Award

Provision of Artificial Intelligence Schedule Risk Analysis Tool

EAST WEST RAIL COMPANY LIMITED

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

Award

02 Apr 2026 at 15:08

UK5 - Transparency Notice
Summary of the contracting process

The procurement process led by East West Rail Company Limited involves the direct award of a contract for the "Provision of Artificial Intelligence Schedule Risk Analysis Tool." This tool, crucial for predicting project timelines using unique datasets, falls under the services industry category and is tailored for the rail sector within the UK. Situated at The Quadrant, Milton Keynes, East West Rail has finalised the award stage of this contract, having scheduled its commencement from 11th May 2026 with a potential extension up to 10 years. The process is justified under the Procurement Act 2023 due to the technical exclusivity of the supplier, NPLAN LIMITED, based in London.

This tender presents a significant business opportunity by leveraging an advanced AI tool to enhance project schedule reliability across the rail sector. Firms proficient in AI development, particularly those equipped with proprietary datasets in infrastructure and transport, would find this procurement particularly suitable. SMEs with capabilities in predictive analytics in the context of large-scale civil engineering projects could position themselves for future collaborations by offering innovative solutions that complement this technology.

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Notice Information

Notice Title

Provision of Artificial Intelligence Schedule Risk Analysis Tool

Notice Description

Licence of an Artificial Intelligence Schedule Risk Analysis Tool, which uses a proprietary dataset and analysis of previously completed projects to apply learning to current schedules, to better predict the outcome

Procurement Information

This direct award is proposed under Section 41 and Schedule 5, paragraphs (5) and (6) of the Procurement Act 2023 on the basis that the contract may be awarded without competition where, for technical reasons, only a particular supplier is capable of delivering the requirement. EWR Co has determined that the services can only be supplied by Nplan Ltd for the following technical reasons: * A common AI-based schedule risk analysis solution, underpinned by a proprietary and unique relevant dataset, is required across the East West Rail programme to ensure consistency of methodology, outputs and reporting. Nplan's service operates on the basis of a proprietary dataset comprising over 750,000 schedules across various industries but critically including historical Crossrail, Network Rail and HS2 data which is are of particular relevance to EWR given that these examples also pertain to rail construction; and * EWR does not believe any other supplier offers a comparable service with the same functionality based on real GB rail data. There are therefore no reasonable alternatives to the Nplan service offering. For these reasons, EWR Co considers that Nplan Ltd is the only supplier capable of meeting the specific and complex technical requirements of the project while ensuring value for money and continuity of delivery.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-067c3d
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/031097-2026
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK5 - Transparency 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

72260000 - Software-related services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
Not specified
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
£3,014,851 £1M-£10M
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
2 Apr 2026Yesterday
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
2 Apr 2026Yesterday
Contract Period
10 May 2026 - 10 May 2027 6-12 months
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

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

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
EAST WEST RAIL COMPANY 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
MILTON KEYNES
Postcode
MK9 1EN
Post Town
Milton Keynes
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLJ South East (England)
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLJ1 Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLJ12 Milton Keynes
Delivery Location
Not specified
Local Authority
Milton Keynes
Electoral Ward
Central Milton Keynes
Westminster Constituency
Milton Keynes Central

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
1
Supplier Name

NPLAN

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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