Tender

Temporary Labour for GWR

FIRST GREATER WESTERN LIMITED

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

Tender

12 Nov 2025 at 13:19

Summary of the contracting process

The procurement process initiated by FIRST GREATER WESTERN LIMITED, a private utility entity located in Wiltshire, UK, is focused on acquiring temporary labour services for Great Western Railway (GWR). The tender, titled "Temporary Labour for GWR," falls under the industry category of personnel supply services and encompasses regions across the UK. This tender is currently in the 'tender' stage with a procurement method described as a competitive flexible procedure, which includes a two-stage process with a Pre-Qualification Questionnaire (PQQ) and subsequent phases. The expression of interest deadline is set for 12 December 2025, while the award period concludes on 25 March 2026. The scope involves fulfilling varying demands for temporary staff including roles in station operations and event support.

This tender presents substantial growth opportunities for businesses involved in personnel supply, particularly those capable of providing flexible and responsive temporary workforce solutions. Companies with expertise in managing fluctuations in staffing needs, and those capable of covering both short-notice assignments and planned special events, are well-suited to bid. The requirement for extensive temporary support, estimated between 10,000 to 15,000 hours per quarter, offers a lucrative opportunity for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and voluntary, community and social enterprises (VCSEs) that can efficiently manage the operational and customer service aspects demanded by GWR. The tender is divided into two lots, offering varied roles from admin support to frontline customer services, thereby providing multiple avenues for market entry.

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Notice Title

Temporary Labour for GWR

Notice Description

At certain times throughout the year, GWR requires temporary staff to support with either routine station operations or specific planned events. Increased footfall during peak seasons is often reflected in an increased seasonal demand for temporary staff, whereas business as usual demands (eg to cover sickness or roster gaps) can fluctuate throughout the year, requiring a responsive temporary workforce that can flex with our needs. These temporary staff are specifically required to support with the following functions/roles: * Gateline * Station Assistance * General Customer Service * Events * Projects/Possessions Role Profiles will be shared during the tender exercise. Objectives The temporary labour contract must ensure continuity of operations, provide support for special events and meet project deadlines by supplementing the permanent GWR workforce with qualified temporary personnel. Flexibility and responsiveness is essential to enable fulfilment of short-notice requests for either single shifts or longer-term cover, and proactive forecasting and modelling is required to ensure good coverage for pre-planned special events and projects/possessions across the network. Scope of Services Services will be requested as required, with forecasting and modelling taking place where possible, but with short-term requests required to ensure good coverage of business as usual operations. Job roles required are Gateline, Station Assistance, general customer service, and support during events or projects/possessions. The number of personnel required to support with the GWR operation may vary significantly but is estimated to be between 10,000-15,000 hours per quarter (based on 2024/25 figures). Expected working hours could fall anywhere between 06:00-23:00 (dependent on region, station and role), and shifts should generally be between 7 and 10 hours in duration. Temporary labour assignments, particularly ad hoc requests, could be located at any station across the GWR network, see GWR Route Map in the Appendix. Stations that annually have special events and will require a volume of forecasted support include Cheltenham Spa, Bath Spa, Henley-on-Thames, Reading, Castle Cary and Newquay. The duration of engagement could vary significantly, based on the role, location and reason for request. For short-notice sickness cover the requirement could be for just one or two shifts. Longer-term sickness coverage, or support with filling a roster due to other absence, could mean an engagement of many weeks or even months. A special event or possession, dependent on scale and duration, could require a booking of three or four consecutive shifts, up to a few weeks or even longer. Temporary labour support at GWR is often required more at weekends (particularly Sunday) than during the week, so the labour provider should note that coverage of weekend shifts is a key requirement. Specific tasks and responsibilities are outlined in the Role Profiles included in the Appendix, with training provided where necessary, and temporary staff should also be expected to comply with any reasonable request from a Station Manager.

Lot Information

Admin, Finance and Business Support Functions

Provision of temporary labour for the following roles: - Admin - Finance - Business support functions

Renewal: We intend to proceed with a 3-year contract term with an option to extend for a period of 2 years (1+1).Contract duration is subject to DFT approval.

Operational Support

At certain times throughout the year, GWR requires temporary staff to support with either routine station operations or specific planned events. Increased footfall during peak seasons is often reflected in an increased seasonal demand for temporary staff, whereas business as usual demands (eg to cover sickness or roster gaps) can fluctuate throughout the year, requiring a responsive temporary workforce that can flex with our needs. These temporary staff are specifically required to support with the following functions/roles: * Gateline * Station Assistance * General Customer Service * Events * Projects/Possessions

Renewal: We intend to proceed with a 3-year contract term with an option to extend for a period of 2 years (1+1).Contract duration is subject to DFT approval.

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-05df95
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/073182-2025
Current Stage
Tender
All Stages
Tender

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK4 - Tender Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Selective
Procurement Method Details
Competitive flexible procedure
Tender Suitability
SME, VCSE
Awardee Scale
Not specified

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

79 - Business services: law, marketing, consulting, recruitment, printing and security


CPV Codes

79620000 - Supply services of personnel including temporary staff

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£1,263,653 £1M-£10M
Lots Value
£1,263,653 £1M-£10M
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
12 Nov 20253 months ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
31 May 2026 - 31 May 2029 3-4 years
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

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

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
FIRST GREATER WESTERN LIMITED
Additional Buyers

FIRST RAIL HOLDINGS LIMITED

Contact Name
Not specified
Contact Email
maria.banuls@firstrail.com, procurement@gwr.com
Contact Phone
Not specified

Buyer Location

Locality
WILTSHIRE
Postcode
SN1 1HL
Post Town
Swindon
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
Westminster
Electoral Ward
Hyde Park
Westminster Constituency
Cities of London and Westminster

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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