Planning

Delivery of Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) Training

NETWORK RAIL INFRASTRUCTURE LIMITED

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

Planning

30 Jul 2025 at 13:22

Summary of the contracting process

Network Rail Infrastructure Limited is in the planning stage for a procurement process titled "Delivery of Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) Training." This involves market engagement to gather supplier insights regarding the provision of NDT training services. The buying organisation, a central government public authority, is located in London, United Kingdom. Interested parties are encouraged to return a completed questionnaire as part of the Market Engagement by the deadline on the 15th of August, 2025. The procurement falls under the services category, with a framework agreement anticipated, and encompasses training services and non-destructive testing services across various UK regions. The contract period is planned to start on the 1st of October, 2026, ending on the 30th of September, 2028, with possible renewal extending to 2030.

This tender offers a valuable opportunity for SMEs and VCSEs specialising in training and non-destructive testing services. Businesses with a focus on delivering high-quality, safety-critical training across multiple sites will find this engagement beneficial for growth. The procurement process involves a framework lotting structure, allowing suppliers to demonstrate innovative methods and capabilities, with the potential for sub-contracting opportunities. Engaging with Network Rail’s planned procurement could position businesses to become key suppliers in this sector, enabling them to enhance service offerings and expand market presence in the UK rail industry. Moreover, this tender encourages suppliers to contribute to Network Rail’s strategies around equality, diversity, and inclusion, ensuring alignment with industry standards and practices.

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

Delivery of Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) Training

Notice Description

Network Rail is undertaking this Market Engagement exercise to gather insights from potential suppliers regarding the future provision of Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) training. This engagement is intended to inform the development of a potential procurement strategy and ensure that any future contracting approach is aligned with market capabilities, best practices, and innovation in training delivery. The purpose of this Market Engagement is to: -Understanding views of the supply market on the proposed scope, pricing mechanism and call-off mechanism. -Identify any additional or alternative services, requirements or concepts that Network Rail have not considered - this information may then be considered to support Network Rail in developing/updating the scope of services for the tender opportunity. -Identify suitable suppliers available in the market. -Identify the capacity and capabilities of the suppliers available in the market. -Engage with the supply market and understand the level of interest in bidding for this potential future opportunity. -Allow suppliers who are interested in any potential future tender activity relating to this requirement, to be aware of the procurement platform that will be used and provide them with the steps to complete qualification to this platform if requested (should they not have already done so). Please note that any content received in response to this Market Engagement will be used for information purposes only and will not be deemed as forming part of any proposed bid or potential future tender. The Requirement Proposed Framework Lotting Structure and Service NR is considering the use of a Lotting Structure with either a single supplier or a number of suppliers to deliver the services for NDT. The breakdown of courses per Lot can be found in Annex B - Scope of Services. NR acknowledges that a percentage of the delivery maybe sub-contracted with NR's approval of the subcontractor. The supplier may need to serve multiple sites, supplier owned or at NR premises, of which locations are varied across the Regions. The supplier must: -Provide high quality training. -Ensure that trainers have enough knowledge of NR and/or the rail industry, and a detailed knowledge of the subject area concerned. -Ensure all trainers are approved as per the Associate Trainer Process (ATP), as set out below (NB Suppliers do not need ATP approval to tender for this opportunity but this will need to be in place following the award of a contract). -Ensure that all personnel and trainers maintain all appropriate and current qualifications and/or competences necessary. -Promote equality, diversity, and inclusion as per NRs strategy Equity, diversity and inclusion - Network Rail; and -Ensure that its personnel and trainers adhere to the relevant assurances set out in NR standard NR/L2/CTM/202. This standard specifies requirements for the quality assurance of training/assessment organisations and individuals involved in the delivery of training/assessments which award a Network Rail competence which is deemed Safety Critical and requires an 'Authority to Work'.

Planning Information

The Market Engagement will take place through completion of a questionnaire to be returned by 15th August 2025. To access the Market Engagement submission document, please go to our Bravo site via the link and select "View Current Opportunities" at the bottom left of the login page. Select the Link for Delivery of NDT Training Courses and complete the response to the engagement questionnaire. Please note that there is no need to login to Bravo to be able to access the opportunity. The instructions for returning the market engagement information are included within the Market Engagement document titled NDT Pre Market Engagement. The link to the Opportunity Listing on Bravo is - https://networkrail.bravosolution.co.uk/esop/toolkit/opportunity

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-056924
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/044310-2025
Current Stage
Planning
All Stages
Planning

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Procurement Type
Framework
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Not Specified
Procurement Method Details
Not specified
Tender Suitability
SME, VCSE
Awardee Scale
Not specified

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

71 - Architectural, construction, engineering and inspection services

80 - Education and training services


CPV Codes

71632200 - Non-destructive testing services

80500000 - Training services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£3,000,000 £1M-£10M
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
30 Jul 20256 months ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
5 Jan 2026Expired
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
30 Sep 2026 - 30 Sep 2028 2-3 years
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

Tender Status
Planning
Lots Status
Planning
Awards Status
Not Specified
Contracts Status
Not Specified

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
NETWORK RAIL INFRASTRUCTURE LIMITED
Contact Name
James Owen
Contact Email
james.owen3@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

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-056924-2025-07-30T14:22:24+01:00",
    "date": "2025-07-30T14:22:24+01:00",
    "ocid": "ocds-h6vhtk-056924",
    "initiationType": "tender",
    "parties": [
        {
            "id": "GB-PPON-PNZN-9524-VCQJ",
            "name": "NETWORK RAIL INFRASTRUCTURE LIMITED",
            "identifier": {
                "scheme": "GB-PPON",
                "id": "PNZN-9524-VCQJ"
            },
            "address": {
                "streetAddress": "Waterloo General Office",
                "locality": "London",
                "postalCode": "SE1 8SW",
                "country": "GB",
                "countryName": "United Kingdom",
                "region": "UKI45"
            },
            "contactPoint": {
                "name": "James Owen",
                "email": "james.owen3@networkrail.co.uk"
            },
            "roles": [
                "buyer"
            ],
            "details": {
                "url": "https://www.networkrail.co.uk/",
                "classifications": [
                    {
                        "scheme": "UK_CA_TYPE",
                        "id": "publicAuthorityCentralGovernment",
                        "description": "Public authority - central government"
                    }
                ]
            }
        }
    ],
    "buyer": {
        "id": "GB-PPON-PNZN-9524-VCQJ",
        "name": "NETWORK RAIL INFRASTRUCTURE LIMITED"
    },
    "planning": {
        "milestones": [
            {
                "id": "engagement",
                "type": "engagement",
                "description": "The Market Engagement will take place through completion of a questionnaire to be returned by 15th August 2025. To access the Market Engagement submission document, please go to our Bravo site via the link and select \"View Current Opportunities\" at the bottom left of the login page. Select the Link for Delivery of NDT Training Courses and complete the response to the engagement questionnaire. Please note that there is no need to login to Bravo to be able to access the opportunity. The instructions for returning the market engagement information are included within the Market Engagement document titled NDT Pre Market Engagement. The link to the Opportunity Listing on Bravo is - https://networkrail.bravosolution.co.uk/esop/toolkit/opportunity",
                "dueDate": "2025-08-15T23:59:59+01:00",
                "status": "scheduled"
            }
        ],
        "documents": [
            {
                "id": "044310-2025",
                "documentType": "marketEngagementNotice",
                "noticeType": "UK2",
                "description": "Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender",
                "url": "https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/044310-2025",
                "datePublished": "2025-07-30T14:22:24+01:00",
                "format": "text/html"
            }
        ]
    },
    "tender": {
        "id": "ocds-h6vhtk-056924",
        "legalBasis": {
            "id": "2023/54",
            "scheme": "UKPGA",
            "uri": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/54/contents"
        },
        "title": "Delivery of Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) Training",
        "description": "Network Rail is undertaking this Market Engagement exercise to gather insights from potential suppliers regarding the future provision of Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) training. This engagement is intended to inform the development of a potential procurement strategy and ensure that any future contracting approach is aligned with market capabilities, best practices, and innovation in training delivery. The purpose of this Market Engagement is to: -Understanding views of the supply market on the proposed scope, pricing mechanism and call-off mechanism. -Identify any additional or alternative services, requirements or concepts that Network Rail have not considered - this information may then be considered to support Network Rail in developing/updating the scope of services for the tender opportunity. -Identify suitable suppliers available in the market. -Identify the capacity and capabilities of the suppliers available in the market. -Engage with the supply market and understand the level of interest in bidding for this potential future opportunity. -Allow suppliers who are interested in any potential future tender activity relating to this requirement, to be aware of the procurement platform that will be used and provide them with the steps to complete qualification to this platform if requested (should they not have already done so). Please note that any content received in response to this Market Engagement will be used for information purposes only and will not be deemed as forming part of any proposed bid or potential future tender. The Requirement Proposed Framework Lotting Structure and Service NR is considering the use of a Lotting Structure with either a single supplier or a number of suppliers to deliver the services for NDT. The breakdown of courses per Lot can be found in Annex B - Scope of Services. NR acknowledges that a percentage of the delivery maybe sub-contracted with NR's approval of the subcontractor. The supplier may need to serve multiple sites, supplier owned or at NR premises, of which locations are varied across the Regions. The supplier must: -Provide high quality training. -Ensure that trainers have enough knowledge of NR and/or the rail industry, and a detailed knowledge of the subject area concerned. -Ensure all trainers are approved as per the Associate Trainer Process (ATP), as set out below (NB Suppliers do not need ATP approval to tender for this opportunity but this will need to be in place following the award of a contract). -Ensure that all personnel and trainers maintain all appropriate and current qualifications and/or competences necessary. -Promote equality, diversity, and inclusion as per NRs strategy Equity, diversity and inclusion - Network Rail; and -Ensure that its personnel and trainers adhere to the relevant assurances set out in NR standard NR/L2/CTM/202. This standard specifies requirements for the quality assurance of training/assessment organisations and individuals involved in the delivery of training/assessments which award a Network Rail competence which is deemed Safety Critical and requires an 'Authority to Work'.",
        "items": [
            {
                "id": "1",
                "additionalClassifications": [
                    {
                        "scheme": "CPV",
                        "id": "80500000",
                        "description": "Training services"
                    },
                    {
                        "scheme": "CPV",
                        "id": "71632200",
                        "description": "Non-destructive testing services"
                    }
                ],
                "deliveryAddresses": [
                    {
                        "region": "UK",
                        "country": "GB",
                        "countryName": "United Kingdom"
                    }
                ],
                "relatedLot": "1"
            }
        ],
        "value": {
            "amountGross": 3600000,
            "amount": 3000000,
            "currency": "GBP"
        },
        "mainProcurementCategory": "services",
        "aboveThreshold": true,
        "techniques": {
            "hasFrameworkAgreement": true
        },
        "lots": [
            {
                "id": "1",
                "suitability": {
                    "sme": true,
                    "vcse": true
                },
                "contractPeriod": {
                    "startDate": "2026-10-01T00:00:00+01:00",
                    "endDate": "2028-09-30T23:59:59+01:00",
                    "maxExtentDate": "2030-09-30T23:59:59+01:00"
                },
                "hasRenewal": true,
                "status": "planning"
            }
        ],
        "communication": {
            "futureNoticeDate": "2026-01-05T23:59:59+00:00"
        },
        "status": "planning"
    },
    "language": "en"
}