Project launch
Network Rail doubles Wales and Western civils framework estimate to 150 million
By Staff Writer | 04-09-2026
Network Rail has reissued its market engagement notice for a two lot geotechnical and civil engineering framework across the Wales and Western region, raising the estimated value from 77,600,000 pounds to 150,000,000 pounds excluding value added tax, extending the expression of interest deadline to 14 September 2026 and relaxing the point at which bidders must hold a Principal Contractor licence. The new notice was published at 11:16am on 4 September 2026 and replaces one published on 20 August 2026.
The framework is described in the same terms on both notices. Network Rail intends to establish a multi lot framework for the delivery of geotechnical and civil engineering works across the region, primarily supporting rock cutting remediation, earthwork drainage improvements and burrowing management, delivered on a design and build basis with suppliers acting as Principal Contractor and, where applicable, Principal Designer. Lot 1 is Wales, rock cutting and drainage, and Lot 2 is Western, rock cutting and drainage. Bidders may tender for both lots but no bidder may be awarded more than one. The term is three years with two single year options to extend.
Why the notice was reissued
The new notice gives two reasons for its existence. The first concerns the licence requirement:
The initial RISQS supplier selection exercise excluded a number of Tier 2 suppliers due to not holding the required PC licence at the point of selection. Following further consideration, the requirement has been amended to allow suppliers to obtain the relevant PC licence by the ITT submission date.
Network Rail Infrastructure Limited, preliminary market engagement notice
The second concerns the money. The notice states that the estimated framework value has been amended to reflect the new intended framework's role in supporting, rather than replacing, existing delivery routes. The August notice had put the estimated contract value at 40,800,000 pounds for Lot 1 and 36,800,000 pounds for Lot 2, based on the indicative work bank at that time, totalling 77,600,000 pounds excluding value added tax and 93,120,000 pounds gross. The September notice carries 150,000,000 pounds excluding value added tax and 180,000,000 pounds gross, and no longer gives a figure per lot.
The licence wording sits alongside an unchanged sentence. The notice still says a valid Network Rail Principal Contractor licence will be required prior to the invitation to tender launch, anticipated on 16 November 2026, for any supplier shortlisted after the PSQ stage, and that a shortlisted supplier without one by that date will not be eligible to progress. The reissue paragraph says the licence may be obtained by the ITT submission date. Both statements are on the notice.
Route to market and dates
The expression of interest has been issued through RISQS, which the notice records became a dynamic market on 1 April 2026, and Network Rail intends to invite every supplier registered there and holding the listed category codes. Those codes cover earthworks drainage, rock netting and rock scaling, each across design, dispose, maintain, install and modify. Responses through RISQS are due no later than 14 September 2026, moved from 28 August on the earlier notice. A supplier that does not respond will not be invited to the pre qualification questionnaire, which will be administered through Network Rail's Bravo eSourcing system; the notice states that no extension of time will be granted for a supplier's failure to enrol on Bravo.
The framework period has also moved. The August notice gave 11 December 2026 to 11 December 2029 with a maximum extent of 11 December 2031. The new notice gives 1 March 2027 to 1 March 2030 with a maximum extent of 1 March 2032. The tender notice is expected on 19 September 2026. The single lot on the notice is marked as suitable for small and medium sized enterprises and for voluntary, community and social enterprises, and the delivery regions are Wales and the South West of England.
Under the framework Network Rail may instruct surveys, investigations, feasibility studies and outline and detailed design where a project is at an early stage, and the notice states that an appointment for that work does not guarantee award of the subsequent construction. Where an outline scope exists, suppliers may be instructed on a design and build basis; where a suitable design already exists, including schemes developed under what the notice calls the Intelligent Client model, build only instructions may be issued. For complex, bespoke or specialist schemes that cannot reasonably be priced from the schedule of rates, Network Rail reserves the right to seek a standalone price from one or more framework suppliers or to run a further competition between them. The notice does not say how many suppliers will be appointed to each lot.