---
title: "978799118 T1398 Categorising platform/train stepping arrangements to assess and prioritise actions towards independent boarding"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-05a2c9"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-05a2c9"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-05a2c9.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-05a2c9.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "RAIL SAFETY STANDARDS BOARD (RSSB)"
published: "2025-12-12"
---

# 978799118 T1398 Categorising platform/train stepping arrangements to assess and prioritise actions towards independent boarding

Buyer: RAIL SAFETY STANDARDS BOARD (RSSB)  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-05a2c9

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## Summary

The Rail Safety Standards Board (RSSB), headquartered in London, is undertaking a public procurement process for a project titled "Categorising platform/train stepping arrangements to assess and prioritise actions towards independent boarding." This initiative falls within the research services category and aims to enhance accessibility in boarding and alighting procedures across the rail network. The procurement method used is an open procedure, and the project has already progressed through the tender stage, leading to contract awards. Notable dates include the award date of 13 November 2025 and the contract period from 1 December 2025 to 1 October 2026. Located in the United Kingdom, this project presents a substantial opportunity in the public transport accessibility sector.

The contract awarded to Ove Arup and Partners Ltd, which is known for its expertise in large-scale projects, underscores the significant potential for business ventures within the realm of transport infrastructure improvements. As RSSB's methods highlight a focus on methodology development and prioritisation of interventions, organisations adept in research services, particularly those specialising in transport accessibility, are well-suited to contribute to this venture. Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) might find growth opportunities by sub-contracting or collaborating in the development phases, given the project's comprehensive approach towards enhancing independent boarding options across the UK rail network. The project also entails evaluating the societal, economic, and financial benefits of improving accessibility, aligning with broader public interest goals.

## Notice

The aim of T1398 is to generate and apply the methodology needed to prioritise and make the case for interventions to make boarding and alighting more accessible. To achieve this, the project will: *Define a range of Boarding Categories based on PTI geometry data and human factors. The thresholds between these categories should be driven by the proportion of passenger persona groups who can board independently and safely. *Assign platform/train pairings across the network to the Boarding Categories, determining the most appropriate way to capture each pairing given multiple points along the length of platform and multiple doors on trains. This will deliver an understanding of the distribution of actual platform/train stepping arrangements across the categories. This insight must be presented in a way that enables industry to prioritise action and consider solutions for improving stepping arrangements. *Develop a benefit-assessment methodology to assess the value (financial, economic, and societal) resulting from removing the less accessible arrangements from the GB network or partially improving them (e.g. allowing for one carriage of a train to have level access). To view this notice, please click here: https://www.delta-esourcing.com/delta/viewNotice.html?noticeId=1001007151

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/082632-2025 |
| Notice type | UK7 - Contract Details Notice |
| Procurement type | Standard |
| Procurement category | Services |
| Procurement method | Open |
| Procurement method details | Open procedure |
| Tender suitability | SME, VCSE |
| Awardee scale | Large |
| All stages | Tender, Award |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 12 Dec 2025 |
| Submission deadline | 30 Oct 2025 |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | 13 Nov 2025 |
| Contract period | 1 Dec 2025 - 1 Oct 2026 |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | £200,000 |
| Lots value | £200,000 |
| Awards value | £200,000 |
| Contracts value | £200,000 |

## Status

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

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | RAIL SAFETY STANDARDS BOARD (RSSB) |
| Locality | LONDON |
| Post town | Central London |
| Postcode | EC3M 5AD |
| Country | England |
| ITL 1 | TLI London |
| ITL 2 | TLI3 Inner London - West |
| ITL 3 | TLI35 Westminster and City of London |
| Local authority | City of London |
| Electoral ward | Aldgate |
| Westminster constituency | Cities of London and Westminster |
| Delivery location | Not specified |

## Supplier

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Number of suppliers | 1 |
| Supplier names | OVE ARUP AND PARTNERS |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 73 - Research and development services and related consultancy services

### Codes

- 73110000 - Research services

## Release History

- 12 Dec 2025 at 16:05 - Award - UK7 - Contract Details Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/082632-2025
- 13 Nov 2025 at 19:05 - Award - UK6 - Contract Award Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/073760-2025
- 26 Sep 2025 at 09:05 - Tender - UK4 - Tender Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/059979-2025

## Documents

- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/082632-2025
  12th December 2025 - Contract details notice on Find a Tender
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/073760-2025
  13th November 2025 - Contract award notice on Find a Tender
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/059979-2025
  26th September 2025 - Tender notice on Find a Tender

## Notice URLs

- https://www.delta-esourcing.com/
- https://www.delta-esourcing.com/delta/viewNotice.html?noticeId=1001007151
- 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-05a2c9. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-05a2c9.json.