Award

TABS Software licencing + support & maintenance

NETWORK RAIL INFRASTRUCTURE LIMITED

This public procurement record has 2 releases in its history.

AwardUpdate

17 Jun 2025 at 12:00

UK5 - Transparency Notice
Award

17 Jun 2025 at 11:32

UK5 - Transparency Notice
Summary of the contracting process

Network Rail Infrastructure Limited has awarded a contract for the renewal of the Microgen Aptitude Software Licence, Maintenance, and Support Agreement through a direct award process. The procurement, titled "TABS Software Licensing + Support & Maintenance," falls under the IT services category and is considered vital for Network Rail's operations. The engagement with Aptitude Software Limited is set to begin on 23rd June 2025, for a three-year period, concluding on 30th June 2028. This strategic procurement aims to enhance Network Rail's Track Access Billing Programme, ensuring improved management and accuracy of billing functions across the UK's railway infrastructure. Located in London, with procurement governed by UK central government regulations, this process bypassed competition based on technical reasons and unique supplier rights, as per the New Procurement Act 2023.

This procurement offers valuable opportunities for businesses involved in IT consultancy, software development and support, especially those with expertise in Microsoft Windows environments, .NET technologies, or specialised financial modelling. Although the direct award favoured Aptitude Software Limited due to their unique capabilities and long-term relationship with Network Rail, businesses equipped to handle software upgrades, technical support, and web application development may explore new opportunities for tenders with similar requirements in the future. Successful engagement in such contracts can significantly broaden a company's portfolio within the public sector, and provide stable long-term projects.

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Notice Information

Notice Title

TABS Software licencing + support & maintenance

Notice Description

This requirement is for a three year renewal for the Microgen Aptitude Software Licence, Maintenance and Support Agreement with Aptitude Software Limited via a Single Tender Action (STA) commencing on 23/06/2025. The "Track access billing programme" has been established within Route Services IT to deliver a consolidated software application, database and infrastructure for the recording of Track Access, Compensation Payments (Planned and Unplanned) and the maintenance of reference data. The Billing programme is a strategic programme to improve the way in which the billing function for Network Rail (NR) is carried out and managed by the organisation. As a longstanding client of Aptitude since 2008, Network Rail has leveraged Aptitude Software Limited platform to support critical internal operations through a customised application built and maintained using the Aptitude Platform. Key Areas of Support: * Web Application Development Network Rail uses the Aptitude Platform's web application generator to develop and operate an internal application. Uniquely, they run their environment on Microsoft Windows, utilising IIS (Internet Information Services) and .NET technologies, rather than the more common Linux-based setup. * Calculation Capability The platform supports core business calculations - specifically, those used to model and determine the fees other companies must pay to access and use railway infrastructure. These financial models are essential to Network Rail's operations. * Ongoing Upgrades and Technical Support Aptitude has supported several platform upgrades over the years, with the most recent migration to version 24.4.1. We assisted in resolving issues during this process, particularly compatibility concerns with Windows Server 2022. * Testing and Migration Status Network Rail is in the final phase of testing their newly upgraded application. Most system tests have been completed successfully, with a few final validations currently underway. * Continued Engagement While direct development work has been minimal since 2019, Aptitude continues to provide proactive technical support, version upgrades, and assistance with troubleshooting to ensure continued platform stability.

Procurement Information

This award is compliant with the New Procurement Act 2023 under section 41 referencing I7 Sch. 5 para. 4 and para. 5 ; competition is absent for technical reasons . The Rationale is as follows: Due to a particular supplier having intellectual property rights or other exclusive rights, only that supplier can supply the goods, services or works required, and There are no reasonable alternatives to those goods, services or works. due to an absence of competition for technical reasons, only a particular supplier can supply the goods, services or works required, and There are no other suppliers in the marketplace that are able to replace NR's legacy billing systems with a single solution that could manage changes to the billing rules more effectively and to more efficiently manage the workload and improve the accuracy of revenue collection.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-054e31
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/032937-2025
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK5 - Transparency Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Direct
Procurement Method Details
Direct award
Tender Suitability
Not specified
Awardee Scale
Not specified

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
£827,198 £500K-£1M
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
17 Jun 20258 months ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
17 Jun 20258 months ago
Contract Period
22 Jun 2025 - 30 Jun 2028 3-4 years
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

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

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
NETWORK RAIL INFRASTRUCTURE LIMITED
Contact Name
Humza Tayyab
Contact Email
humza.tayyab@networkrail.co.uk
Contact Phone
Not specified

Buyer Location

Locality
LONDON
Postcode
SE1 8SW
Post Town
South East London
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLI London
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLI4 Inner London - East
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLI45 Lambeth
Delivery Location
Not specified
Local Authority
Lambeth
Electoral Ward
Waterloo & South Bank
Westminster Constituency
Vauxhall and Camberwell Green

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. 

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