Award

Independent Assessor (AsBo, ApBo and DeBo) for the Cardiff Central Enhancement Programme (CCEP)

TRANSPORT FOR WALES

This public procurement record has 2 releases in its history.

Award

26 Mar 2026 at 00:00

Tender

25 Oct 2024 at 00:00

Summary of the contracting process

Transport for Wales has concluded the procurement process for an Independent Assessor to support the Cardiff Central Enhancement Programme (CCEP), focusing on public transport infrastructure within the region UKL. The procurement stage has transitioned from "active" status during the initial tender announcement on 25 October 2024 to "complete" as of 26 March 2026, with contract signing on 26 June 2025. The initiative seeks to address projected passenger growth, improve station facilities, and enhance overall connectivity and user experience at Cardiff Central railway station. Businesses had until 25 November 2024 to submit electronic bids via eTenderwales, aligning with the project's procurement method of open procedure under the services category.

This tender represents a significant opportunity for growth among specialised independent verification service providers, particularly SMEs with expertise in compliance assessment, safety assurance, and rail project delivery. Ricardo Rail Limited, an SME, has been awarded the contract valued at £348,570, demonstrating potential for similarly scaled businesses to leverage unique industry qualifications and certification standards such as UKAS ISO/IEC 17020 and ISO 9001. The tender framework supports collaboration and participation in long-term projects that require expertise in the Common Safety Method for Risk Evaluation & Assessment, promoting an avenue for growth in safety and interoperability assurance work. Consortia are also considered suitable, providing further scope for partnership-driven business opportunities within the transport infrastructure sector.

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Notice Title

Independent Assessor (AsBo, ApBo and DeBo) for the Cardiff Central Enhancement Programme (CCEP)

Notice Description

With a projected passenger growth of over 50% by 2043 means there is a need to upgrade the Cardiff Central railway station to meet the additional passenger demand whilst enhancing the passenger experience and integrating sustainable travel modes. Cardiff Central Enhancement Programme (CCEP), led by Transport for Wales (TfW) on behalf of the Welsh Government, proposes a series of enhancements at the station to address the following drivers for change: - Alleviate congestion and improve capacity within the station. - Improve user experience and facilities. - Enhance interchange, connectivity, and resilience. The aim of this contract notice is to procure an independent assessment and verification services for CCEP.

Lot Information

Lot 1

The scope of this contract is to provide independent assessment and verification services for the Cardiff Central Enhancements Programme (CCEP). The CCEP project scope can be found in Annex 1. The project is managed and delivered by TfW, which is a company set up by Welsh Government to manage the transport infrastructure on behalf of the Welsh Government. In the context of this project, TfW is a third-party developer on Network Rail infrastructure. The project is governed through the TfW 'Plan of Works' (PoW) project lifecycle, which aligns with the Network Rail Project Acceleration in a Controlled Environment (PACE) project lifecycle as shown below: TfW Plan of Work (PoW) Stage A - Develop Output Requirements and Options Stage B - Options Development and Selection Stage C - Preliminary Design Stage D - Statutory Process Stage E - Detailed Design Stage F - Construct, Commission and Handover Stage G - Closeout Network Rail PACE Phase 1 - Strategic Development & Project Selection ES1 Phase 1 - Strategic Development & Project Selection ES2 Phase 1 - Strategic Development & Project Selection ES3 Phase 2 - Project Development & Design ES4 Phase 2 - Project Development & Design ES5 Phase 3 - Project Delivery ES6 Phase 4 - Project Close ES7 Phase 4 - Project Close ES8 The proposed works will be carried out in accordance with the Railways (Interoperability) Regulations 2011 (as amended) (RIR) and the Common Safety Method for Risk Evaluation & Assessment (CSM-REA). The Supplier shall provide the following roles for the project: - Assessment Body (AsBo) to provide independent verification for compliance with CSM-REA; - Approved Body (ApBo) to provide independent verification for interoperability in accordance with the applicable National Technical Specifications Notifications (NTSNs) under the RIR; - Designated Body (DeBo) to provide independent verification for interoperability in accordance with the applicable National Technical Rules (NTRs) under the RIR. The above roles shall be undertaken by suitably qualified and competent personnel with prior experience providing similar roles on multi-disciplinary rail projects. System Safety Assurance Qualifications or equivalent required. The AsBo, ApBo, and DeBo shall support TfW in delivering the safety assessments and authorisation tasks to enable Entry into Service (EiS) and Authorisation for Placing into Service (APiS). The required safety assessment and authorisation tasks are specified in TfW's System Safety and Authorisation Strategy (document ref: TfW-ENG-PRO-ID00299). The system safety and authorisation approach to be followed throughout the project lifecycle is specified in the Cardiff Central Enhancements Programme System Safety and Authorisation Plan (document ref: W001147-TFW-00-REP-ESS-000003). The Tenderers will need to provide evidence on the following accreditation standards: - Accreditation Standards UKAS ISO/IEC 17020 (AsBo: Product Conformity Certification) - Accreditation Standards UKAS ISO/IEC 17065 (ApBo/DeBo: Inspection Body) - Accreditation Standards ISO 9001 (Quality Management Systems) The Tenderers will need to: - Work collaboratively with TfW to ensure a progressive assurance approach for all documents outlined in Volume 2 - Key dates - Key milestones - Working remotely as well as in person at the Pontypridd office or the Cardiff Central office (St. Patrick's House) ad-hoc

Renewal: Option to extend for up to 12 months

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-kuma6s-145577
Publication Source
Sell2Wales
Latest Notice
https://www.sell2wales.gov.wales/search/search_switch.aspx?ID=145577
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Tender, Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
OJEU - F3 - Contract Award Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Open
Procurement Method Details
Open procedure
Tender Suitability
Not specified
Awardee Scale
SME

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

71 - Architectural, construction, engineering and inspection services

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

79 - Business services: law, marketing, consulting, recruitment, printing and security


CPV Codes

71311000 - Civil engineering consultancy services

71311200 - Transport systems consultancy services

71530000 - Construction consultancy services

72246000 - Systems consultancy services

79132000 - Certification services

79417000 - Safety consultancy services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£600,000 £500K-£1M
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
£348,570 £100K-£500K

Notice Dates

Publication Date
26 Mar 20264 weeks ago
Submission Deadline
25 Nov 2024Expired
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
26 Jun 202510 months ago
Contract Period
Not specified - Not specified
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

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

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
TRANSPORT FOR WALES
Contact Name
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Email
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Phone
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →

Buyer Location

Locality
PONTYPRIDD
Postcode
CF37 4TH
Post Town
Cardiff
Country
Wales

Major Region (ITL 1)
TLL Wales
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLL5 South East Wales
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLL51 Central Valleys and Bridgend
Delivery Location
TLL Wales

Local Authority
Rhondda Cynon Taf
Electoral Ward
Pontypridd Town
Westminster Constituency
Pontypridd

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
1
Supplier Name

RICARDO RAIL

Further Information

Notice Documents

  • https://www.sell2wales.gov.wales/search/show/search_view.aspx?ID=OCT493648
    Independent Assessor (AsBo, ApBo and DeBo) for the Cardiff Central Enhancement Programme (CCEP) - With a projected passenger growth of over 50% by 2043 means there is a need to upgrade the Cardiff Central railway station to meet the additional passenger demand whilst enhancing the passenger experience and integrating sustainable travel modes. Cardiff Central Enhancement Programme (CCEP), led by Transport for Wales (TfW) on behalf of the Welsh Government, proposes a series of enhancements at the station to address the following drivers for change: - Alleviate congestion and improve capacity within the station. - Improve user experience and facilities. - Enhance interchange, connectivity, and resilience. The aim of this contract notice is to procure an independent assessment and verification services for CCEP.
  • https://www.sell2wales.gov.wales/search/show/search_view.aspx?ID=MAR602353
    Independent Assessor (AsBo, ApBo and DeBo) for the Cardiff Central Enhancement Programme (CCEP) - With a projected passenger growth of over 50% by 2043 means there is a need to upgrade the Cardiff Central railway station to meet the additional passenger demand whilst enhancing the passenger experience and integrating sustainable travel modes. Cardiff Central Enhancement Programme (CCEP), led by Transport for Wales (TfW) on behalf of the Welsh Government, proposes a series of enhancements at the station to address the following drivers for change: - Alleviate congestion and improve capacity within the station. - Improve user experience and facilities. - Enhance interchange, connectivity, and resilience. The aim of this contract notice is to procure an independent assessment and verification services for CCEP.

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

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