Planning

Existing and New Traction Substation Works Market Engagement

SOUTH YORKSHIRE MAYORAL COMBINED AUTHORITY

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

Planning

27 Apr 2026 at 13:03

Summary of the contracting process

South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority is undertaking a market engagement exercise as part of a planning stage for the renewal and construction of traction substations for the Mass Transit Programme. The initiative, titled "Existing and New Traction Substation Works Market Engagement," falls under the works category, specifically targeting railway equipment and substation construction. It is situated within the United Kingdom, particularly in Sheffield, UKE32. Interested organisations are invited to submit a market engagement questionnaire by 22 May 2026, 16:00 PM. This procurement process, with an estimated budget of approximately £34 million to £40.8 million, aims to replace life-expired equipment and enhance capacity across the Supertram network.

This tender offers substantial opportunities for businesses specialising in railway equipment and infrastructure construction, particularly those experienced in traction substation works. The project involves the replacement of old equipment and the construction of new substations, potentially opening doors for companies involved in rail infrastructure and electrical engineering. Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and voluntary, community, and social enterprises (VCSEs) are particularly encouraged to participate, as the procurement approach considers suitability for these organisations. By engaging with SYMCA, business entities can gain insight into a significant infrastructure project with notable investment, potentially leading to long-term contracts and expansion opportunities within the transport sector.

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Notice Title

Existing and New Traction Substation Works Market Engagement

Notice Description

The renewal and enhancements of the traction substations project is part of South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (SYMCA) Mass Transit Programme Outline Business Case (OBC). The intention is to increase the capacity of the existing Supertram to 6 trains per direction on the yellow route, 6 trains per direction on the blue route, 2 trains per hour on the purple route and 3 tram trains per direction on the black route. The existing traction substations equipment is life expired and in need of replacement due to lack of maintenance spares. The existing traction substations are 11kV AC input into 750V DC output. To support the Supertram network increase in capacity, SYMCA are looking to construct new traction substations on the Supertram network. The exact requirements are to be determined through power modelling, but early thoughts are to be in the region of 6 new traction substations. SYMCA are currently exploring a procurement strategy of provision of employer's requirements and a performance specification to tender for a design and build framework contract but would welcome feedback from the market to help shape our approach. Indicative budget estimate is in the region of PS11.98m for the existing traction substation renewals/refurbishment and PS22.5m for the new traction substations. This market engagement exercise is intended to allow interested organisations with appropriate experience to engage with the contracting authority to help inform decisions regarding the above requirement. The questionnaire can be found by logging onto ProContract and expressing an interest in project DN814350.

Planning Information

The full details of the project are available at https://procontract.due-north.com/Home/About. The engagement is through completion and submission of a market engagement questionnaire for return by 22nd May 2026 at 16:00pm.

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-068bb2
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/038066-2026
Current Stage
Planning
All Stages
Planning

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Works
Procurement Method
Not Specified
Procurement Method Details
Not specified
Tender Suitability
SME, VCSE
Awardee Scale
Not specified

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

34 - Transport equipment and auxiliary products to transportation

45 - Construction work


CPV Codes

34940000 - Railway equipment

45232220 - Substation construction work

45234170 - Locomotive-substations construction works

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£34,000,000 £10M-£100M
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
27 Apr 20266 days ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
22 May 20263 weeks to go
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
1 Nov 2026 - 31 Mar 2028 1-2 years
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

Tender Status
Planning
Lots Status
Planning
Awards Status
Not Specified
Contracts Status
Not Specified

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
SOUTH YORKSHIRE MAYORAL COMBINED AUTHORITY
Contact Name
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Email
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Phone
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →

Buyer Location

Locality
SHEFFIELD
Postcode
S1 2BQ
Post Town
Sheffield
Country
England

Major Region (ITL 1)
TLE Yorkshire and The Humber
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLE3 South Yorkshire
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLE32 Sheffield
Delivery Location
TLE3 South Yorkshire

Local Authority
Sheffield
Electoral Ward
City
Westminster Constituency
Sheffield Central

Further Information

Notice Documents

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

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