Railway transport services

Tender description

West Midlands Rail Ltd (WMR), trading as West Midlands Raill Executive (WMRE) seeks to award a Framework Agreement for franchise advisory services comprising of specialist consultancy expertise on specialist railway, technical and commercial advisory services. The current West Midlands Franchise is due to expire in March 2026, and WMRE’s aspiration is for the next franchise to be designed, procured and managed for the West Midlands by the West Midlands. In order to be successful in this aim, WMRE seeks to procure the very best expertise available within the market place to offer specialist railway technical and commercial advisory services. It is the intention to make the framework available to other local authorities in the UK. This will consist of the following: — all county councils, borough and district councils and unitary authorities throughout England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales and any other relevant organisations in the UK. Successful contractor(s) will be responsible for providing professional, technical and commercial support for a range of macro-level strategic activities such as franchise re-mapping, devolution, future forecasts and plans, option analysis and the construction of project and programme business cases. Services include but are not limited to: — franchise remapping, — rail devolution, including business case support, — rail strategy planning advice and research, — strategic technical commercial advice, — macro-level revenue forecasting. The successful contractor(s) will be responsible for providing professional, technical and commercial support for a range of activities focused on the realisation of better integration between transport modes. Typical requirements identified by WMRE include but are not limited to: — transport integration and planning research, — transport systems integration, — strategic technical commercial advice, — modal integration, interfaces and connectivity. Successful contractor(s) will be responsible for providing professional technical and commercial support across a full range of operational specialisms.Typical requirements identified by WMRE include but are not limited to: — general rail operations and performance advice and research, — operational management, — timetabling, diagramming, rostering, — network rail operational interfaces, — operational mobilisation, — operational safety, — operational cost modelling. Successful contractor(s) will be responsible for providing professional technical and commercial support for a range of customer and people focused activities. Typical requirements identified by WMRE include but are not limited to: — passenger communication, — passenger connectivity, — service quality/customer service, — staffing policy/strategy, — industrial relations/Trade Unions/TUPE/pensions, — ticket retailing. Lot 5: Economic and Revenue Forecasting: Successful contractor(s) will be responsible for providing professional technical and commercial support for a range of short to medium term activities specifically in relation to forecasting and meeting demand, fares calibration and the development of bidding strategies and analysis. Typical requirements identified by WMRE include but are not limited to: — general economic and revenue forecasting advice and research, — technical risk adjustment, — macro-economic advice, — market reviews production, — benefits realisation support, — commercial risk analysis/profiling fare reviews and policy, — modelling — revenue, fares and demand, — comparator modelling and associated business case support, — fares structure. Successful contractor(s) will be responsible for providing professional technical and commercial support and advice across the spectrum of railway infrastructure and assets. Typical requirements identified by WMRE include but are not limited to: — general railway infrastructure and asset management advice, — stations: including access, property, parking, mobility and security, — depots and stabling: strategy and advice, — signalling and systems: strategy and advice, — power/electrification: strategy and advice, — telecommunications/Customer Information Systems (CIS): strategy and advice. Successful contractor(s) will be responsible for providing professional technical and commercial support and advice across a spectrum of railway rolling stock activities. Typical requirements identified by WMRE include but are not limited to: — rolling stock: strategy and advice, — rolling stock: management, acceptance, planning, — rolling stock: leasing, — on train facilities and services, — rail engineering, feasibility and operating advice.