Railway equipment

Tender description

As part of its programme of track rehabilitation and renewal, Translink wishes to procure on-track machinery to carry out ballast cleaning on its rail network. The ballast cleaning programme will aim to undertake rehabilitation of the whole network (circa 300 track miles) over a 20-year period. In order to better inform the programme management team, Translink wishes to procure the services of a suitably experienced consultant to advise them of the types of equipment available on the market, investigate different options for productivity targets and working methods and contribute to a feasibility study which will form the basis of an economic appraisal to secure funding for the equipment. In order to better inform the programme management team, Translink wishes to procure the services of a suitably experienced consultant to advise them of the types of equipment available on the market, investigate different options for productivity targets and working methods and contribute to a feasibility study which will form the basis of an economic appraisal to secure funding for the equipment. The consultant appointed will require direct experience of specifying and procuring ballast cleaning equipment for UK or European railway networks within the past 5 years, and be able to arrange contact between the Translink programme team and other ballast cleaning equipment operators to assist in the evaluation of different machinery types and working methods. The consultant will need to be available for meetings in Northern Ireland and for visits to international ballast cleaning operations. Translink intends to engage with the market during February 2019 and publish a related competition early 2019, continuing throughout feasibility, procurement and commissioning of the equipment.