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MetroWest Firmware Upgrade

West of England Combined Authority

This public procurement record has 4 releases in its history.

AwardUpdate

08 Sep 2026 at 11:52

UK6 - Contract Award Notice
AwardUpdate

08 Sep 2026 at 11:27

UK6 - Contract Award Notice
Award

08 Sep 2026 at 11:03

UK6 - Contract Award Notice
Award

08 Sep 2026 at 10:56

UK5 - Transparency Notice
Summary of the contracting process

The West of England Combined Authority procured railway signalling works for the MetroWest Firmware Upgrade. The requirement is for Network Rail Infrastructure Limited to upgrade essential firmware and platform software supporting Smartlock Support Server systems. These systems currently run on obsolete and unsupported Windows platforms, creating risks to reliability, safety assurance, cyber-security compliance and long-term support. The upgrades are also intended to enable new signalling functionality needed for future MetroWest services. The buyer is the West of England Combined Authority, based in Bristol. The awarded supplier is Network Rail Infrastructure Limited, a large infrastructure organisation specialising in rail systems and signalling works. The procurement covers one complete requirement rather than multiple separately described lots.

The procurement has been completed and awarded following a direct award. The award was made to Network Rail Infrastructure Limited on 30 July 2026. The award value is £676,665 excluding the gross amount of £811,986, in GBP. The award is classified as works and is below the applicable threshold. The buyer justified the direct award on the basis that no alternative supplier could legally or technically deliver the works, citing the Procurement Act 2023 and technical reasons associated with a single supplier. The award is active, with a contract period from 18 September 2026 to 31 May 2027. A contract signature milestone was scheduled for 18 September 2026. The tender and its single lot are recorded as complete.

This procurement demonstrates demand for specialist rail signalling infrastructure capability, particularly the modernisation of safety-related support systems and the replacement of obsolete operating platforms. A credible future competitor would need demonstrable technical expertise in Smartlock Support Server environments, firmware and platform upgrades, and railway signalling systems. It would also need to understand the operational consequences of changing systems that support rail services, including reliability, safety assurance, cyber-security compliance and long-term supportability. Evidence of working within Network Rail or comparable rail infrastructure environments would be commercially relevant, as would the ability to manage technically constrained upgrades where compatibility with existing signalling functionality is critical. The scale indicates a substantial, single-project upgrade requiring an established delivery organisation rather than a small software-only supplier.

How relevant is this notice?

Notice Information

Notice Title

MetroWest Firmware Upgrade

Notice Description

Network Rail to deliver essential firmware and platform upgrades to the Smartlock Support Server systems, which currently operate on obsolete and unsupported Windows platforms. These ageing installations present growing risks to reliability, safety assurance, cybersecurity compliance, and long-term supportability, and cannot accommodate the new signalling functionality required for services in 2028.

Procurement Information

No alternative supplier can legally or technically deliver these works, the Direct Award appears capable of being justified under Schedule 5, Paragraphs 5 and 6 of the Procurement Act 2023, subject to legal review.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-06f445
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/084816-2026
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK6 - Contract Award Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Works
Procurement Method
Direct
Procurement Method Details
Direct award
Tender Suitability
Not specified
Awardee Scale
Large

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

45 - Construction work

CPV Codes

45234115 - Railway signalling works

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
Not specified
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
£676,665 £500K-£1M
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
8 Sep 20261 weeks ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
30 Jul 20261 months ago
Contract Period
18 Sep 2026 - 31 May 2027 6-12 months
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
West of England 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
BRISTOL
Postcode
BS1 6AL
Postcode Area
Bristol
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLK South West (England)
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLK5 West of England
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLK51 Bristol, City of
Delivery Location
Not specified
Local Authority
Bristol, City of
Electoral Ward
Central
Westminster Constituency
Bristol Central

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
1
Supplier Name

NETWORK RAIL INFRASTRUCTURE LIMITED

Further Information

Notice Documents

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

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