Transport equipment and auxiliary products to transportation

Tender description

Network Rail wishes to move away from having direct relationships with approximately 300 separate suppliers of indirect infrastructure materials and consumables items, to a supplier managed distribution model. Under this model only 1 or 2 suppliers will manage the procurement, supply, storage and distribution of these items on Network Rail's behalf. Accordingly, under this procurement Network Rail requires the supply to it by 1 or 2 successful provider(s) of: (a) indirect infrastructure materials and consumables items; and (b) associated services. Network Rail may also require supplies and services in respect of the provision of an associated software solution. The indirect infrastructure materials and consumable items include railway specific and generic items. Lot 1 will relate to the supply of railway specific items, and Lot 2 will relate to the supply of generic items. It is expected there will be between 10 000 and 20 000 different types of items requiring supply. Under this procurement Network Rail will invite tenderers to submit up to three (3) tenders, being: (1) an individual tender for this Lot 1 (a Lot 1 Individual Tender); and/or (2) an individual tender for Lot 2 (a Lot 2 Individual Tender); and/or (3) a combined tender for this Lot 1 and Lot 2 (a Combined Tender). Accordingly, the successful supplier for this Lot 1 may be a tenderer who has successfully submitted a Lot 1 Individual Tender, or a Combined Tender. Further information in relation to the tenders to be submitted is set out in the Instructions to Participants. Under this Lot 1 Network Rail requires the successful provider to: (a) supply for purchase "railway specific" indirect infrastructure materials and consumables items, which will include (but not be limited to) track drainage items, telecoms spares, railway system original equipment spares, and overhead line equipment spares (a full list of current relevant railway specific product categories can be found at section V1.3 of this Notice); and (b) provide services associated with the supply of such items including, but not limited to: (i) product range management; (ii) data management and obsolescence management; (iii) new product introduction; (iv) order management, including order processing, order expediting, order queries, pricing, order acknowledgment and supplier payment; (v) supplier account management; (vi) order receipt, management of warranty, quarantine, and item quality; (vii) inventory management of product categories (with the supplier to own all inventory until issued to Network Rail); (viii) logistics operations to deliver materials to stocking locations or point of use; (ix) the provision, maintenance and operation of physical and systemic logistic solutions (for example, barcoding and smart-lockers and other technologies as appropriate); (x) management of Network Rail end-user queries, issues and customer account management; (xi) provision of technical product knowledge; (xii) provision of technical on-site support; and (xiii) management information reporting (including on KPI, product safety, customer satisfaction, stock availability, and whole life cost). Under this Lot 1 Network Rail may also require the successful provider to provide supplies for purchase and services in respect of the design and integration of a software solution which will relate to both this Lot 1, and Lot 2 (Lot 1 Software Services). The Lot 1 Software Services will include necessary liaison and collaboration with the successful supplier of Lot 2 (if such supplier is different to the successful supplier of this Lot 1), and the maintenance and operation of ordering software/hardware solutions. It is anticipated that the provision of the Lot 1 Software Services will be introduced by way of a contract variation at the end of the Transition Period, as summarised at paragraph 2.1 of the Appendix to the Instructions to Participants. It is anticipated that during the life of the contract to be awarded in respect of this Lot 1, the precise range of the railway specific indirect infrastructure materials and combined items which Network Rail requires the supply of may change (with some items no longer being required and some new items being required). All items that Network Rail requires the supply of will fall within the scope of this procurement (including as set out in the CPV Codes, and the procurement documents referred to at section I.3 of this Notice). The Instructions to Participants contain additional information in respect of the nature and quality of the required supplies and services relating to this Lot 1. Under this procurement Network Rail will invite tenderers to submit up to three (3) tenders, being: (1) an individual tender for Lot 1 (a Lot 1 Individual Tender); and/or (2) an individual tender for this Lot 2 (a Lot 2 Individual Tender); and/or (3) a combined tender for Lot 1 and this Lot 2 (a Combined Tender). Accordingly, the successful provider for this Lot 2 may be a tenderer who has successfully submitted a Lot 2 Individual Tender, or a Combined Tender. Further information in relation to the tenders to be submitted is set out in the Instructions to Participants. Under this Lot 2 Network Rail requires the successful provider to: (a) supply for purchase "generic" indirect infrastructure materials and consumables items, which will include (but not be limited to) electronic items, tools, chemicals, oils, greases, fasteners, paints and janitorial products (a full list of current relevant generic product categories can be found at section V1.3 of this Notice); and (b) provide services associated with the supply of such items including, but not limited to: (i) product range management; (ii) data management and obsolescence management; (iii) new product introduction; (iv) order management, including order processing, order expediting, order queries, pricing, order acknowledgment and supplier payment; (v) supplier account management; (vi) order receipt, management of warranty, quarantine, and item quality; (vii) inventory management of product categories (with the supplier to own all inventory until issued to Network Rail); (viii) logistics operations to deliver materials to stocking locations or point of use; (ix) provision, maintenance and operation of physical and systemic logistic solutions (for example, barcoding and smart-lockers and other technologies as appropriate); (x) management of Network Rail end-user queries, issues and customer account management; (xi) provision of technical product knowledge; (xii) provision of technical on-site support; and (xiii). management information reporting (including on KPI, product safety, customer satisfaction, stock availability, and whole life cost). Network Rail may also require the successful provider to provide supplies for purchase and services in respect of the design and integration of a software solution which will relate to both this Lot 2, and Lot 1 (Lot 2 Software Services). The Lot 2 Software Services will include necessary liaison and collaboration with the successful supplier of Lot 1 (if such supplier is different to the successful supplier of this Lot 2), and the maintenance and operation of ordering software/hardware solutions. It is anticipated that the provision of the Lot 2 Software Services will be introduced by way of a contract variation at the end of the Transition Period, as summarised at paragraph 2.1 of the Appendix to the Instructions to Participants. It is anticipated that during the life of the contract to be awarded in respect of this Lot 2, the precise range of the railway specific indirect infrastructure materials and combined items which Network Rail requires the supply of may change (with some items no longer being required and some new items being required). All items that Network Rail requires the supply of will fall within the scope of this procurement (including as set out in the CPV Codes, and the procurement documents referred to at section I.3 of this Notice). The Instructions to Participants contain additional information relating to the nature and quality of the required supplies and services in respect of this Lot 2.