---
title: "Supply of Tubular Stretcher Bars (TSBs)"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-052acb"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-052acb"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-052acb.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-052acb.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Planning"
buyer: "NETWORK RAIL INFRASTRUCTURE LIMITED"
published: "2026-03-27"
---

# Supply of Tubular Stretcher Bars (TSBs)

Buyer: NETWORK RAIL INFRASTRUCTURE LIMITED  
Current stage: Planning  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-052acb

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## Summary

Network Rail Infrastructure Limited is seeking to engage suppliers for the procurement of Tubular Stretcher Bars (TSBs), crucial components for railway-track construction, under the category of railway materials. The contracting authority is located in London, United Kingdom, and is currently in the planning stage of the procurement process. The organisation aims to gather market interest and assess supplier capabilities through a formal market engagement exercise scheduled to conclude on 10 April 2026. Participation in this engagement exercise is voluntary and aims to prepare the supply chain for future potential opportunities within this sector.

This tender represents a significant opportunity for businesses, particularly manufacturers of railway-track construction materials and innovators in the industry, to align with Network Rail's strategic procurement requirements and potentially secure future contracts. The focus will be on products manufactured to specified standards, requiring product approval. Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and voluntary, community, and social enterprises (VCSEs) are encouraged to participate, given the suitability provision within the planned procurement. With ongoing and volatile demand estimated between £1.75m to £3m annually, this contract will be vital for businesses aiming to expand their market presence and contribute to the UK's rail infrastructure development.

## Notice

This premarket engagement is looking to engage with the market to understand the level of interest and capacity for the manufacture and supply of Tubular Stretcher Bars (TSBs). As these TSBs are a safety critical component to the track they will require product approval. Historic demand over the last four years has seen an average spend of PS1.75m to PS3m a year which tranlsates to a range of 5,000 to 10,000 units sourced a year. Due to the volatile demand for this good, Network Rail is unable to forecast further than 6 months for demand.

### Planning Information

Network Rail is undertaking a market engagement exercise to understand the level of interest and capacity for the manufacture and supply of Tubular Stretcher Bars (TSBs). These goods will be required to be manufactured to specified standards with product approval required. 
This engagement aims to gather information from suppliers who have the technical capability, production capacity, and supply-chain readiness to support Network Rail’s ongoing requirements.
Documents attached to the market engagement provides detail around the TSBs and what is required. 
During the engagement window, suppliers may submit clarification questions using the correspondence function within Bravo. All clarification responses will be issued through the portal to ensure fairness and transparency.
The Procurement Documents can be downloaded from Network Rail's BravoNR sourcing platform via this link.
https://networkrail.bravosolution.co.uk/web/login.html
From the welcome screen, access the 'Current Opportunities' link and select:
pqq_3886 - Supply of Tubular Stretcher Bars (TSBs)
Network Rail welcomes participation from all interested suppliers, including established manufacturers, innovators and potential new entrants to the market. Responses received will inform future strategy and ensure the supply chain is well positioned for potential forthcoming opportunities.
Non participation in this market engagement will not preclude any organisation from taking part in future procurement processes. Should a formal procurement exercise be launched, Network Rail will publish a tender notice as a call for competition.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/028701-2026 |
| Notice type | UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice |
| Procurement type | Standard |
| Procurement category | Goods |
| Procurement method | Not Specified |
| Procurement method details | Not specified |
| Tender suitability | SME, VCSE |
| Awardee scale | Not specified |
| All stages | Planning |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 27 Mar 2026 |
| Submission deadline | Not specified |
| Future notice date | 1 Mar 2026 |
| Award date | Not specified |
| Contract period | 31 Mar 2027 - 1 Apr 2030 |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | Not specified |
| Lots value | Not specified |
| Awards value | Not specified |
| Contracts value | Not specified |

## Status

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender status | Planned |
| Lots status | Planned |
| Awards status | Not specified |
| Contracts status | Not specified |

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | NETWORK RAIL INFRASTRUCTURE LIMITED |
| Locality | LONDON |
| Post town | South East London |
| Postcode | SE1 8SW |
| Country | England |
| ITL 1 | TLI London |
| ITL 2 | TLI4 Inner London - East |
| ITL 3 | TLI45 Lambeth |
| Local authority | Lambeth |
| Electoral ward | Waterloo & South Bank |
| Westminster constituency | Vauxhall and Camberwell Green |
| Delivery location | Not specified |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 34 - Transport equipment and auxiliary products to transportation

### Codes

- 34946000 - Railway-track construction materials and supplies
- 34946120 - Railway materials

## Release History

- 27 Mar 2026 at 16:05 - Planning - UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/028701-2026
- 2 Jun 2025 at 14:04 - Planning - UK1 - Pipeline Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/029203-2025

## Documents

- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/028701-2026
  27th March 2026 - Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/029203-2025
  2nd June 2025 - Pipeline notice on Find a Tender

## Notice URLs

- https://networkrail.bravosolution.co.uk/web/login.html
- https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/54/contents
- https://www.networkrail.co.uk/

## 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-052acb. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-052acb.json.