---
title: "TROO0487 IEP Escrow Verification Services"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-06698a"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-06698a"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06698a.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06698a.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "DEPARTMENT FOR TRANSPORT"
published: "2026-05-07"
---

# TROO0487 IEP Escrow Verification Services

Buyer: DEPARTMENT FOR TRANSPORT  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-06698a

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## Summary

The procurement process for the TROO0487 IEP Escrow Verification Services has been conducted by the Department for Transport, a public authority part of the central government, based in London, United Kingdom. This specific procurement falls under the services category with a focus on technical services and was carried out as a direct award under the legal obligation of an IP Escrow Agreement with NCC Services Limited, headquartered in Manchester. The award was finalized on 20th April 2026, with a contract period extending from this date until 19th April 2031. Valued at £478,474.80 gross, the contract ensures that software escrow materials for crucial onboard train systems can be independently verified in support of business continuity programs for the Train Availability and Reliability Agreements (TARA). The procurement stage is complete, following a direct procurement method justified by technical and exclusive intellectual property rights.

This tender presents substantial opportunities for businesses with expertise in technical verification services, especially those capable of handling sensitive proprietary software verification tasks. It is particularly relevant for large-scale enterprises like NCC Services Limited that possess the technical capacity to simulate and validate escrow-protected materials independently. Companies looking to enter public sector partnerships, especially those engaged in technology services or business continuity solutions, may find similar opportunities rewarding, offering a pathway to expand business operations and secure long-term contracts with governmental departments. The direct award method exemplifies the strategic alignment and exclusive technical competencies required to effectively engage in this type of procurement.

## Notice

Under the IEP ECML contract, the Department, along with Agility Trains East (ATE) and Hitachi Rail Limited (HRL), were obliged to enter into an IP Escrow Agreement with NCC Group (NCC). As part of this Agreement, the cost of any verification works by NCC shall be borne by the Department. NCC are now commencing the works to verify the material deposited in escrow which can be rebuilt completely independently of HRL by the NCC technical team. Hence a Direct Award with NCC in order to provide payment and fulfil our obligations. The primary focus of the engagement with NCC is to validate that the source code, assets, and components deposited in escrow can be rebuilt independently simulating the steps that would need to be replicated in the event of supplier failure. By conducting this level of verification, the Department are ensuring that the escrow protection in place can be utilised for Business Continuity purposes. IEP (InterCity Express Programme) require the provision of services with NCC to validate that the source code, assets, and components deposited in escrow can be rebuilt independently simulating the steps that would need to be replicated in the event of supplier failure. By conducting this level of verification, the Department are ensuring that the escrow protection in place can be utilised for Business Continuity purposes. IEP understand that this service will be ongoing through-out the duration of the Master Availability and Reliability Agreement (MARA ) and Train Availability and Reliability Agreement (TARA) contracts and the life span of the current trains. IEP would like to consider the use of a different way to procure these services which last longer than a single year at a time after.

### Procurement Information

Contracts held by the Department with Agility Trains East and Agility Trains West contain a binding joint obligation between the parties to maintain an independent Escrow for software code for essential onboard train systems. Ncc is specified in each of the two contracts. Failure to enact an Escrow in the event of supplier failure could represent significant service delivery risk.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/041763-2026 |
| Notice type | UK7 - Contract Details Notice |
| Procurement type | Standard |
| Procurement category | Services |
| Procurement method | Direct |
| Procurement method details | Direct award |
| Tender suitability | Not specified |
| Awardee scale | Large |
| All stages | Award |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 7 May 2026 |
| Submission deadline | Not specified |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | 13 Mar 2026 |
| Contract period | 19 Apr 2026 - 19 Apr 2031 |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | Not specified |
| Lots value | Not specified |
| Awards value | £398,729 |
| Contracts value | £398,729 |

## Status

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

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | DEPARTMENT FOR TRANSPORT |
| 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 | NCC SERVICES |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 71 - Architectural, construction, engineering and inspection services

### Codes

- 71356000 - Technical services

## Release History

- 7 May 2026 at 09:08 - Award - UK7 - Contract Details Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/041763-2026
- 7 Apr 2026 at 15:00 - Award - UK6 - Contract Award Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/031595-2026
- 7 Apr 2026 at 12:36 - AwardUpdate - UK5 - Transparency Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/031470-2026
- 13 Mar 2026 at 11:18 - Award - UK5 - Transparency Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/022844-2026

## Documents

- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/041763-2026
  7th May 2026 - Contract details notice on Find a Tender
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/031595-2026
  7th April 2026 - Contract award notice on Find a Tender
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/031470-2026
  7th April 2026 - Transparency notice on Find a Tender
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/022844-2026
  13th March 2026 - Transparency notice on Find a Tender

## 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-06698a. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06698a.json.