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Integration Technical Operations Assurance & Environment (ITOAE)

East West Rail Company Limited

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

Tender

30 Oct 2026 at 17:25

UK4 - Tender Notice
Summary of the contracting process

East West Rail Company Limited is seeking one partner to provide integration, technical, operations, assurance, and environmental and consents services for the East West Rail programme. The work supports development and delivery of new and upgraded rail links between Oxford, Milton Keynes, Bedford and Cambridge, including system integration, technical design oversight, operational readiness, independent programme assurance, and environmental compliance and consents. The partner will provide continuous core services across all five areas, with additional time-limited services instructed when needed. The engineering and rail consultancy work, including project management and environmental services, will be delivered across the programme corridor in Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire.

The buyer invited offers through a multi-stage competitive flexible procedure. The process is at the tender stage: the invitation to tender will follow selection, and up to five participants may be selected. Interested parties must submit an expression of interest by 13 November 2026 at 12:00; enquiries are due by 6 November 2026 at 12:00. The completed pre-selection questionnaire is due 29 January 2027. The contract is planned to run from 3 April 2028 to 31 March 2040, with value-for-money breakpoints at years 3, 6 and 9. Its estimated value is £300 million excluding VAT (£360 million including VAT). There is one contract, not divided into lots. Award is weighted 70% quality and 30% commercial, including social value. Selection assesses financial standing, comparable experience, capacity, accreditations and required insurance.

This opportunity suits consultancies and consortia able to sustain a substantial, long-term multidisciplinary rail and infrastructure programme team across five service areas. Relevant strengths include acting as a prime system integrator; managing complex technical and organisational interfaces; systems engineering, design challenge, digital integration and testing; timetable, rolling-stock and operational-readiness work; and independent assurance, safety, quality and regulatory approvals. Environmental and consents capability should cover post-consent approvals, environmental commitments, carbon, sustainability and biodiversity. The selection stage will test comparable experience on major rail or nationally significant infrastructure programmes, capacity to provide continuous core services and respond to instructed work, and relevant quality, health and safety, environmental and information-management accreditations. Applicants will also need audited accounts, evidence of financial standing and specified insurances. Applicable parties must sign the mandatory Ethical Walls Agreement. The appointed partner cannot also win a main works contract or join the separate Client Support Framework during this contract.

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Notice Information

Notice Title

Integration Technical Operations Assurance & Environment (ITOAE)

Notice Description

The East West Railway Company (the Authority) is responsible for the delivery of East West Rail (EWR), a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project providing new and upgraded rail links between Oxford, Milton Keynes, Bedford and Cambridge. EWR Co. is responsible for leading the development, procurement and commissioning of the railway. The Authority is undertaking a procurement for an Integration, Technical, Operations, Assurance and Environmental (ITOAE) Partner to support the development and delivery of the EWR programme. Overview of the Intended Contract. The Authority is appointing a single ITOAE Partner under an NEC4 Professional Service Contract, operated as a term appointment, for a period of up to twelve (12) years, with value-for-money breakpoints at Years 3, 6 and 9. The ITOAE Partner is a single contract: it is not a framework and it is not divided into lots. Services comprise a continuous Core Services baseline across all five pillars (Integration; Technical; Operations; Assurance; and Environmental & Consents), with time-bound Authorised Services instructed as required. Relationship with the CSF and main works. The Authority is separately procuring a Client Support Framework (CSF). The Authority's position is that the ITOAE Partner will be structurally separated from the CSF and from the main works: the appointed ITOAE Partner will not be eligible to be awarded a main works contract or a place on the CSF for the duration of the ITOAE contract. The purpose of this separation is to protect the independence of integration and assurance, to mitigate real or perceived conflicts of interest, and to align with independent review findings on major programme governance (including the Stewart Review, 2025). Conditions of Participation. The conditions of participation are summarised in the Participation section of this notice and will be assessed, with full detail and scoring, in the Pre-Selection Questionnaire (PSQ) issued at the selection stage, in accordance with the Procurement Act 2023 and the Procurement Regulations 2024. Indicative Scope of Services. At this stage, the Authority has defined the high-level scope of services. These are expected to include, by pillar: Integration: support EWR's Prime System Integrator role; develop and maintain the System Integration Strategy and Master Integration Schedule; identify, manage and resolve technical, organisational and contractual interfaces; configuration control and change alignment; migration and transition planning; coordinate integration with Network Rail, TOCs/FOCs, DfT, ORR and adjacent programmes; manage integration risks and assumptions; coordinate systems integration testing and proving; and uplift EWR's integration capability. Technical: define and maintain technical frameworks, standards and design principles; provide independent technical challenge and assurance of design; support the Client's Design Authority; systems engineering (SEMP, requirements, MBSE); manage technical interfaces; digital integration (BIM / ISO 19650, Digital Spine); testing, validation and Entry Into Service readiness; capability to act as Lead Design Organisation (LDO) under NR/L2/RSE/02009 for specified areas; design maturity assessment at PACE reviews; legislation and standards management; safety cases (EN 50126/50128/50129) and Independent Safety Assessment coordination; and whole-life asset management (ISO 55000). Operations: support the Concept of Operations and Maintenance; train plan and timetable development and modelling; operational performance modelling; rolling stock (BEMU) and depot support; route compatibility and certification; Trial Running and Trial Operations; operational readiness and Entry Into Service; staff competence and route learning; and integration with Train Operators and the future Infrastructure Manager (Network Rail / GBR). Assurance: provide independent, programme-level (second-line / LOD2) assurance across all pillars; define and implement the assurance framework and schedule; coordinate design, technical and construction assurance; authorisation and certification strategies; submit evidence to regulators; track assurance actions to closure; provide a Construction Quality capability under NR/L2/RSE/02009; support GMPP reporting to DfT and NISTA; maintain the Integrated Assurance & Approvals Strategy; and assure ISO 19650, CDE and Digital Spine compliance. Environmental & Consents: coordinate the environmental and consents strategy; manage post-DCO consents and approvals; assure environmental compliance and commitments; lead carbon and sustainability (PAS 2080, BREEAM); support NPSNN compliance; manage DCO commitments and Requirements discharge; maintain the Environmental Statement and monitoring; support Biodiversity Net Gain; set and audit the Code of Construction Practice / LEMP standard; and coordinate statutory pollution, noise and species consents and licensing. This procurement will be run concurrently with others. Bidders may tender for any or all of the Lots/Contracts identified in the table shown in document 'ITOAE - Appendix A - Package Bidding and Award Constraints'. This approach is intended to support market participation and allow bidders to put forward appropriate delivery solutions. However, submitting tenders for multiple Lots/Contracts across the Procurements does not mean a bidder will be eligible to be awarded all Lots/Contracts. Award decisions will be subject to the Lot/Contract interaction rules set out in the letter, which are intended to: * Maintain independence between assurance, management and delivery functions. * Avoid conflicts of interest. * Prevent excessive concentration of specialist services within a single organisation. * Preserve effective commercial oversight. * Ensure suppliers have sufficient capacity and capability to successfully deliver awarded contracts. Please ensure you refer to the document 'ITOAE - Appendix A - Package Bidding and Award Constraints' or further detail.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-079509
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/103452-2026
Current Stage
Tender
All Stages
Tender

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK4 - Tender Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Selective
Procurement Method Details
Competitive flexible procedure
Tender Suitability
SME
Awardee Scale
Not specified

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

71 - Architectural, construction, engineering and inspection services

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

90 - Sewage, refuse, cleaning and environmental services

CPV Codes

71248000 - Supervision of project and documentation

71300000 - Engineering services

71311000 - Civil engineering consultancy services

71311230 - Railway engineering services

71317210 - Health and safety consultancy services

72224000 - Project management consultancy services

90700000 - Environmental services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£300,000,000 £100M-£1B
Lots Value
£300,000,000 £100M-£1B
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
30 Oct 20263 days ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
3 Apr 2028 - 31 Mar 2040 Over 5 years
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

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

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
East West Rail Company 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
MILTON KEYNES
Postcode
MK9 1EN
Postcode Area
Milton Keynes
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLJ South East (England)
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLJ1 Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLJ12 Milton Keynes
Delivery Location
TLF East Midlands (England), TLH East (England), TLJ South East (England)
Local Authority
Milton Keynes
Electoral Ward
Central Milton Keynes
Westminster Constituency
Milton Keynes Central

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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