Planning

PME Trackwork Maintenance & Signalling Support

TRANSPORT UK EAST MIDLANDS LIMITED

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

Planning

15 May 2026 at 15:48

UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Summary of the contracting process

Transport UK East Midlands Limited is currently in the planning stage of a procurement process titled "PME Trackwork Maintenance & Signalling Support." This undertaking falls under the services category, with a specific focus on railway-track maintenance services, targeting depot infrastructure in regions such as Etches Park, Eastcroft, and Kettering Sidings within the United Kingdom. The process is designed to gather preliminary market engagement (PME) insights to aid in the development of future tenders and to ensure compliance with the Procurement Act 2023. Key dates include a scheduled engagement milestone due by 2nd June 2026. The organisation managing the procurement is located in London, with contact available via email at Procurement@eastmidlandsrailway.co.uk.

This tender process presents significant potential opportunities for businesses specialising in railway infrastructure maintenance. SMEs are particularly encouraged to participate as principal contractors, regional partners, or specialist subcontractors, given the emphasis on safety-critical work and operational performance. The procurement process seeks suppliers with capabilities in both planned and reactive maintenance, resource resilience, and innovative digital asset management solutions. It also considers sustainability and social value, making it a viable opportunity for businesses focused on low-carbon practices and local employment enhancement. The process offers potential for long-term collaborations, given the renewable contract period from December 2026 to December 2028, with possible extensions up to 2030.

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Notice Information

Notice Title

PME Trackwork Maintenance & Signalling Support

Notice Description

East Midlands Railway (EMR) is seeking information from the market to inform a future procurement for trackwork maintenance services across EMR depot infrastructure, including Etches Park, Eastcroft, and Kettering Sidings. This Preliminary Market Engagement (PME) exercise is intended to gather market insight to help shape the procurement strategy, scope of services, and commercial model, ensuring the safe, compliant, and reliable operation of depot infrastructure. The outcome of this PME may result in revisions to the final Procurement Strategy prior to the publication of the Invitation to Tender (ITT).

Planning Information

This PME exercise is being conducted to inform the development of a future ITT for the delivery of trackwork maintenance services, which are safety-critical and essential to ensuring compliance, operational performance, and network reliability across EMR depots. The PME seeks to gain market insight in relation to: • Supplier capability and technical competence, including experience delivering planned and reactive track maintenance, inspection regimes to NR/L2/TRK standards, fault rectification, and compliance with railway safety requirements • Resource capacity and resilience, including access to suitably qualified and certified personnel, plant, vehicles, and specialist equipment, and the ability to respond to unplanned and emergency interventions • Supply chain resilience, including subcontracting arrangements, availability of materials, and contingency planning for disruption, adverse weather, or access constraints • Opportunities for SME participation, either as principal contractors, regional delivery partners, or specialist subcontractors supporting defined elements of the service • Available digital and asset management solutions, including inspection technologies, condition monitoring tools, performance reporting, KPI and SLA management, and integration with asset management systems • Sustainability and social value opportunities, including low-carbon working practices, efficient possession planning, waste reduction, reuse or recycling of materials, and support for local employment and skills development • Commercial and pricing models, including schedule-of-rates, lump-sum or activity-based pricing, call-off arrangements, and mechanisms for managing cost certainty, productivity, and performance Suppliers will be invited to review PME documentation and submit responses to a structured set of questions. EMR will review all feedback received and use the information gathered to refine the scope of services, technical specification, commercial structure, and evaluation criteria for the future procurement. Participation in this PME does not guarantee involvement in the subsequent procurement and is not a mandatory requirement for bidding. Feedback gathered during the PME will be analysed and used to inform the final ITT documentation. Once finalised, the procurement opportunity will be formally advertised and competed via Find a Tender, in accordance with the Procurement Act 2023 and applicable transparency, governance, and assurance requirements. Expressions of Interest in the PME will be managed through EMR's WAX procurement portal. Interested parties will need to be registered on WAX to access the PME documentation and submit their responses. Interested parties are requested to complete the questionnaire available on the portal https://eastmidlandsrailway.medius-s2c.com/S2C/DisplayModules/TradeModules/Negotiations/Opportunities/ViewOpportunityEvent.aspx?EventID=2287&Culture=en-GB

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-069a64
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/045086-2026
Current Stage
Planning
All Stages
Planning

Procurement Classification

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

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

50 - Repair and maintenance services

CPV Codes

50225000 - Railway-track maintenance services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
Not specified
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
15 May 20262 weeks ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
2 Jun 2026Expired
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
1 Dec 2026 - 2 Dec 2028 2-3 years
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

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

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
TRANSPORT UK EAST MIDLANDS 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
EC4A 3AG
Post Town
Central London
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLI London
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLI3 Inner London - West
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLI35 Westminster and City of London
Delivery Location
TLF East Midlands (England)
Local Authority
City of London
Electoral Ward
Castle Baynard
Westminster Constituency
Cities of London and Westminster

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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