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Digital Customer Information Systems

GA TRAINS LIMITED

This public procurement record has 2 releases in its history.

Award

31 Jul 2026 at 12:56

UK6 - Contract Award Notice
Award

31 Jul 2026 at 12:47

UK5 - Transparency Notice
Summary of the contracting process

GA Trains Limited procured a digital customer information system service for its railway network. The requirement covers supplying, implementing, supporting and maintaining a comprehensive passenger information platform, including real-time operational information, service-change and disruption communications, and coordinated visual and audio messaging. It serves passengers through station customer information systems, public address services, wayside data feeds to Stadler trains, ticket vending machine interfaces, multimodal information channels and the Azzido Trains Control Tower in Romford. The service is intended to give frontline staff better access to operational information, help control-room teams manage disruptions and improve the consistency, resilience and responsiveness of passenger communications. The work combines railway display-screen installation with software-related services and includes support, maintenance and future system updates.

The procurement is complete and the contract was awarded to Blackbox Company (UK) Limited on 30 July 2026. GA Trains used a direct award because Blackbox owns the intellectual property and exclusive rights to the Azzido Core Cloud platform and associated applications, with no reasonable technical alternative identified. The awarded value is £6,283,000 excluding VAT, or £7,539,600 including VAT. The contract period is 13 August 2026 to 12 August 2028, with a possible further 12-month extension by written agreement, giving a maximum end date of 12 August 2029. One lot was awarded. GA Trains may also purchase additional screens with associated support and maintenance, and vary the arrangement for modifications, upgrades, enhancements and updates.

This award demonstrates sustained demand from GA Trains for integrated railway passenger-information technology rather than a standalone display product. A credible future competitor would need to supply, implement and maintain a platform capable of operating as a single source of truth across station displays, public address, rolling-stock data feeds, ticket vending machines, multimodal channels and control-room systems. Relevant capability includes real-time data integration, coordinated visual and audio messaging, disruption and service-change management, frontline operational tools, railway display-screen installation and long-term technical support. Suppliers would also need to show they can manage complex interfaces, data structures and operational workflows across a rail estate, maintain service continuity, support lifecycle changes and provide additional screens with commissioning and ongoing maintenance.

How relevant is this notice?

Notice Information

Notice Title

Digital Customer Information Systems

Notice Description

The supply, support, and maintenance of the Digital Customer Information System (DCIS) service which encompasses the provision, implementation, ongoing technical support, and lifecycle maintenance of a comprehensive customer information platform. The service enhances the passenger experience by delivering timely, accurate, and consistent travel information across multiple customer touchpoints, enabling GA Trains to provide a more connected, responsive, and passenger-centric journey experience. The solution equips frontline staff with improved access to real-time operational information, enabling them to better assist passengers and respond to enquiries. It also supports control room teams in managing service changes, disruptions, and day-to-day operations more effectively through enhanced visibility and communication capabilities. By improving the flow of information across the GA network, the DCIS supports a more proactive, efficient, and resilient operation while contributing to higher levels of passenger satisfaction and service performance.

Procurement Information

Schedule 5 Paragraph 5 (a)due to a particular supplier having intellectual property rights or other exclusive rights, only that supplier can supply the goods, services or works required, and (b)there are no reasonable alternatives to those goods, services or works. Due to Blackbox's intellectual property rights and exclusive ownership of the Azzido Core Cloud platform and its associated applications, only Blackbox can provide the goods and services required without significant disruption to operational services. This solution is deeply integrated across the GATL estate, including all station Customer Information Systems (CIS), Public Address (PA) services, wayside data feeds to the Stadler fleet, TVM interfaces, multimodal information channels, and the Azzido Trains Control Tower in Romford. Blackbox's platform operates as the single source of truth for passenger information across the network, delivering coordinated visual and audio messaging through a proprietary architecture. The intellectual property, system design, interfaces, data structures, and operational workflows are owned and maintained by Blackbox, creating a dependency on the supplier for the continued delivery, management, and support of these services. Replacement by an alternative supplier would require the redevelopment and revalidation of multiple interfaces and integrations across stations, rolling stock, and operational control environments. This would involve significant cost, resource requirements, technical risk, and potential disruption to critical passenger information services. Therefore, due to Blackbox's exclusive rights and the absence of a technically viable alternative capable of delivering the existing integrated solution without substantial operational impact, only Blackbox can currently provide the services required.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-06d8c3
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/072699-2026
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
Not specified
Awardee Scale
SME

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

51 - Installation services (except software)

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

CPV Codes

51611120 - Installation services of railway real-time departures and arrival display screens or boards

72260000 - Software-related services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
Not specified
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
£6,283,000 £1M-£10M
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
31 Jul 20262 months ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
30 Jul 20262 months ago
Contract Period
13 Aug 2026 - 12 Aug 2028 2-3 years
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

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

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
GA TRAINS 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 1EJ
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
Not specified
Local Authority
Newham
Electoral Ward
Stratford Olympic Park
Westminster Constituency
Stratford and Bow

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
1
Supplier Name

Blackbox Company (UK) Ltd

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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