Award

904724896 T1350 Understanding root causes and preventing freight wagon wheel flats Work Package 3 - Static Brake Testing of Freight Vehicles

RAIL SAFETY STANDARDS BOARD (RSSB)

This public procurement record has 2 releases in its history.

Award

16 Dec 2025 at 12:05

Tender

17 Sep 2025 at 16:09

Summary of the contracting process

The Rail Safety Standards Board (RSSB), based in London, is managing a procurement process entitled "904724896 T1350 Understanding root causes and preventing freight wagon wheel flats Work Package 3 – Static Brake Testing of Freight Vehicles". This contract, which falls under the services category within the research industry, aims to gather empirical data to enhance decision-making and modelling of freight braking systems. The initial tender stage was announced on 17th September 2025, with the tender period concluding on 17th October 2025, while the project is scheduled to commence on 18th November 2025 and will run until 10th April 2026. The procurement follows an open method, characterised as a below-threshold open competition, and requires electronic submissions through the Delta eSourcing portal.

This tender provides an excellent opportunity for businesses specialising in research services, particularly those with expertise in railway braking systems, to contribute to an important safety project. Large enterprises, such as Engineering Support Group Ltd, which has already been actively involved, as well as small and medium enterprises (SMEs), can thrive by participating in this project. The procurement process prioritises quality criteria concerning the understanding of the methodology, expertise, and project management, contributing to opportunities for companies that can deliver innovative approaches and solutions. Successful involvement can lead to positive exposure within the railway sector and could open further collaboration opportunities in related areas of freight safety research.

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Notice Title

904724896 T1350 Understanding root causes and preventing freight wagon wheel flats Work Package 3 - Static Brake Testing of Freight Vehicles

Notice Description

At the highest level, this work package seeks to provide missing empirical data which will support decision making and modelling to better understand how the behaviour of freight braking systems impact on the generation of wheel flats. This project will seek to characterise and document the behaviour of freight braking systems in real world settings. In combination with the other work packages, the outputs of this study will be used to inform the conclusions of the project overall and will provide useful input to other research activities on freight safety. Specifically, the outputs from this work package will support the research in characterising longitudinal compressive forces in freight (T1352), and the investigation into the factors impacting freight braking in low adhesion (T1351). The outputs will be achieved through a variety of static brake tests of real freight trains. The specific objectives of the project will be to: 1.Identify suitable testing parameters or categorisation to prioritise testing and agree a test regime. 2.Understand the performance of different locomotives. 3.Understand how braking behaviour varies with different vehicles, brake setups and components. 4.Understand how brake timing and brake force varies down the length of a long train. 5.Understand how different charging/overcharge procedures influence the behaviour of braking systems. Whilst delivering these objectives will have implications on freight braking and deceleration performance. The primary objective of this work is to support research in the topic of freight safety. To view this notice, please click here: https://www.delta-esourcing.com/delta/viewNotice.html?noticeId=1001646902

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-059c9f
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/083297-2025
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Tender, Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK7 - Contract Details Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Open
Procurement Method Details
Below threshold - open competition
Tender Suitability
SME, VCSE
Awardee Scale
Large

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

73 - Research and development services and related consultancy services


CPV Codes

73110000 - Research services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£120,000 £100K-£500K
Lots Value
£120,000 £100K-£500K
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
£120,000 £100K-£500K

Notice Dates

Publication Date
16 Dec 20252 months ago
Submission Deadline
17 Oct 2025Expired
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
11 Nov 20253 months ago
Contract Period
18 Nov 2025 - 10 Apr 2026 1-6 months
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

Tender Status
Complete
Lots Status
Complete
Awards Status
Active
Contracts Status
Active

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
RAIL SAFETY STANDARDS BOARD (RSSB)
Contact Name
Procurement Team
Contact Email
procurement@rssb.co.uk
Contact Phone
+44 2031425651

Buyer Location

Locality
LONDON
Postcode
EC3M 5AD
Post Town
Central London
Country
England

Major Region (ITL 1)
TLI London
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLI3 Inner London - West
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLI35 Westminster and City of London
Delivery Location
Not specified

Local Authority
City of London
Electoral Ward
Aldgate
Westminster Constituency
Cities of London and Westminster

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
1
Supplier Name

ENGINEERING SUPPORT GROUP

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

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