This public procurement record has 2 releases in its history.

Award

31 Jul 2026 at 11:56

Award

31 Jul 2026 at 11:47

Summary of the contracting process

The public procurement process for enhancing the Digital Customer Information Systems (DCIS) at GA Trains Limited has been successfully completed, with a contract awarded on the 30th of July 2026 to Blackbox Company (UK) Limited. Managed by GA Trains Limited, a public undertaking with headquarters in London, this procurement falls under the services category within the utilities sector and involved a direct award method due to the specific technical requirements and intellectual property rights held by the supplier. Located across regions including London and the Eastern areas of the UK, the contract is scheduled to commence on the 13th of August 2026, with an initial term until August 2028, and has the option to extend for an additional year.

This tender offers extensive opportunities for growth within the business domain, particularly for entities involved in the development and maintenance of integrated digital information systems. Businesses that specialise in software-related services, especially those focusing on railway real-time display systems and operational control technologies, will find this project highly aligned with industry demands. Given Blackbox Company (UK) Limited's demonstrated technical capabilities and proprietary solutions, including the Azzido Core Cloud platform, similar enterprises that can leverage intellectual property to create unique, integrated customer solutions in transport and related sectors could find lucrative opportunities in emerging public procurement contracts.

How relevant is this notice?

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.

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 20265 days ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
29 Jul 20261 weeks ago
Contract Period
12 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

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
Post Town
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

Further Information

Notice Documents

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

View full OCDS Record for this contracting process

JSON Markdown

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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