---
title: "Passenger Services Cost Benchmarking Study"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-07914c"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-07914c"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-07914c.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-07914c.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Tender"
buyer: "OFFICE OF RAIL AND ROAD"
published: "2026-10-27"
---

# Passenger Services Cost Benchmarking Study

Buyer: OFFICE OF RAIL AND ROAD  
Current stage: Tender  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-07914c

[View canonical contract page](https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-07914c)  
[Download OCDS JSON](https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-07914c.json)

## Summary

The Office of Rail and Road (ORR) is seeking research and consultancy services for a passenger rail operating-cost benchmarking study. The work will strengthen understanding of the factors that drive train operating expenditure and how those factors relate to one another. It will develop suitable benchmarking methods and a practical framework for comparing costs and performance across passenger rail operations. ORR intends to use the evidence to assess relative efficiency, identify opportunities to improve efficiency and cost control, support advice to funders, and inform value-for-money analysis and its future regulatory work. The study concerns passenger train services across Great Britain; the procurement identifies the delivery location as the United Kingdom.

The buyer invited offers through an open competition. The tender set an enquiry deadline of 9 November 2026 at 17:00 and a submission deadline of 23 November 2026 at 17:00. The single contract is scheduled to run from 4 December 2026 to 3 December 2027. Its estimated value is £90,000 excluding VAT (£108,000 including VAT). The contract is restricted to UK suppliers. The award assessment gives 45% to methodology, 25% to experience, 20% to cost and value for money, and 10% to delivery. Electronic submission is permitted, using the buyer’s e-tendering portal.

This opportunity is suitable for small and medium-sized enterprises and is open to UK suppliers. It will suit research and economic consultancy firms able to analyse rail operating expenditure and build robust comparative benchmarks. Relevant strengths include identifying and testing cost drivers, selecting defensible benchmarking methods, and translating analysis into a practical framework for assessing efficiency and value for money. Experience is a substantial part of the assessment, alongside methodology, so suppliers should be able to demonstrate relevant past work. Delivery capability also matters, while the largest single assessment share is assigned to the proposed methodology. The work is focused on passenger rail operations and will inform regulatory analysis, advice to funders and future cost-performance assessment.

## Notice

The Office of Rail and Road (ORR) is the independent economic and safety regulator of Britain's railways. ORR is developing its capability to assess the efficiency, productivity and value for money of passenger train operations. Historically, passenger services have been delivered through a range of Train Operating Companies (TOCs), each with differing operating characteristics, service patterns and cost structures. As most of the industry moves towards a more integrated railway structure, ORR requires a robust framework for understanding variations in train operating expenditure and for benchmarking performance across the railway. Previous analytical work has demonstrated that econometric benchmarking of the cost of passenger operators is feasible using Great Britain rail industry data and has identified several statistically significant drivers of operating costs. However, further work is required to strengthen understanding of the key cost drivers and the relationships between them, identify appropriate benchmarking methodologies, and develop a practical framework that drives better value for money through comparative analysis, helping to identify opportunities for efficiency improvements and enhanced cost control. A robust cost benchmarking framework will support ORR's future regulatory role by providing an evidence base for understanding cost variation, assessing relative efficiency and identifying opportunities for improvement. The outputs from this study will help inform future cost performance assessment, advice to funders and value-for-money analysis across passenger rail services.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/101583-2026 |
| Notice type | UK4 - Tender Notice |
| Procurement type | Standard |
| Procurement category | Services |
| Procurement method | Open |
| Procurement method details | Below threshold - open competition |
| Tender suitability | SME |
| Awardee scale | Not specified |
| All stages | Tender |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 27 Oct 2026 |
| Submission deadline | 23 Nov 2026 |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | Not specified |
| Contract period | 4 Dec 2026 - 3 Dec 2027 |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | £90,000 |
| Lots value | £90,000 |
| Awards value | Not specified |
| Contracts value | Not specified |

## Status

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

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | OFFICE OF RAIL AND ROAD |
| Locality | LONDON |
| Postcode area | East London |
| Postcode | E14 4QZ |
| Country | England |
| ITL 1 | TLI London |
| ITL 2 | TLI4 Inner London - East |
| ITL 3 | TLI42 Tower Hamlets |
| Local authority | Tower Hamlets |
| Electoral ward | Canary Wharf |
| Westminster constituency | Poplar and Limehouse |
| Delivery location | Not specified |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 73 - Research and development services and related consultancy services

### Codes

- 73000000 - Research and development services and related consultancy services

## Release History

- 27 Oct 2026 at 14:04 - Tender - UK4 - Tender Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/101583-2026

## Documents

- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/101583-2026
  27th October 2026 - Tender notice on Find a Tender
- https://orr.ukp.app.jaggaer.com/go/6042340101A1780F5F4E
  ITT Link
- https://www.orr.gov.uk/about/procuring-goods-and-services/e-tendering
  Registration for e-tendering portal
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/Attachment/A-24704
  ITT

## 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-07914c. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-07914c.json.