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Overhaul of Jumpers for S Stock Metropolitan Line Fleet

London Underground Limited

This public procurement record has 4 releases in its history.

Award

30 Sep 2026 at 10:46

UK7 - Contract Details Notice
Award

04 Jun 2026 at 14:31

UK6 - Contract Award Notice
Award

30 Mar 2026 at 10:06

UK5 - Transparency Notice
Planning

05 Mar 2026 at 15:01

UK1 - Pipeline Notice
Summary of the contracting process

London Underground Limited bought an overhaul of the bespoke jumper system used on its Metropolitan line S Stock trains, including parts and labour. The jumpers connect adjacent train cars and carry power and communications between them, supporting onboard systems such as lighting, heating and ventilation, doors, passenger information, safety and diagnostics. The work renews compliance with the train management regime and supports fleet overhaul activities. Transport for London managed the procurement on London Underground Limited’s behalf. The equipment is for the Metropolitan line fleet in the United Kingdom. This is specialist rail rolling-stock maintenance and repair work, rather than a general train servicing requirement; the jumper system has to work with the fleet’s existing equipment and systems.

The procurement is complete and was awarded to AB Connectors Limited by direct award, without competition. The award date was 4 June 2026. The awarded value is £884,670 excluding VAT (£1,061,604 including VAT). The signed contract is active, runs from 17 September 2026 to 21 May 2028, and has the same stated value as the award. The procurement had one lot, covering the overhaul service. The buyer justified the direct award on technical grounds: the supplier designed, manufactured and repaired the existing system, while an alternative could be incompatible and create disproportionate operational or maintenance difficulties, including risks to train reliability and safety. The procedure was evaluated on that basis; no separate scored award criteria are stated.

For suppliers assessing this buyer’s future requirement, credibility depends on specialist capability with the Metropolitan line S Stock jumper system, not just general rail maintenance experience. The work concerns bespoke electrical and electronic connections between train cars, whose compatibility affects power, communications and several safety-critical onboard functions. AB Connectors was selected as the original equipment manufacturer and had carried out the system’s design, manufacture and ad hoc repairs since the fleet was procured. That history gave it continuity with the existing components and the technical knowledge to overhaul them to the required specification. A competitor would need to demonstrate equivalent system-specific knowledge, validated compatibility and assurance, and the means to verify safe and reliable performance. The requirement also calls for capacity to provide parts, labour and repair support for a fleet overhaul.

How relevant is this notice?

Notice Information

Notice Title

Overhaul of Jumpers for S Stock Metropolitan Line Fleet

Notice Description

This procurement covers the overhaul of the Jumper system (including parts & labour) on the London Underground Metropolitan line trains, required to renew the jumper system compliance and to support the fleet overhaul activities. The jumpers are bespoke to the Metropolitan line fleet, and are now due for overhauls in line with the train management regime. The design, manufacture and ad hoc repairs on the Metropolitan line Jumper system has been carried out by the Original Equipment Manufacturers - AB Connectors (a subsidiary of TT Electronics), from the time of the fleet's procurement, so there would be a continuity of supply from the time of introduction of these components by using the current supplier.

Procurement Information

The jumper system is a critical high safety and high reliability cabling connection that electrically and electronically link adjacent cars, enabling seamless and integrated transfer of power and communication signals throughout the train. This integration allows for safeguarding and coordinated control of various onboard centralised functional systems such as lighting, HVAC, door operations, passenger information, safety systems and diagnostic functions. The technical specifications for Jumper parts and overhaul services are developed strictly to ensure proportionate compatibility with these existing systems. Given the inherent complexity of this specification, TfL does not have the technical information to specificity of jumpers to manage its compatibility with the aforementioned systems, if sourced from alternative supplier; and without validated requirement specifications, supporting assurance documentation, or the necessary testing equipment on-site, TfL have no baseline for verification or benchmarking of alternatively sourced jumper. Therefore, an introduction of these jumpers, aside disproportionate maintenance risks, could cause unresolvable in-service failure and malfunctions (in both communication and power transfer) to and of the critical functions - lighting, train doors, HVAC, safety systems, etc - described above, which severely risks passenger and infrastructure safety. Consequently, TfL cannot assure or safely deploy an alternative solution, as trains cannot enter service without fully functional, compatible and compliant cabling systems which are essential to maintaining both reliability and safety. Hence, the justification for awarding this proposed contract as a direct award without competition is in accordance with Schedule 5, paragraph 7 of the Procurement Act 2023, given the technical complexity of the jumper system and (a) a change in supplier would result in the contracting authority (London Underground) receiving overhauled jumper systems 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.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-06633f
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/092220-2026
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Planning, Award

Procurement Classification

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

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

34 - Transport equipment and auxiliary products to transportation

50 - Repair and maintenance services

CPV Codes

34600000 - Railway and tramway locomotives and rolling stock and associated parts

50111000 - Fleet management, repair and maintenance services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£1,000,000 £1M-£10M
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
£884,670 £500K-£1M
Contracts Value
£884,670 £500K-£1M

Notice Dates

Publication Date
30 Sep 20262 weeks ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
9 Mar 2026Expired
Award Date
4 Jun 20264 months ago
Contract Period
17 Sep 2026 - 21 May 2028 1-2 years
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

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

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
London Underground 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
E20 1JN
Postcode Area
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
TLI London
Local Authority
Newham
Electoral Ward
Stratford Olympic Park
Westminster Constituency
Stratford and Bow

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
1
Supplier Name

AB CONNECTORS 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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