---
title: "Provision of Service Quality Regime (SQR) Inspection Services"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-05abb0"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-05abb0"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-05abb0.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-05abb0.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "XC TRAINS LIMITED"
published: "2026-06-02"
---

# Provision of Service Quality Regime (SQR) Inspection Services

Buyer: XC TRAINS LIMITED  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-05abb0

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## Summary

XC Trains Limited, a private utility company operating extensive passenger rail services across the United Kingdom, recently concluded a procurement process for the "Provision of Service Quality Regime (SQR) Inspection Services." The focus of this contract is to ensure high standards of customer experience across its network, as incentivized by the Department for Transport under the National Rail Contracts. This endeavor includes various inspection regimes such as the Train Service Regime and Customer Service Regime, with activities conducted across multiple UK regions, from the Southwest in England to the North of Scotland. The procurement was carried out using a competitive flexible procedure, with the tender process culminating in an award notice on 2nd June 2026. The awarded contract, valued at £1,342,073 GBP exclusive of VAT, involves comprehensive services related to inspection management and data assurance and is scheduled to commence on 24th August 2026, with provisions for extension up to 2031.

This tender represents a significant opportunity for businesses involved in technical inspections, auditing, and survey conduction services. Given the scope and strategic importance of maintaining customer service quality across a national rail network, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) with expertise in the listed services, mobile technology solutions, or those capable of providing specialized inspection services would find this contract particularly lucrative. The involvement of "Mystery Shoppers Limited" as the awarded supplier underscores the need for firms that can offer innovative customer insight and quality assurance solutions. Businesses that can navigate the requirements defined under the selective procurement methodology stand to benefit from recurring work throughout the contract term, contributing to growth and diversification of their service portfolio within the public sector transport domain.

## Notice

XC Trains Limited (XC) operates passenger rail services across the United Kingdom. XC is a unique operation in that it runs from the Southwest in England to the North of Scotland and is the most extensive rail franchise in Britain, calling at more than 100 stations. XC serves 7 of the 10 largest UK cities with 7 routes radiating from a central hub in Birmingham. The Service Quality Regime (SQR) was set up by the Department for Transport (DfT) to incentivise Train Operating Companies (TOCs) to ensure customer experience standards across the railway network are maintained and improved. The regime is defined in the National Rail Contracts (NRCs) that exist between TOCs and the DfT, including XC's NRC. The NRC sets out the obligations that TOCs have to deliver to ensure compliance with the Contract, and the repercussions if they are not. XC's SQR has been in place since late 2021 and has seen a few changes since it first started. XC is also proud to have helped the DfT trial changes to SQR during this time to pave the way for other TOCs following in the future. This Procurement is undertaken by XC on behalf of itself, and a successor operator of the XC. The key elements and strategic objectives of the Project are: - Train Service Regime (TSR) inspections by inspectors; - Customer Service Regime (CSR) inspections by mystery shoppers; - Accessible Customer Service Regime (ACSR) inspections by mystery shoppers with additional accessible needs; - Provision of mobile devices to the supplier inspectors and mystery shoppers for running inspection forms; and - Inspection data quality assurance. The awarded supplier will provide the following services: - Project mobilisation and implementation of services - Total of 290 inspections per railway period across the duration of the contract - Account management services

### Lot Information

Lot 1

Renewal: The Contract's duration is for three years. XC reserves the right to extend the Contract, in whole or in part, for up to two additional years, in increments determined at its sole discretion, subject to mutual agreement of the parties. Please see the associated documents for further details.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/052018-2026 |
| Notice type | UK6 - Contract Award Notice |
| Procurement type | Standard |
| Procurement category | Services |
| Procurement method | Selective |
| Procurement method details | Competitive flexible procedure |
| Tender suitability | SME |
| Awardee scale | SME |
| All stages | Tender, Award |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 2 Jun 2026 |
| Submission deadline | 20 Oct 2025 |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | 1 Jun 2026 |
| Contract period | 23 Aug 2026 - 24 Aug 2029 |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | £1,300,000 |
| Lots value | £1,300,000 |
| Awards value | £1,344,073 |
| Contracts value | Not specified |

## Status

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender status | Complete |
| Lots status | Complete |
| Awards status | Pending |
| Contracts status | Not specified |

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | XC TRAINS LIMITED |
| Locality | BUSINESS PARK |
| Post town | Sunderland |
| Postcode | SR3 3XP |
| Country | England |
| ITL 1 | TLC North East (England) |
| ITL 2 | TLC4 Northumberland, Durham and Tyne & Wear |
| ITL 3 | TLC44 Sunderland |
| Local authority | Sunderland |
| Electoral ward | Doxford |
| Westminster constituency | Houghton and Sunderland South |
| Delivery location | TLC North East (England), TLD North West (England), TLE Yorkshire and The Humber, TLF East Midlands (England), TLG West Midlands (England), TLH East (England), TLI London, TLJ South East (England), TLK South West (England), TLL Wales, TLM Scotland |

## Supplier

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Number of suppliers | 1 |
| Supplier names | MYSTERY SHOPPERS |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 71 - Architectural, construction, engineering and inspection services
- 79 - Business services: law, marketing, consulting, recruitment, printing and security

### Codes

- 71630000 - Technical inspection and testing services
- 79212000 - Auditing services
- 79311200 - Survey conduction services

## Release History

- 2 Jun 2026 at 15:00 - Award - UK6 - Contract Award Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/052018-2026
- 9 Oct 2025 at 13:17 - Tender - UK4 - Tender Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/063757-2025

## Documents

- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/052018-2026
  2nd June 2026 - Contract award notice on Find a Tender
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/063757-2025
  9th October 2025 - Tender notice on Find a Tender
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/Attachment/A-6057
  Template 4.0 Master Umbrella Direct Agreement 8 JULY 2024
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/Attachment/A-6058
  External Guidance Note - Umbrella Direct Agreement Template 4.0 8 JULY 2024
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/Attachment/A-6091
  Service Quality Regime Inspections ITP 2025
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/Attachment/A-6092
  Service Quality Regime Inspections ITP 2025 PDF
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/Attachment/A-6094
  Invitation To Tender (Competitive Flexible) SQR INSPECTIONS PDF
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/Attachment/A-6095
  SQR Inspections - Supplier Response Template
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/Attachment/A-6096
  Inspections Coverage Template Response
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/Attachment/A-6097
  Precedent XC Supply Agreement for Goods and Services 2025
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/Attachment/A-6098
  SQR Inspections Bidder Clarification Questions Template
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/Attachment/A-6099
  Pricing Template - Inspections
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/Attachment/A-6103
  Invitation To Tender (Competitive Flexible) SQR INSPECTIONS

## Notice URLs

- https://www.crosscountrytrains.co.uk/
- https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/54/contents
- https://www.mystery-shoppers.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-05abb0. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-05abb0.json.