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Wales & Western - Civils Examination Services (Earthworks)

Network Rail Infrastructure Ltd

This public procurement record has 3 releases in its history.

Award

18 Sep 2026 at 15:40

UK6 - Contract Award Notice
Tender

21 Nov 2025 at 12:01

UK4 - Tender Notice
Planning

16 Sep 2025 at 14:26

UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Summary of the contracting process

Network Rail Infrastructure Limited procured earthworks examination services for its Wales and Western railway routes. The work covers inspection, examination and reporting of earthwork slopes, including soil and rock cuttings, embankments, natural slopes, coastal and estuarine earthwork defences, and relevant slopes outside Network Rail’s boundary. Services include cyclical examinations, rapid-response examinations following failures or emergencies, and geotechnical incident reports. Suppliers must arrange access, undertake necessary vegetation clearance, produce reports, update Network Rail’s Earthworks Database using its examination software, and support the employer’s representative. The requirement is primarily an engineering inspection service, with associated vegetation-management and earthworks activity, delivered across Wales, western England and the London area.

The procurement is complete and has resulted in two active framework awards to A&J Arb Access Limited and GeoAccess Limited, each awarded on 18 September 2026 at £24 million excluding VAT (£28.8 million including VAT). Each award has a contract period from 9 October 2026 to 9 October 2029, with an option for five further 12-month extensions, potentially extending to 9 October 2034. The open competitive flexible procedure used a pre-qualification stage followed by an invitation to tender. Four valid bids were received, with up to five suppliers able to progress from the first stage. Evaluation was weighted 60% technical quality and 40% commercial pricing. The framework operates without reopening competition, using a schedule of rates and route allocation between the two suppliers.

This award shows sustained demand from Network Rail for specialist earthworks examination and geotechnical incident services delivered at railway infrastructure scale. A credible future competitor would need the technical capability to inspect soil and rock cuttings, embankments, natural slopes, coastal and estuarine defences, and outside-party slopes, including emergency response and vegetation clearance. It would also need to produce compliant reports, manage examination programmes, support asset-risk decisions and maintain accurate records in Network Rail’s Earthworks Database using the required software. At award stage, the successful supplier had to hold a Principal Contractor’s Licence and RISQS registration for Earthworks/Service Structures Examinations and Vegetation Management on Network Rail-controlled infrastructure. Evidence of competent technical resources, route-wide coordination and readiness for data-led or satellite-supported examination methods would strengthen a competing proposition.

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Notice Information

Notice Title

Wales & Western - Civils Examination Services (Earthworks)

Notice Description

Civil examinations within Network Rail refer to the inspection, examination and reporting of structural assets to ensure the safety, reliability, and longevity of railway infrastructure. These examinations help identify defects, monitor structural integrity, and determine necessary maintenance or repair works to prevent failures and ensure continued safe operation of the rail network. An Earthwork examination shall be sufficient to identify or determine and record information to enable Network Rail to manage the safety and performance of the Earthwork in accordance with NR/L3/CIV/065. Asset types to be examined: * Earthworks (as defined by NR/L3/CIV/065): Five chain lengths of Earthwork slope: a soil cutting, rock cutting embankment, or natural slope * Coastal and Estuarine Defences that are formed of earthworks: A Structure that protects railway infrastructure against erosion or flooding by tidal waters. It includes protection works, which protect land against erosion and encroachment by such waters, and which perform no flood defence role; and defences, which protect against flooding or attack by such waters. * Outside Party Slopes, whose failure may impact on Network Rail infrastructure, where the outside party is unable to provide a satisfactory management policy for the slope, will be, so far as is lawful, be subject to a cyclical examination. * A cutting, embankment or natural slope, outside of the Network Rail boundary, owned or managed by an outside party, which may impact on Network Rail infrastructure. Where the outside party is unable to provide a satisfactory management policy for the slope or demonstrate by other means that it is being managed in a satisfactory manner, the slope will, so far as is lawful, be subject to a cyclical examination. Examination Types: * Cyclical Earthwork Examination: These examinations are cyclical in accordance with the Task Schedule or as otherwise instructed by Employer's representative. The scope must adhere to SCHI, SEHI and/or RSHI in accordance with NR/L3/CIV/065 * Rapid Response Earthwork Examination: These examinations are for Emergency Situations as required. The scope is as required by Network Rail. * Geotechnical Incident Report: These examinations are as required by Network Rail. The scope is in accordance with NR/L3/CIV/185. Each Examination of an earthwork shall: * Include the production of a report. * Include an examination to record and report the findings related to the condition of the earthworks including all necessary preparations and arrangements for access to the earthwork. * Update and record data obtained during the examinations in the Network Rail Earthworks Database using Network Rail Earthworks Examination Software. * Support the Employer's Representative in the management and co-ordination of examination of earthworks. * Include any vegetation clearance necessary to enable examinations of earthwork. * Provide a rapid response service to attend and report on earthwork failures and Geotechnical incidents in accordance with NR/L3/CIV/065 and NR/L3/CIV/185. In the later years of this Framework, the Geotech teams plan to move to non-traditional methods of examination. By integrating satellite data into core processes, and other observed data sets, the business can significantly reduce its reliance on traditional on-site examinations, enhancing efficiency and improving asset management decisions. Based on currently available information we are expecing the following: * CP7 Y4 50% reduction in Condition A-C assets excluding rock cuttings * CP7 Y5 70% reduction in Condition A-C assets excluding rock cuttings

Lot Information

Lot 1

Renewal: Initial Term: 3 Years Extension Term: 1+1+1+1+1 Years

Planning Information

Please complete the questionnaire https://forms.office.com/e/MQg4HnttsN by 30th September 2025. Responses will be reviewed to inform the design of the procurement strategy and framework documentation. Completion of the questionnaire is not a prerequisite for future participation in the tender, but early engagement will help ensure the framework is structured to meet the needs of both Network Rail and the supply market. If you have any questions regarding this notice please contact rhiah.mclean@networkrail.co.uk

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-059b66
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/088822-2026
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Planning, Tender, Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK6 - Contract Award Notice
Procurement Type
Framework
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Open
Procurement Method Details
Competitive flexible procedure
Tender Suitability
SME, VCSE
Awardee Scale
SME

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

71 - Architectural, construction, engineering and inspection services

CPV Codes

71631400 - Technical inspection services of engineering structures

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£24,000,000 £10M-£100M
Lots Value
£24,000,000 £10M-£100M
Awards Value
£24,000,000 £10M-£100M
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
18 Sep 20261 months ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
21 Nov 2025Expired
Award Date
18 Sep 20261 months ago
Contract Period
9 Oct 2026 - 9 Oct 2029 3-4 years
Recurrence
2026-05-29

Notice Status

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

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
Network Rail Infrastructure Ltd
Contact Name
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Email
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Phone
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →

Buyer Location

Locality
LONDON
Postcode
SE1 8SW
Postcode Area
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
TLI7 Outer London - West and North West, TLK South West (England), TLL Wales
Local Authority
Lambeth
Electoral Ward
Waterloo & South Bank
Westminster Constituency
Vauxhall and Camberwell Green

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
2
Supplier Names

A&J Arb Access Limited

GeoAccess Ltd

Further Information

Notice Documents

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

View full OCDS Record for this contracting process

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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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