Award

Hire of McCulloch Unimog, Trailer System and Track Rail Transporter (TRT)

TRANSPORT FOR LONDON

This public procurement record has 2 releases in its history.

Award

08 Sep 2025 at 08:50

Award

08 Jul 2025 at 21:34

Summary of the contracting process

Transport for London has awarded a contract for the hire of specialised rail equipment developed by McCulloch Group Limited, aimed at supporting rail maintenance works on both the Elizabeth Line and London Underground ballasted track renewal programmes. The contract, with a gross value of £1,140,000, involves the deployment of the McCulloch Unimog, Trailer System, and Trac Rail Transposer (TRT), which will be vital in manoeuvring long rail segments in areas with access constraints. This direct award was necessary due to the unique specifications and the lack of alternatives in the market. The contract is set to commence on 1st October 2025 and will run until 1st October 2027, covering several regions across the United Kingdom.

This tender opens avenues for business growth, particularly for suppliers in the rail transport equipment industry who specialise in niche or bespoke machinery. The direct award highlights a market opportunity for businesses capable of developing unique solutions to specific rail transport challenges, ensuring they meet stringent safety and operational requirements. Companies with innovative technologies in rail transportation and those equipped to offer agile support services are well-positioned to engage in similar future opportunities, especially those that provide critical infrastructure support under constrained project timelines.

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Notice Title

Hire of McCulloch Unimog, Trailer System and Track Rail Transporter (TRT)

Notice Description

Contract award for: 1. Hire of McCulloch Unimog and Trailer System (including Operator, machine controller and fitter) to support Elizabeth Line re-railing programme. 2. Hire of McCulloch Trac Rail Transposer (TRT) (including Operator and fitter) to support London Underground ballasted track renewal programme. Both products were developed by McCulloch Group. Hire of McCulloch Unimog and Trailer System The Unimog and Trailer System is a road rail vehicle specifically adapted for rail operations, including the removal, transportation, and installation of 108m rail lengths, and the movement of Switches & Crossings (S&C). Based on the current access opportunities over the next 2 years, the Elizabeth Line requires the supply of Unimog and Trailer system for 16 possession shifts as prescribed within the Elizabeth Line Re-railing Strategy in appendix 2. Hire of McCulloch Trac Rail Transposer (TRT) TRTs were used historically for track renewals delivered by Integrated Track Team (Balfour Beatty). It is a compact, rubber-tracked machine designed for transporting to and removing long rail around a work site. For ballasted track renewal sites with access constraints, where rail cannot be delivered to the work location by LU Engineering Vehicles (e.g single track, island platform), a TRT is the only option to transport the rail in and the availability of this type of machine is critical for the completion of the works. A breakdown of the requested DPA is provided below: 1. Supply of McCulloch Unimog and Trailer System for Elizabeth Line: PS800,000. This is based on 16 possession shifts with an estimate of PS50,000 per possession 2. Supply of Track Rail Transporter for the Ballasted Track Renewals: PS150,000. This is based on 13 delivery projects with an estimate of PS11,300 per possession Total: PS950,000

Procurement Information

Elizabeth Line have contacted the rail suppliers and unable to find any other trailer system or plant based options to transport 108m lengths of rail across the market. The system used are a McCulloch design and build so aren't available by other suppliers. The re-rail works are necessary to maintain the public safety on the operation of Elizabeth Line.

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-055b8f
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/054514-2025
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

34 - Transport equipment and auxiliary products to transportation

65 - Public utilities


CPV Codes

34000000 - Transport equipment and auxiliary products to transportation

65000000 - Public utilities

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
Not specified
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
£950,000 £500K-£1M
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
8 Sep 20255 months ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
8 Jul 20257 months ago
Contract Period
30 Sep 2025 - 1 Oct 2027 2-3 years
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

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

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
TRANSPORT FOR LONDON
Contact Name
Not specified
Contact Email
bsfaribaadministration@tfl.gov.uk
Contact Phone
Not specified

Buyer Location

Locality
LONDON
Postcode
E20 1JN
Post Town
East London
Country
England

Major Region (ITL 1)
TLI London
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLI4 Inner London - East
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLI41 Hackney and Newham
Delivery Location
Not specified

Local Authority
Newham
Electoral Ward
Stratford Olympic Park
Westminster Constituency
Stratford and Bow

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
1
Supplier Name

MCCULLOCH GROUP

Further Information

Notice Documents

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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