---
title: "Direct award of a Lease for Class 455 rolling stock"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-051055"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-051055"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-051055.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-051055.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "SOUTH WESTERN RAILWAY LIMITED"
published: "2025-08-22"
---

# Direct award of a Lease for Class 455 rolling stock

Buyer: SOUTH WESTERN RAILWAY LIMITED  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-051055

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## Summary

South Western Railway Limited, a public undertaking based in London, United Kingdom, recently amended a direct award contract for the leasing of Class 455 rolling stock. The procurement process falls under the category of railway and tramway locomotives and rolling stock. The direct award was justified due to technical reasons, ensuring that only the Porterbrook Class 455 fleet met the specific requirements needed by the contracting authority over the three-year contract duration. The significant date attached to the latest contract amendment is 22nd August 2025, with the original award being notable around July 2025. This procurement under the 'utilities' special regime method signifies a continuation rather than a modification of terms, with the leasing contract already active since May 25th, 2025.

This tender offers considerable business growth opportunities, particularly for those in the railway equipment supply industry with expertise and capability in rolling stock leasing and maintenance. The alignment with technical needs specific to the Class 455 fleet makes it suitable primarily for businesses that already have a proven track record in providing such specialised rail vehicles. With the responsibility of maintenance resting with the contracting authority, businesses that focus on leasing solutions, flexibility in contract management, and potential sub-letting might find this tender a fitting complement to their existing service portfolios.

## Notice

Direct award of a 3 year contract for the leasing of up to 79 x 4 car units of Class 455 rolling stock with the ability to hand back units on 1 month's notice . The lease of the rolling stock is on the basis that the contracting authority (rather than the supplier) is responsible for all maintenance of the vehicles. The Lease also contains a right to transfer or sub-let the contract to certain third parties and an obligation for the supplier to enter into a direct agreement with the Secretary of State in parallel to the Lease. The direct agreement permits the Secretary of State to call for a New Contract in the event of the termination or expiry of the contracting authority's services agreement with the Secretary of State. The duration of the New Contract would typically be up to 3 years and the terms of the New Contract and the circumstances in which the direct agreement can be relied upon are all unambiguously set out in the direct agreement. The Lease also contains provisions addressing adjustments to monthly rentals on the basis specified in the Lease if certain modifications to the rolling stock are required which are to be funded by the Lessor. In the event that the contract is transferred or sub-let to a third party, a direct agreement is relied upon by the Secretary of State or modifications to the rolling stock are required and are to be funded by the Lessor, it is considered that these would be permitted modifications provided for in the contract.

### Procurement Information

No fleet other than the Porterbrook Class 455 are able to meet the requirements that the contracting authority needs from this rolling stock for the necessary contract duration to meet its public passenger rail transport obligations. The Class 455s are required only to cover the introduction of the remaining Class 701 fleet which is anticipated to be completed within a relatively short timescale. There is therefore an absence of competition for technical reasons and there are no reasonable alternatives to the Class 455 rolling stock. The contract duration of three years provides a reasonable level of contingency if some of the rolling stock need to be retained for a longer period for operational reasons.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/051010-2025 |
| Notice type | UK10 - Contract Change Notice |
| Procurement type | Standard |
| Procurement category | Goods |
| Procurement method | Direct |
| Procurement method details | Direct award |
| Tender suitability | Not specified |
| Awardee scale | Large |
| All stages | Award |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 22 Aug 2025 |
| Submission deadline | Not specified |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | 8 May 2025 |
| Contract period | 21 Aug 2025 - 25 May 2030 |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | Not specified |
| Lots value | Not specified |
| Awards value | £46,200,000 |
| Contracts value | £46,200,000 |

## Status

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender status | Complete |
| Lots status | Complete |
| Awards status | Active |
| Contracts status | Active |

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | SOUTH WESTERN RAILWAY LIMITED |
| Locality | LONDON |
| Post town | South West London |
| Postcode | SW1P 4DR |
| Country | England |
| ITL 1 | TLI London |
| ITL 2 | TLI3 Inner London - West |
| ITL 3 | TLI35 Westminster and City of London |
| Local authority | Westminster |
| Electoral ward | Vincent Square |
| Westminster constituency | Cities of London and Westminster |
| Delivery location | Not specified |

## Supplier

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Number of suppliers | 1 |
| Supplier names | PORTERBROOK LEASING |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 34 - Transport equipment and auxiliary products to transportation

### Codes

- 34600000 - Railway and tramway locomotives and rolling stock and associated parts

## Release History

- 22 Aug 2025 at 15:22 - ContractAmendment - UK10 - Contract Change Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/051010-2025
- 2 Jul 2025 at 13:37 - Award - UK7 - Contract Details Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/036837-2025
- 12 May 2025 at 12:56 - Award - UK6 - Contract Award Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/020490-2025
- 11 May 2025 at 13:30 - Award - UK5 - Transparency Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/020266-2025

## Documents

- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/051010-2025
  22nd August 2025 - Contract change notice on Find a Tender
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/036837-2025
  2nd July 2025 - Contract details notice on Find a Tender
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/020490-2025
  12th May 2025 - Contract award notice on Find a Tender
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/020266-2025
  11th May 2025 - Transparency notice on Find a Tender
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/Attachment/A-4527

## Notice URLs

- https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/54/contents

## Provenance

This Markdown file is an alternate public rendering of the D3 Tenders contract record. The canonical page is https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-051055. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-051055.json.