Award

Email Achieving Solution (EAS) Software Renewal

NETWORK RAIL INFRASTRUCTURE LIMITED

This public procurement record has 2 releases in its history.

Award

19 Mar 2026 at 15:08

Award

09 Mar 2026 at 23:12

Summary of the contracting process

Network Rail Infrastructure Limited has completed the direct award for the renewal of support and maintenance services concerning the Email Archiving Solution (EAS), also known as the Capax Enterprise Archive Solution. The procurement falls under the category of software maintenance and repair services within the utilities industry, located in London, United Kingdom. The procurement stage has reached completion with the award officially pending as of 19th March 2026. Within this direct award, valued at approximately £938,175.87 excluding VAT, the contract period commences on 1st April 2026 and can extend to a maximum of five years if renewal options are exercised. This direct award was made to Zantaz Data Resources Ltd., recognised as the sole supplier capable of providing the specialised services required for the legacy EAS platform.

This contract provides business continuity in a compliance-critical sector for Network Rail, ensuring that their ability to maintain evidential integrity for statutory purposes remains intact. The direct award is attributed to the exclusive rights Zantaz Data Resources Ltd holds over the EAS platform, which limits competition. Small and medium-sized enterprises specialising in software maintenance and IT solutions would typically be suitable for engaging in similar opportunities, although exclusive rights constrain this specific instance. Companies in these fields should monitor similar tendering opportunities for infrastructural and legacy software services, as such contracts can offer long-term business growth and stability. The procurement method did not involve open competition due to the proprietary nature of the technology and the absence of alternative suppliers.

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Notice Title

Email Achieving Solution (EAS) Software Renewal

Notice Description

Network Rail is undertaking a direct award to renew support and maintenance services for the Email Archiving Solution (EAS), also known as the Capax Enterprise Archive Solution. The EAS is a legacy email and file archive platform used to access, search, retrieve and reconstruct historic records for statutory, regulatory, audit and litigation purposes. Continued support is essential to maintain evidential integrity and ensure compliance with legal and information governance obligations. The service includes support and maintenance for approximately 52,050 EAS licences and associated components, including SOLR search, eDiscovery, archival and retrieval tools, and STORM functionality. The solution is hosted on-premise within Network Rail infrastructure and supports a fixed historic dataset with no change to scope or functionality. This procurement is being awarded directly to Zantaz Data Resources Ltd, the only supplier licensed and technically capable of supporting the EAS platform and its dependent components. No alternative suppliers exist with the necessary technical rights or capability to maintain this legacy system. The direct award ensures continuity of a business-critical compliance service while maintaining cost stability and value for money.

Procurement Information

This contract is being awarded by direct award on the basis of exclusive intellectual property and technical rights. The Email Archiving Solution (EAS), also known as the Capax Enterprise Archive Solution, is a proprietary legacy platform supported exclusively by Zantaz Data Resources Ltd, which holds the sole licence and intellectual property rights required to maintain, support and develop the solution and its dependent components. These include the core archive platform, SOLR search capability, eDiscovery functionality, and associated archival and retrieval tools. No alternative suppliers have the legal authority, licensing rights, or technical capability to provide compliant support for this system. Network Rail does not own the underlying software intellectual property and cannot lawfully procure support services for the EAS platform from any other provider. A competitive tendering procedure was therefore not undertaken, as it would not generate any technically or legally compliant bids. Previous market analysis and historic sourcing activity have confirmed that Zantaz Data Resources Ltd is the only supplier capable of delivering the required services, and that competition is absent due to exclusive rights rather than a lack of market engagement. The direct award ensures continuity of a business-critical compliance service required to support statutory, regulatory, audit and litigation obligations, while maintaining evidential integrity and avoiding the significant operational and legal risks that would arise from unsupported access to historic email and file records.

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-0665c6
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/025308-2026
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK6 - Contract Award Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Direct
Procurement Method Details
Direct award
Tender Suitability
SME
Awardee Scale
SME

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

72 - IT services: consulting, software development, Internet and support


CPV Codes

72252000 - Computer archiving services

72267000 - Software maintenance and repair services

72267100 - Maintenance of information technology software

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
Not specified
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
£938,175 £500K-£1M
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
19 Mar 20261 months ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
9 Mar 20262 months ago
Contract Period
31 Mar 2026 - 29 Dec 2028 2-3 years
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

Tender Status
Complete
Lots Status
Complete
Awards Status
Pending
Contracts Status
Not Specified

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
Post Town
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
1
Supplier Name

ZANTAZ DATA RESOURCES

Further Information

Notice Documents

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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