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COV - CVLR Vehicle Dynamics Support

Coventry City Council

This public procurement record has 2 releases in its history.

Award

14 Oct 2026 at 10:28

UK6 - Contract Award Notice
Award

14 Oct 2026 at 10:24

UK5 - Transparency Notice
Summary of the contracting process

Coventry City Council commissioned specialist vehicle-dynamics research and engineering support for the Coventry Very Light Rail (CVLR) vehicle. The work covers four areas: assessing vehicle performance and safety on the extended on-road trial route through the city-centre demonstrator at Mile Lane and Park Road; characterising suspension forces to inform carbody fatigue load cases; evaluating how suspension modifications affect the Generation 2 vehicle; and providing vehicle-dynamics support on a call-off basis for that generation. This is a focused rail-vehicle engineering and research requirement, rather than a general transport or infrastructure contract. The services relate to CVLR trials and vehicle development in Coventry.

The procurement is complete and Coventry City Council selected the University of Huddersfield’s Institute of Railway Research for the single lot. The award was made on 14 October 2026, through a below-threshold direct award without competition. The awarded price is £89,425 excluding VAT (£107,310 including VAT). The contract period runs from 1 November 2026 to 30 April 2028; a signature was scheduled for 26 October 2026. The work was commissioned as four packages covering safety and performance assessment on an extended trial route, suspension-force characterisation, assessment of suspension modifications on the Generation 2 vehicle, and call-off dynamics support. The published procurement data does not state separate scoring criteria for selecting the supplier.

For the Institute of Railway Research, this award demonstrates demand for specialist vehicle-dynamics expertise spanning both test-route assessment and engineering analysis. A credible competitor for a comparable requirement would need to assess the safety and performance of a light-rail vehicle in on-road trials, characterise suspension loads and translate them into fatigue design cases, and analyse the effects of suspension changes on vehicle behaviour. The scope also points to a need for researchers able to support development of a next-generation vehicle and respond to ongoing technical work on a call-off basis. Suppliers with relevant rail-vehicle research and experimental-development capability, and the capacity to combine field assessment with structural and dynamics analysis, are best aligned with this buyer’s requirement.

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Notice Information

Notice Title

COV - CVLR Vehicle Dynamics Support

Notice Description

Contract consists of four work packages: 1. Performance and safety assessment of the CVLR Vehicle running on the extended on-road trial route (City Centre Demonstrator Mile Lane/Park Road) 2. Characterising the range of suspension forces experienced by the vehicle to support development of carbody fatigue load cases 3. Evaluation of the effect of suspension modifications on the performance of the Generation 2 Vehicle 4. Generation 2 vehicle dynamics call-off support.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-078726
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/096840-2026
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
Below threshold - without competition
Tender Suitability
Not specified
Awardee Scale
Large

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

73 - Research and development services and related consultancy services

CPV Codes

73100000 - Research and experimental development services

73110000 - Research services

73300000 - Design and execution of research and development

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
Not specified
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
£89,425 Under £100K
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
14 Oct 20261 weeks ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
14 Oct 20261 weeks ago
Contract Period
1 Nov 2026 - 30 Apr 2028 1-2 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
Coventry City Council
Contact Name
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Email
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Phone
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →

Buyer Location

Locality
COVENTRY
Postcode
CV1 5RR
Postcode Area
Coventry
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLG West Midlands (England)
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLG3 West Midlands
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLG33 Coventry
Delivery Location
Not specified
Local Authority
Coventry
Electoral Ward
St Michael's
Westminster Constituency
Coventry South

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
1
Supplier Name

University of Huddersfield Institute of Railway Research

Further Information

Notice Documents

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

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