This public procurement record has 3 releases in its history.

Award

06 Jul 2026 at 10:20

Award

08 May 2026 at 09:45

Award

22 Dec 2025 at 14:58

Summary of the contracting process

London Underground Limited has completed a direct award procurement process for the supply of negative bearings required for the Circle, District, and Hammersmith & City Lines, under the S7 Programme Lift. The contracting authority, in coordination with Transport for London, selected Schaeffler (UK) Limited, based in Sheffield, as the supplier due to the technical specifications and compatibility needed with the existing S-stock bogie system. The contract commenced on 26th June 2026 and is due to end 24th May 2030, with options for a 1+1-year extension. This is a public undertaking under the utilities sector category, located in London, UK.

This tender creates significant opportunities for businesses involved in specialised manufacturing that can deliver precise engineering components crucial for transport infrastructure. Suppliers who possess in-depth knowledge and technical capabilities to meet stringent safety and operational specifications are well-positioned to engage in similar procurement opportunities. Businesses in the mechanical engineering and transport logistics sectors may find growth potential by focusing on niche components that require tailored solutions and compliance with industry standards.

How relevant is this notice?

Notice Title

Supply of Negative Bearings for Circle, District & Hammersmith and City Lines

Notice Description

London Underground Limited (LUL) requires the replacement of existing negative bearings as part of the S7 Programme Lift. The negative bearings form an integral part of the bogie assembly and axle integration, including the negative shoegear, and are critical to the safe and reliable operation of the fleet

Procurement Information

Direct Award justifications: Additional goods, works or services procured under PA23 Direct Award in accordance to the Procurement Act 2023, Section 41.6, Schedule 5, Paragraph 7, quoted directly below: Schedule 5 - Direct Award Justifications Paragraph 7 - The public contract concerns the supply of goods, services or works by the existing supplier which are intended as an extension to, or partial replacement of, existing goods, services or works in circumstances where: (a) a change in supplier would result in the contracting authority receiving goods, services or works that are different from, or incompatible with, the existing goods, services or works, and (b) the difference or incompatibility would result in disproportionate technical difficulties in operation or maintenance. A direct award to Schaeffler is justified as any change in supplier could result in bearings that are incompatible with the existing bogie, axle and negative shoegear interfaces and would therefore create disproportionate technical difficulties for TfL. Schaeffler designed the original S-stock Negative Bearings to Alstom's specifications (train manufacturer), and the detailed engineering parameters, manufacturing tolerances, material characteristics and performance data required to replicate the component to an identical standard are not available to the market. An alternative supplier would therefore need to reverse engineer the bearing without access to the original design specifications, which could result in, a technically different product, requiring extensive validation to establish that it could integrate reliably with the established load paths, rotational characteristics and safety critical clearances of the S-stock bogie system.

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-05fbba
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/063139-2026
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK7 - Contract Details Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Goods
Procurement Method
Direct
Procurement Method Details
Direct award
Tender Suitability
Not specified
Awardee Scale
SME

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

44 - Construction structures and materials; auxiliary products to construction (except electric apparatus)


CPV Codes

44440000 - Bearings

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
Not specified
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
£1,551,699 £1M-£10M
Contracts Value
£1,551,699 £1M-£10M

Notice Dates

Publication Date
6 Jul 20262 weeks ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
22 Dec 20257 months ago
Contract Period
25 Jun 2026 - 24 May 2030 3-4 years
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

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

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
LONDON UNDERGROUND LIMITED
Additional Buyers

TRANSPORT FOR LONDON

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
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

SCHAEFFLER (UK

Further Information

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

View full OCDS Record for this contracting process

JSON Markdown

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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