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Rail Storage Services at Askern and Marchwood

NETWORK RAIL INFRASTRUCTURE LIMITED

This public procurement record has 4 releases in its history.

Award

10 Jul 2026 at 11:26

UK7 - Contract Details Notice
Award

08 Jun 2026 at 13:28

UK6 - Contract Award Notice
Award

13 Mar 2026 at 14:53

UK5 - Transparency Notice
Planning

15 Jan 2026 at 10:45

UK1 - Pipeline Notice
Summary of the contracting process

In a significant procurement process, Network Rail Infrastructure Limited, a central government public authority based in London, is handling direct awards for "Rail Storage Services at Askern and Marchwood". This process involves the provision of rail storage services with specific locations in Askern near Doncaster and Marchwood near Southampton. The procurement stage is in the award phase as of July 2026, having moved through planning since January 2026. The total estimated value of the contracts for these services amounts to approximately £4.18 million. The contracts are expected to commence in mid-2026, with Lot 1 at Askern lasting five years from July 2027 and Lot 2 at Marchwood lasting one year, starting in June 2026. The procurement follows a direct award method, justified by exclusive land rights and absence of competition for technical reasons.

This tender presents a valuable opportunity for businesses involved in railway infrastructure, particularly those able to handle railway-track maintenance services. SMEs, such as Inframat Limited, which is actively participating in this procurement, demonstrate the suitability for smaller enterprises to partake in sizeable contracts owing to specialised technical capabilities or exclusive rights. Additionally, large organisations like Associated British Ports are suitable for different aspects of the services required. Businesses with capabilities in rail storage, unloading, and loading services can find growth potential by engaging in partnerships with major infrastructure projects such as those orchestrated by Network Rail. Ensuring technical expertise and exclusive location access are critical for effective participation in such ventures.

How relevant is this notice?

Notice Information

Notice Title

Rail Storage Services at Askern and Marchwood

Notice Description

The requirement is to award two direct awards for the provision of Rail Storage services, one at Askern near Doncaster for short rail (less then 36m) and one at Marchwood near Southampton for the remaining overseas long rail (54/108m) that is not stored at Scunthorpe. Part of the requirements include unloading and loading at Askern and internal shunting and loading at Marchwood by the suppliers. The plan is to award the agreements, using appropriate indexation for the management of price control. Lot 1 at Askern is expected to last for 5 years starting in 2027 with a total value of 1329274 GBP and Lot 2 at Marchwood is expected to last for 1 year from June 2026 with a total value of 2855714 GBP, the total value of the two direct awards being 4184988 GBP.

Procurement Information

The awards are proposed to be in accordance with the Procurement Regulations 2024and Procurement Act 2023 Section 41 Schedule 5 as the following justifications: i) 5 (a/b) Other exclusive rights (primary justification) The suppliers have exclusive rights to the land upon which the existing rail stock is stored and therefore there are no reasonable alternative suppliers to deliver the services. It would not be reasonable to enter land sub-leases due to the nature of the total scope of services required. ii) 6 (a/b) Absence of competition for technical reasons In the case of Lot 2, no other supplier would be able to provide access to the site at Marchwood (it's a military establishment) or to provide shunting operations on site which is not part of the Network Rail infrastructure. iii) 7 (a/b) Additional/repeat services In both lots, additional services are required to handle/load/shunt the stored rail, which has already been located there under previous procurement arrangements. A change in supplier would result in disproportionate technical difficulties in operation in moving to a new location, handling, quality degradation and removal of the rail to an alternative supplier, whilst not required for use.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-060666
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/065064-2026
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Planning, Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK7 - Contract Details Notice
Procurement Type
Framework
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Direct
Procurement Method Details
Direct award
Tender Suitability
SME, VCSE
Awardee Scale
Large, SME

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

50 - Repair and maintenance services

CPV Codes

50225000 - Railway-track maintenance services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£4,184,988 £1M-£10M
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
£4,184,988 £1M-£10M
Contracts Value
£4,184,988 £1M-£10M

Notice Dates

Publication Date
10 Jul 20261 months ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
17 Feb 2026Expired
Award Date
13 Mar 20265 months ago
Contract Period
1 Jul 2026 - 30 Jun 2027 6-12 months
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

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

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
NETWORK RAIL INFRASTRUCTURE LIMITED
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
Not specified
Local Authority
Lambeth
Electoral Ward
Waterloo & South Bank
Westminster Constituency
Vauxhall and Camberwell Green

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
2
Supplier Names

Associated British Ports

Inframat Limited

Further Information

Notice Documents

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

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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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