-demand industries such as public transport could thrive in this context. As the services involved require specialised knowledge and 24/7 system monitoring, this contract is best suited for firms familiar with complex digital infrastructure and operational system integration, such as those offered by Icomera UK Limited. Such engagements not only ensure revenue from prolonged support contracts but also reinforce relationships with significant public sector clients.

Find more tenders on our Open Data Platform.
How relevant is this notice?

D3 Tenders Premium

Win More Public Sector Contracts

AI-powered tender discovery, pipeline management, and market intelligence — everything you need to grow your public sector business.

Notice Title

Provision of On Train Wi-Fi maintenance and software support

Notice Description

This contract covers the provision of On Train Wi-Fi (OTW) System Availability via an X6i router and Passenger Access Points in each train vehicle. The OTW is important to Northern's customers for utilising Wi-Fi on-board however it is also needed for a range of other critical services including Closed Circuit Television (CCTV), Electronic Point of Sale (EPOS), Remote Condition Monitoring (RCM), and Passenger Information System (PIS) that are required to operate the trains in passenger services in line with ORR regulations. The agreement covers provisions of supplying/ overhauling/ maintaining the hardware that was installed across the 260 units however the largest proportion of ongoing costs with the supplier is for the back-office and hosting support. This Backoffice support covers 24/7 monitoring of the OTW and the support systems that hang off the OTW. The requirements for this monitoring are in line with the following; a) for P1 Digital Train Incidents, promptly (and in any event within thirty (30) minutes after discovery of a Digital Train Incident) notify the Company's Onboard Systems On-Call representative by calling the central number to notify the Company of the P1 Digital Train Incident b) For P2, P3 and P4 Digital Train Incidents, promptly (and in any event within thirty (30) minutes after discovery of a Digital Train Incident) notify by email to the Company's points of contacts. c) if the Digital Train Incident relates to a Connected Onboard System, the Contractor shall notify the supplier of the Connected Onboard System about any Digital Train Incident discovered during the monitoring promptly (and in any event within thirty (30) minutes after discovery of a Digital Trian Incident).

Procurement Information

We aim to extend the contract to cover the end-of-life period for the product/hardware provided by this supplier. The service they offer is bespoke and specific to the hardware that has been installed across all of Northern legacy fleets of trains. The roll out period for the original equipment installation was 5 years commencing from the first unit until the last and noting that these units are due to be replaced shortly after 2030 it would not be economically viable to change the hardware out.

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-0513bc
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/021831-2025
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK6 - Contract Award Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Direct
Procurement Method Details
Direct award
Tender Suitability
Not specified
Awardee Scale
SME

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

72 - IT services: consulting, software development, Internet and support


CPV Codes

72000000 - IT services: consulting, software development, Internet and support

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
Not specified
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
£8,500,000 £1M-£10M
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
15 May 20259 months ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
14 May 20259 months ago
Contract Period
29 May 2025 - 31 Mar 2027 1-2 years
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

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

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
NORTHERN TRAINS LIMITED
Contact Name
Not specified
Contact Email
procurement@northernrailway.co.uk
Contact Phone
Not specified

Buyer Location

Locality
YORK
Postcode
YO1 6JT
Post Town
York
Country
England

Major Region (ITL 1)
TLE Yorkshire and The Humber
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLE2 North Yorkshire
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLE21 York
Delivery Location
Not specified

Local Authority
York
Electoral Ward
Micklegate
Westminster Constituency
York Central

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
1
Supplier Name

ICOMERA

Further Information

Notice Documents

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

View full OCDS Record for this contracting process

Download

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.

{
    "tag": [
        "compiled"
    ],
    "id": "ocds-h6vhtk-0513bc-2025-05-15T15:07:37+01:00",
    "date": "2025-05-15T15:07:37+01:00",
    "ocid": "ocds-h6vhtk-0513bc",
    "initiationType": "tender",
    "parties": [
        {
            "id": "GB-COH-03076444",
            "name": "NORTHERN TRAINS LIMITED",
            "identifier": {
                "scheme": "GB-COH",
                "id": "03076444"
            },
            "additionalIdentifiers": [
                {
                    "scheme": "GB-PPON",
                    "id": "PZCJ-2164-HJQZ"
                }
            ],
            "address": {
                "streetAddress": "George Stephenson House",
                "locality": "York",
                "postalCode": "YO1 6JT",
                "country": "GB",
                "countryName": "United Kingdom",
                "region": "UKE21"
            },
            "contactPoint": {
                "email": "procurement@northernrailway.co.uk"
            },
            "roles": [
                "buyer"
            ],
            "details": {
                "classifications": [
                    {
                        "scheme": "UK_CA_TYPE",
                        "id": "publicAuthorityCentralGovernment",
                        "description": "Public authority - central government"
                    }
                ]
            }
        },
        {
            "id": "GB-COH-06089258",
            "name": "Icomera UK Limited",
            "identifier": {
                "scheme": "GB-COH",
                "id": "06089258"
            },
            "address": {
                "streetAddress": "Victory House, Chatham Maritime",
                "locality": "Kent",
                "postalCode": "ME4 4QU",
                "country": "GB",
                "countryName": "United Kingdom",
                "region": "UKJ41"
            },
            "contactPoint": {
                "email": "sales@icomera.com",
                "telephone": "0870 446 0461"
            },
            "roles": [
                "supplier"
            ],
            "details": {
                "url": "http://www.icomera.com",
                "scale": "sme",
                "vcse": false,
                "publicServiceMissionOrganization": false,
                "shelteredWorkshop": false
            }
        }
    ],
    "buyer": {
        "id": "GB-COH-03076444",
        "name": "NORTHERN TRAINS LIMITED"
    },
    "tender": {
        "id": "CO-M-NTL-9321",
        "legalBasis": {
            "id": "2023/54",
            "scheme": "UKPGA",
            "uri": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/54/contents"
        },
        "title": "Provision of On Train Wi-Fi maintenance and software support",
        "description": "This contract covers the provision of On Train Wi-Fi (OTW) System Availability via an X6i router and Passenger Access Points in each train vehicle. The OTW is important to Northern's customers for utilising Wi-Fi on-board however it is also needed for a range of other critical services including Closed Circuit Television (CCTV), Electronic Point of Sale (EPOS), Remote Condition Monitoring (RCM), and Passenger Information System (PIS) that are required to operate the trains in passenger services in line with ORR regulations. The agreement covers provisions of supplying/ overhauling/ maintaining the hardware that was installed across the 260 units however the largest proportion of ongoing costs with the supplier is for the back-office and hosting support. This Backoffice support covers 24/7 monitoring of the OTW and the support systems that hang off the OTW. The requirements for this monitoring are in line with the following; a) for P1 Digital Train Incidents, promptly (and in any event within thirty (30) minutes after discovery of a Digital Train Incident) notify the Company's Onboard Systems On-Call representative by calling the central number to notify the Company of the P1 Digital Train Incident b) For P2, P3 and P4 Digital Train Incidents, promptly (and in any event within thirty (30) minutes after discovery of a Digital Train Incident) notify by email to the Company's points of contacts. c) if the Digital Train Incident relates to a Connected Onboard System, the Contractor shall notify the supplier of the Connected Onboard System about any Digital Train Incident discovered during the monitoring promptly (and in any event within thirty (30) minutes after discovery of a Digital Trian Incident).",
        "status": "complete",
        "procurementMethod": "direct",
        "procurementMethodDetails": "Direct award",
        "procurementMethodRationale": "We aim to extend the contract to cover the end-of-life period for the product/hardware provided by this supplier. The service they offer is bespoke and specific to the hardware that has been installed across all of Northern legacy fleets of trains. The roll out period for the original equipment installation was 5 years commencing from the first unit until the last and noting that these units are due to be replaced shortly after 2030 it would not be economically viable to change the hardware out.",
        "specialRegime": [
            "utilities"
        ],
        "lots": [
            {
                "id": "1",
                "status": "complete"
            }
        ],
        "documents": [
            {
                "id": "conflictOfInterest",
                "documentType": "conflictOfInterest",
                "description": "Not published"
            }
        ],
        "procurementMethodRationaleClassifications": [
            {
                "id": "singleSuppliersIntellectualPropertyExclusiveRights"
            }
        ]
    },
    "awards": [
        {
            "id": "1",
            "status": "pending",
            "value": {
                "amountGross": 10200000,
                "amount": 8500000,
                "currency": "GBP"
            },
            "mainProcurementCategory": "services",
            "aboveThreshold": true,
            "suppliers": [
                {
                    "id": "GB-COH-06089258",
                    "name": "Icomera UK Limited"
                }
            ],
            "items": [
                {
                    "id": "1",
                    "additionalClassifications": [
                        {
                            "scheme": "CPV",
                            "id": "72000000",
                            "description": "IT services: consulting, software development, Internet and support"
                        }
                    ],
                    "deliveryAddresses": [
                        {
                            "region": "UKC",
                            "country": "GB",
                            "countryName": "United Kingdom"
                        },
                        {
                            "region": "UKD",
                            "country": "GB",
                            "countryName": "United Kingdom"
                        },
                        {
                            "region": "UKE",
                            "country": "GB",
                            "countryName": "United Kingdom"
                        },
                        {
                            "region": "UKF",
                            "country": "GB",
                            "countryName": "United Kingdom"
                        },
                        {
                            "region": "UKG",
                            "country": "GB",
                            "countryName": "United Kingdom"
                        },
                        {
                            "region": "UKH",
                            "country": "GB",
                            "countryName": "United Kingdom"
                        },
                        {
                            "region": "UKI",
                            "country": "GB",
                            "countryName": "United Kingdom"
                        },
                        {
                            "region": "UKJ",
                            "country": "GB",
                            "countryName": "United Kingdom"
                        },
                        {
                            "region": "UKK",
                            "country": "GB",
                            "countryName": "United Kingdom"
                        },
                        {
                            "region": "UKC",
                            "country": "GB",
                            "countryName": "United Kingdom"
                        },
                        {
                            "region": "UKD",
                            "country": "GB",
                            "countryName": "United Kingdom"
                        },
                        {
                            "region": "UKE",
                            "country": "GB",
                            "countryName": "United Kingdom"
                        },
                        {
                            "region": "UKF",
                            "country": "GB",
                            "countryName": "United Kingdom"
                        },
                        {
                            "region": "UKG",
                            "country": "GB",
                            "countryName": "United Kingdom"
                        },
                        {
                            "region": "UKH",
                            "country": "GB",
                            "countryName": "United Kingdom"
                        },
                        {
                            "region": "UKI",
                            "country": "GB",
                            "countryName": "United Kingdom"
                        },
                        {
                            "region": "UKJ",
                            "country": "GB",
                            "countryName": "United Kingdom"
                        },
                        {
                            "region": "UKK",
                            "country": "GB",
                            "countryName": "United Kingdom"
                        }
                    ],
                    "relatedLot": "1"
                }
            ],
            "contractPeriod": {
                "startDate": "2025-05-30T00:00:00+01:00",
                "endDate": "2027-03-31T23:59:59+01:00",
                "maxExtentDate": "2030-03-31T23:59:59+01:00"
            },
            "hasRenewal": true,
            "renewal": {
                "description": "optional extensions of 3 X 1 years subject to agreement between both parties"
            },
            "relatedLots": [
                "1"
            ],
            "documents": [
                {
                    "id": "021496-2025",
                    "documentType": "awardNotice",
                    "noticeType": "UK5",
                    "description": "Transparency notice on Find a Tender",
                    "url": "https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/021496-2025",
                    "datePublished": "2025-05-14T17:56:53+01:00",
                    "format": "text/html"
                },
                {
                    "id": "021831-2025",
                    "documentType": "awardNotice",
                    "noticeType": "UK6",
                    "description": "Contract award notice on Find a Tender",
                    "url": "https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/021831-2025",
                    "datePublished": "2025-05-15T15:07:37+01:00",
                    "format": "text/html"
                }
            ],
            "milestones": [
                {
                    "id": "1",
                    "type": "futureSignatureDate",
                    "dueDate": "2025-05-30T23:59:59+01:00",
                    "status": "scheduled"
                }
            ],
            "date": "2025-05-15T00:00:00+01:00",
            "standstillPeriod": {
                "endDate": "2025-05-27T23:59:59+01:00"
            }
        }
    ],
    "language": "en"
}